As the number of unsolicited campaign ads flooding local phones and mailboxes reaches a crescendo, you know it’s almost Election Day.
Some may spend Tuesday anxiously watching election results on their favorite media platform and even creating their own results maps, while others treat it as just another work day and wait until the next morning to find out who is leading. The polarization of this year’s election has certainly led to many tension-filled water cooler discussions at work or family dinners. CalPride Stanislaus is offering a safe place for anyone to come spend election night.
CalPride Stanislaus invites LGBTQ+ community members and allies to a Presidential Election Viewing Party from 5 p.m. to 10 p.m. Tuesday at Splash Modesto, 948 11th St. This inclusive event offers a safe and welcoming environment for everyone, regardless of political affiliation, to gather, watch the election results, and celebrate community.
Guests can look forward to a night of engaging activities, including a lively trivia competition with prizes, music, and a live stream of the latest election results. This event is open to the public, with no RSVP necessary.
“We understand that election nights can bring heightened emotions, and our goal is to create a space where everyone feels safe and supported,” said Roman Scanlon, executive director of CalPride Stanislaus. “Our community deserves a place where they can be together and feel empowered, no matter the political landscape.”
With just three days remaining until the general election, it’s not too late to cast your ballot.
Mail-in ballots were sent to registered voters via the U.S. Postal Service in early October. You can simply put your completed ballot in the mailbox and your postal carrier will deliver it to the elections office — no stamp is necessary. Or, you can put it in any mailbox, anywhere, on or before Tuesday.
“If you drop it in a mailbox on Election Day, make sure to check the mailbox pickup times,” cautioned Stanislaus County Registrar of Voters Donna Linder. “If you drop it in after the last scheduled pickup, it won’t get postmarked in time.”
For voters who are wary of using the postal service, they can deliver their ballot in person to the drop-box located in the lobby of the elections office — 1021 I St., Modesto — or at any of the drop-boxes or voting center located throughout the county.
And for those voters who rather walk in and fill out their ballot the old-fashioned way, that’s still an option.
However, unlike years past when voters were directed to one specific polling place located within their precinct, voters now are eligible to cast their ballots (or return a completed ballot) to any voting center in the county. So, a Turlock voter could vote in a voting center close to their house, or one in Modesto or in Patterson or in Oakdale — and they can even do it before Election Day (voting centers begin opening as early as Oct. 26).
Don’t forget to sign your ballot envelope before dropping them in a mailbox, drop-box or at a voting center.
The Registrar of Voters office cautioned that they will never call you to challenge or confirm your confidential information like Social Security number. If you receive a call that concerns you, call the California Secretary of State's Office at 1-(800) 345-VOTE (8683)
Here’s a partial list of drop-box and voting center locations:
VOTE CENTERS
(The following will begin service on Oct. 26, including weekends and holidays, 8 a.m. to 5 p.m., and 7 a.m. to 8 p.m. on Election Day)
• Hampton Inn by Hilton, 1821 Lander Ave., Meeting Room, Turlock
• United Samaritans Foundation Community Center, 2413 Third St., Hughson
• Stanislaus Veterans Center, 3500 Coffee Rd. Suite15, Room 114/115, Modesto.
• L.J. Newman Memorial Building, 649 Orestimba Rd., Newman
(The following will begin service on Nov. 2, including weekends, from 8 a.m. to 5 p.m., and from 7 a.m. to 8 p.m. on Election Day)
• Turlock Public Library, 550 N. Minaret Ave., (Hilmar Cheese Co. Community Room)
• Assyrian-American Civic Club of Turlock, 2618 N. Golden State Blvd.
• Calvary Baptist Church, 700 E. Monte Vista Ave., Turlock
• Denair Middle School, 3701 Lester Rd. (school library)
• Keyes Community Center, 5506 Jennie Ave.
• Stanislaus County Agricultural Center, 3800 Cornucopia Way, Harvest Hall, Room D/E, Modesto
• Modesto Junior College—West Campus, 2201 Blue Gum Ave. (El Capitan Building), Modesto
INDOOR DROP-BOX LOCATIONS
(date and times in parenthesis; service begins Monday)
• Stanislaus Veterans Center, 3500 Coffee Rd., Suite 15 (Monday-Friday 8 a.m. to 4:30 p.m.; Election Day, 7 a.m. to 8 p.m.)
• Save Mart, 2595 Geer Rd., Turlock (Monday-Thursday, 6 a.m. to 11 p.m.; Friday-Sunday, 6 a.m. to midnight)
• FoodMaxx, 1845 Countryside Dr., Turlock (seven days a week, 6 a.m. to midnight)
• Turlock Public Library, 550 N. Minaret Ave. (Monday, Tuesday, and Thursday, 10 a.m. to 6 p.m.; Wednesday, noon to 8 p.m.; Friday-Saturday, 10 a.m. to 5 p.m.)
• Hughson City Hall, 7018 Pine St. (Monday-Friday, 8 a.m. to 5 p.m.)
• Modesto Junior College (Student Center), 435 College Ave. (Monday-Friday, 6 a.m. to 9 p.m.)
• Denair Library, 4801 Kersey Rd. (Monday-Thursday, 10 a.m. to 6 p.m.)
• Turlock City Hall, 156 S. Broadway, 2nd floor (Monday-Friday, 8 a.m. to 5 p.m.)
• Stanislaus County Registrar of Voters Office, 1021 I St., Modesto (the Registrar of Voters Office has an indoor and 24-hour outdoor drop-box)
OUTDOOR DROP-BOX LOCATIONS
(open 24 hours a day; close at 8 p.m. on Election Day; service begins Monday)
• California State University Stanislaus, 1 University Cir., Turlock
• Stanislaus County Registrar of Voters Office, 1021 I St., Modesto (the Registrar of Voters Office has an indoor and 24-hour outdoor drop-box)
CURBSIDE DROP-OFF LOCATIONS
(open 8 a.m. to 5 p.m. on Nov. 4 and 7 a.m. to 8 p.m. on Nov. 5)
• Gallo Center for the Arts, 1000 I St., Modesto
• Stanislaus Culinary Arts Institute, 1040 Wakefield Dr., Oakdale
• California State University Stanislaus, 1 University Cir., Turlock (before Nov. 4, the CSUS curbside drop-off will be an unmanned drop-box)
