NOVEMBER ELECTION AND SO FAR POLITICAL DATA INC. IS REPORTING 28% OF BALLOTS THAT WERE SENT OUT HAVE BEEN RETURNED STATEWIDE. THAT’S MORE THAN 6 MILLION. AND WHILE THERE’S A BIG FOCUS ON THE PRESIDENTIAL RACE, THERE ARE A NUMBER OF LOCAL RACES AS WELL AS STATEWIDE BALLOT MEASURES THAT VOTERS WILL DECIDE. AND THIS MORNING, WE WELCOME THE WOMAN OVERSEEING THE ELECTION PROCESS IN CALIFORNIA, DOCTOR SHIRLEY WEBER. DOCTOR WEBER, ALWAYS GOOD TO SEE YOU. THANKS FOR JOINING US. IT’S MY PLEASURE TO BE WITH YOU THIS MORNING. YOU KNOW, THERE’S A LOT OF MISINFORMATION OUT THERE RIGHT NOW. WHAT’S THE NUMBER ONE THING, THOUGH, THAT YOU WANT TO DISPEL? THIS MORNING? WELL, FIRST OF ALL, I WANT PEOPLE TO KNOW THAT ELECTION IS TAKING PLACE, THAT IT’S SAFE AND SECURE AND THAT YOU’LL BE FINE IF YOU GO IN EITHER YOU CAN DO IT BY WALKING INTO THE POLLING PLACE AND VOTING, OR BY TURNING YOUR BALLOT IN AT A BALLOT BOX OR DROPPING IT IN THE MAIL. SO YOU NEED TO KNOW THAT EVERYTHING IS GOING WELL. ANY GLITCHES THAT ARE THERE ARE BEING HANDLED AND THAT YOU WILL BE SAFE AND SECURE IN PARTICIPATING IN THE PROCESS. OF COURSE, WE HAVE SEEN, UNFORTUNATELY, BALLOT BOXES, BALLOT VOTE CENTERS BEING BURNED IN OREGON AND WASHINGTON STATE. WHAT ARE SOME OF THE CHALLENGES WITH THE PROCESS IN CALIFORNIA? RIGHT NOW? WELL, YOU KNOW, WE DON’T REALLY HAVE THOSE KIND OF CHALLENGES THAT WE SEE ON THE NEWS BECAUSE WE SPEND A LOT OF TIME MAKING SURE THAT WE HAVE CAMERAS THAT WE HAVE BALLOT BOXES AND SAFE PLACES THAT THEY’RE REALLY STURDY BOXES. SO WE DON’T HAVE THOSE KINDS OF THINGS. WHAT WE SEE SOMETIMES IS MIS AND DISINFORMATION THAT PEOPLE PUT OUT THE WRONG INFORMATION. THEY SEE SOMETHING AND THEY INTERPRET IT INCORRECTLY, AND THEN SPREAD IT ON SOCIAL MEDIA. AND HOW WE WHAT WE’VE DONE, HOWEVER, IS THAT IF YOU HAVE SUCH AN ISSUE, YOU SHOULD DEFINITELY GET IN TOUCH WITH OUR HOTLINE, GET ON OUR WEBSITE S O ESCALON.GOV. OR CONTACT OUR OFFICE AND WE WILL GET YOU THE CORRECT INFORMATION. AND THEN WE’LL POST IT FOR THOSE IN THE CITY WHO WANT TO KNOW WHAT’S REALLY GOING ON. AND SPEAKING OF THAT MISINFORMATION, WHAT ARE SOME DOS AND DON’TS? WHAT ARE THE BIG ONES FOR PEOPLE AT THE BALLOT BOXES WHEN THEY GO TO VOTE? SPECIFICALLY SELFIES LIKE, CAN I TAKE A SELFIE WHEN I GO TO CAST MY BALLOT? WELL, YOU KNOW, YOU CAN TAKE A SELFIE OF YOURSELF IN TERMS OF WHEN YOU COME OUT. YES. YOU’RE NOT TAKING PICTURES OF EVERYBODY ELSE. AND WE OFTEN HAVE PEOPLE WHO WANT TO ONCE THEY VOTED, STAND IN FRONT OF IT AND SAY, I VOTED AND SEND IT OUT TO THEIR FRIENDS SO THEY CAN DO THAT. THEY CAN’T BEGIN TO TAKE PICTURES OF OF THE PROCESS IN TERMS OF ALL OF OUR MACHINES OR VOTING THOSE KINDS OF THINGS, BUT THEY THEY CAN THEY CAN CELEBRATE. AND A LOT OF FOLKS WILL DO THEIR OF WHERE’S MY BALLOT CELEBRATION? THEY WILL BASICALLY TWEET OUT WHATEVER WE’VE SENT THEM. WITH REGARDS TO THAT, WE HAVE THEIR BALLOT AND IT’S TAKING AND IT’S TAKING PLACE. SO, YOU KNOW, THOSE KIND OF CELEBRATIONS WE WELCOME. BUT NOT NECESSARILY TAKING PICTURES OF EVERYBODY ELSE. WHAT ARE SOME OTHER BIG NO NO’S? WHEN PEOPLE GO TO CAST THEIR VOTE. WELL NO, NO DON’T WEAR YOUR YOUR FAVORITE T SHIRT THAT CELEBRATES YOUR CANDIDATE OR YOUR HAT THAT CELEBRATES YOUR CANDIDATE. WE’VE HAD PEOPLE WANTING TO DO THAT. AND THAT REALLY IS CAN BE A FORM OF INTIMIDATION. SO WE ASK THAT IF YOU HAVE ANY OF THAT, THAT YOU LEAVE IT IN THE CAR, THAT YOU DON’T BRING IT OUT. AND THOSE THINGS SEEM MINOR IN SOME WAYS, BUT OFTENTIMES PEOPLE FEEL VERY INTIMIDATED WHEN THEY SEE THAT SOMEONE IS VOTING DIFFERENTLY THAN THEY DO, AND THEY’RE MUCH MORE CONCERNED ABOUT IT. SO THE ONE OF THE THINGS THAT JUST DON’T DO THAT, TAKE YOUR BALLOT WITH YOU, TAKE THE MATERIAL NEED TO INFORM YOU ABOUT HOW YOU’RE GOING TO VOTE, BUT DON’T WEAR ANY SIGNS. DON’T TRY TO CAMPAIGN IN WAYS THAT YOU HADN’T EVEN THOUGHT ABOUT. THOSE ARE SOME OF THE EASY THINGS THAT PEOPLE DO WITHOUT EVEN THINKING ABOUT. AND DOCTOR WEBBER, WHAT SHOULD PEOPLE DO IF THEY DO HAVE A CONCERN, WHETHER IT BE ON ELECTION DAY OR EVEN BEFORE ELECTION DAY? AND THEY WANT TO LET SOMEONE KNOW THAT THERE’S SOMETHING HAPPENING AT A LOCATION, WHAT SHOULD THEY DO AND WHO SHOULD THEY CONTACT? THEY SHOULD CONTACT MY OFFICE. THE SECRETARY OF STATE’S O S DOT CA.GOV IMMEDIATELY WILL RESPOND RIGHT AWAY. THEY CAN CONTACT OUR HOTLINE, WHICH IS 800 345. VOTE. THEY CAN CONTACT THAT HOTLINE. AND THERE WE HAVE LOTS OF FOLKS DOING THAT. WE WE YESTERDAY I THINK HAVE HAD OVER 2000 VOTE HOTLINE CALLS THAT COME IN AND WE RESPOND TO ALL OF THEM. YOU CAN ALSO CONTACT YOUR REGISTRAR VOTER AND LET THEM KNOW THAT WHAT’S TAKING PLACE, THE FASTER YOU GET IN TOUCH WITH US, THE QUICKER WE CAN RESPOND AND MAKE SURE THAT EVERYTHING IS SAFE. DOCTOR WEBBER, WE APPRECIATE YOUR TIME THIS MORNING. YOU AND I WERE TALKING IN THE COMMERCIAL BREAK THAT YOU AND YOUR TEAM ARE GOING TO BE PRETTY BUSY OVER THE NEXT COUPLE OF MONTHS, SO WE DO THANK YOU FOR TAKING A FEW MOMENTS TO TALK TO US. IT’S ALWAYS A PLEASURE TO BE WITH YOU. THANK YOU SO VERY MUCH. AND