Twenty mobile polling stations opened Saturday in Fresno county to provide easier access for voters. But some voters we spoke to said their wait was anything but easy.
"I came down just to come in and vote. Figured it was only going to be a little while but it took a little longer than expected," voter Warren Duckett from Fresno said.
Duckett said he sat for about a hour.
"I was here for about 15, 20 minutes," said Connie Peterson.
Peterson wanted to cast her ballot early but said there was a technical glitch when she arrived at Carrington Pointe in Northeast Fresno. "Regardless of your candidate your issue whatever else I'm a huge believer in the importance of voter enfranchisement."
County registrar Victor Salazar announced Monday he was providing this early voting opportunity after residents complained he shut down 200 polling sites because of a limited budget. "My understanding is that there were some lines but that people have been able to vote."
Salazar said sometimes there are problems with computers and electrical equipment at the polling sites. "If there is any problems the poll workers call in, we send out a technical person and we send out technical person and or replace the equipment and we had to do that on a couple of sites."
Political activist group Communities for a New California pressured Salazar's office to add the mobile voting machines.
Director Sabina Gonzalez said there should be more than just 20. "With little promotion that was done voters are responding to the early voting opportunity and they are showing up but if there are malfunctions with the machines or if there is not enough locations then that underscores even more the need for Tuesday mobile voting booths," said Gonzalez.
Salazar said that is just not possible with the current budget gap.
