County clerk still having problems getting ballots mailed to voters

The election is less than two weeks away and the clerk’s office is not taking responsibility for over 1400 ballots that never reached the registered voters  who requested them. 

A friend  of mine tells me he called Butte County elections on Monday and was told it would take 7 to 10 days for him to receive a new ballot by mail. His mail carrier told him that was not true, it should only take two days, even if routed through Sacramento. He waited.

Today he called the elections office to  ask about the ballot again, and was shocked – they told him his ballot had never been sent and they don’t know what happened to it? 

My friend tells me, “She [the clerk  staffer] said it would take 7 to 9 days for me to receive another replacement ballot.  9 days would be the 6th which is Sunday so it would really be the 7th, one day before the election.  This is assuming they don’t screw up like they did on Monday.”

Furthermore, he says, “I was told the ballots are not sent from Oroville but from Sacramento.”

They never mentioned that in the tv news story. Grubbs acts as though she toils night and day to get the ballots and pamphlets out, licks each stamp herself or something. 

When my friend inquired with a supervisor at the Chico Post Office, he was told even from Sacramento, the ballot should only take two days. The post office is denying any fault in this incident, and I have to agree. “He [the PO supervisor] said he did not know why the county clerk’s office was telling me it would take so much longer.”

And now what? Like so many people, my friend signed up  years ago for a mail-in ballot because the polling station in his neighborhood was closed. Grubbs has closed many polling places over the last few elections,  saying they weren’t getting enough traffic, or she didn’t have enough money to keep so many polling stations open, take your pick.

I suggested my friend contact his county supervisor, and I’ll suggest same to anybody else who is in this situation. Ask your supervisor how many returned ballots the clerk has reported to them, and how many  folks have called the office to report missing ballots. This is important – cc county clerk Candace Grubbs – CGrubbs@buttecounty.net – and see how quickly a solution is found to your problem.