Tulare County prepares for Election Day

TULARE COUNTY, Calif. (KFSN) -- In the South Valley, the Tulare County Registrar of Voters is gearing up for Election Day on Tuesday.

However, the county is the only one in the area that does not use Vote Centers, which means less access to early in-person voting.

Dozens of cars and people filled up the parking lot and lobby at the Tulare County Registrar of Voters on Monday.

Early voting started last week at their Akers location.

Over 1,000 people have voted in-person, and tens of thousands have put their ballot in a mailbox or ballot drop box.

As of Monday, over 61,000 people in Tulare County voted early by mailing in their ballots.

The Tulare County Registrar of Voters says it has noticed an increase in younger voters this year, with some even voting for the first time.

"A lot of people are invested in voting for this election in 2024. It's an important presidential election and I think that is why we are already seeing a bigger turn out so I would encourage people to get out there early and vote," said Tulare County Registrar of Voters Michelle Baldwin.

Jose Barajas Galindo is among the first time voters.

Barajas Galindo has lived in the United States for decades but recently became eligible to vote.

"Today is special, because I became a citizen in 2022, and as you raise your right hand you promise to vote," said Barajas Galindo.

"So, it makes me feel good, as a new voter."

Dorothy Strange is also casting her ballot in early.

She says it's every citizen's civic duty to cast their vote.

"It is your job as a citizen in this country to vote. You can't complain about the policies or politics of this country if you are not actively putting your voice out there," expressed Strange.

Tulare is the only county in our part of Central California not participating in the Voters Choice Act, which allows counties to set up Vote Centers up to 11 days before an election.

The county says they lack the resources and funding.

Plus, sites that can stay open every day are difficult to come by.

"We have a hard time finding locations to accommodate us for those ten days because we use a lot of churches for voting sites and we can't use them on Sundays," explained Baldwin.

On Election Day, there will be 15 ballot drop off locations, plus 39 polling places where people can vote in person and have their questions answered.

Sites will open from 7 am until 8 Tuesday.

You can find a list of polling place locations throughout Tulare County by clicking here.

To view a list of ballot drop box locations in Tulare County, click here.

For news updates, follow Kassandra Gutierrez on Facebook, Twitter and Instagram.