California Recall: Many Last-Minute Voters Prefer To Drop Off Ballots In San Jose
SAN JOSE (KPIX) -- Last minute voters waited in long lines in San Jose Tuesday to drop-in their ballots instead of mailing them for the state's historic recall election.
"I didn't dare trust, especially following the last election," said Marylea Balsley.
The small business owner and California resident drove 14 hours after working in Arizona to hand over her ballot at a polling location inside the San Jose Library Cambrian Branch.
She said she wouldn't have it any other way, and she was far from the only one who felt that way.
"Hell no," said Brian Geyer when asked if he trusted mailing-in his ballot.
He was also at the library to drop-off his ballot a little more than an hour before polls closed.
"Newsom has destroyed California, Jerry Brown has destroyed California," said Geyer. "We need to throw the bums out, we need to get some people who care about the country, care about the people, understand the responsibilities and stop acting like a bunch of spoiled brat, playboys and lying to us continually."
Political experts had said that Republicans were most likely to vote in-person.
But not everyone who showed up to vote at the polls did so because they didn't trust the voting system. For many, it's tradition to vote in-person.
"We've just always placed it in the box for the entire time I've voted," said Richelle Shimada who had her kids in tow as she dropped off her ballot. "I've always wanted to see it go in."
Many said they were surprised by the turnout. The line outside the Cambrian branch snaked around the side of the building. A steady stream of voters showed up for hours up until polls closed at 8 p.m.
"People really care about this election and the meaning behind it," said Diana Kushin. "I just think the most important thing is to get out and vote and I do want to make sure that everybody is heard."
