"Voting" can be added to your list of things to do on the weekend prior to Election Day, November 5, when the Santa Cruz County Elections Department and Watsonville City Hall will be open for voting from 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. on Saturday and Sunday, November 2 and 3.

This is a form of "late" absentee voting for voters who are unable to go to the polls due to illness, disability or absence from their precinct on Tuesday, November 5. After the deadline for requesting a vote-by-mail ballot on October 29, voters may continue to obtain a ballot in person at the county Elections Department or the Watsonville City Clerks Office, located at 215 Union St., 2^nd Floor, during regular business hours from 8 a.m. to 5 p.m.

Extended voting hours will be offered from 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. on the weekend before the election and from 7 a.m. to 8 p.m. on Election Day at the Santa Cruz County Elections Department and Watsonville City Hall.

During the six days before the election, if voters are unable to come in and obtain a ballot personally, they may provide a written statement allowing an authorized representative of the voter to obtain the ballot on the voter’s behalf. Applications are available online at www.votescount.com

Voters who have obtained vote-by-mail ballots are reminded that the ballot must be received by the Santa Cruz County Elections Department or any polling place in the county no later than 8 p.m., Tuesday, November 5. Postmark is not acceptable.

Absentee voters who still have their ballots are encouraged to drop off their voted ballot at either the Santa Cruz County Elections Department or Watsonville City Hall during weekend voting. A mailbox is available in front of the county building for voters to deposit their ballots without having to leave their cars.

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For more information, please call the Santa Cruz County Elections Department at 831-454-2060, visit our office at 701 Ocean St., Room 210 in Santa Cruz, or check out our website at www.votescount.com.