If you want a ballot mailed to you for this year’s presidential election, you need to be sure you are registered in the state of California by midnight Monday.
Ahead of that deadline, a nightclub in San Francisco is doing what it can to get every eligible person to register to vote.
“I used to be really proud to be an American. I used to be so proud of America. In the last four years, I have been ashamed of our country,” Sister Roma of the Sisters of Perpetual Indulgence said.
She and other drag queens are at Oasis, helping people check their registration status ahead of the midnight deadline on Monday. Mary Lou Pearl, a performer at Oasis, says her Southern upbringing is what inspires her to get others politically involved.
“I think it’s super important that folks know their registration status, know all their options, especially this year when it’s really tricky and folks are worried about going to the polls,” Pearl said.
So far, San Franciscans have shown up, mailing in about 100,000 ballots and hand delivering another roughly 22,000 at the City Hall Voting Center. That means an estimated 23% of all registered voters in the city have already cast their ballot, which the Department of Elections says is “really good” for this part of the election season.
Before tomorrow’s registration deadline, Glen Emory of San Francisco successfully finished his registration at the City Hall Voting Center and added his signature to make it official.
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Emory said, “It’s the most important election, in my opinion, in my lifetime. And I’ve been around a long time.”
At Oasis, checking the status of your registration is as simple as scanning a QR code with your phone.
From here, you can register to vote, request a ballot, or change your address. And Sister Roma is encouraging people to ignore the polls. Sister said, “We all are triggered by polls now. Don’t believe it, don’t become complacent, register and cast your vote.”
In California, you are still able to register to vote up until and on Election Day. But after Monday, it must be done at an official voting center or your polling place.
