Voting center in Oakland Hills closed on Election Day due to Red Flag Warning
A polling place in the Oakland hills was closed on Tuesday morning due to a Red Flag Warning issued for the Bay Area, according to the Alameda County Registrar of Voters.
The Joaquin Miller Center Vote Center #73 was closed and residents were instead directed to vote at a nearby site, Montera Middle School Vote Center #72 at 5555 Ascot Drive in Oakland.
The nearest 24-hour ballot drop box for the area is at Woodminster Market, 5000 Woodminster Lane in Oakland.
Weather is not something that usually impact California voters, but the closure forced a change in plans for some voters who have been coming to this polling place for years.
Cars could be seen driving up and then turning around after learning that the Joaquin Miller Center was closed due to the Red Flag Warning shutting down the park.
Mia Rahman said casting her vote at the location is a longtime tradition.
"I was really confused. I remembered coming here with my family growing up and always coming to this spot and I was looking forward to doing that too," said Rahman. "And I was disappointed to see it closed, but I'm glad we can still vote."
Caleb Ditchfield walked to the park despite it being one of the farthest polling centers from his home.
"I saw a park next to the Space & Science Center that was like 10 miles away," said Ditchfield. "I was like, Seems like a good hike I'll go vote here."
But he wasn't going to let closure discourage him and headed towards the middle school.
"Oh, of course. I'm not going to throw away my shot, like the 'Hamilton' musical says. Yeah, I'm going to go vote," he said.
Maureen Caldwell Meurer says she wishes she had been notified about the Joaquin Miller closure as well.
"I've been on emails all day. They could have sent an email or text alert," she said.
She had her ballot ready to go and decided to walk down to the drop box at Woodminister Market.
"I guess I increased my walk," Caldwell Meurer added.
Strong winds and dry conditions prompted a Red Flag Warning for the Bay Area for the next two days, according to the National Weather Service.
Other polling centers could potentially be impacted by weather in areas where PG&E may have to shutoff power because of the fire risk.
That could affect two polling places: one in Middletown in Lake County and another in Los Gatos. But PG&E plans to wait until polls are closed and people have been notified.
Critical fire weather conditions are expected from 11 a.m. Tuesday through Thursday morning for interior parts of the region as well as San Francisco, and along the Peninsula and bay shorelines.
Amanda Hari contributed to this report.
