Mail-in ballots in Nevada County continue to be returned at what’s described by the county’s top elections official as an “unprecedented” level. With six days to go before Election Day, Clerk-Recorder Greg Diaz says his office has already received over half of the more than 74-thousand ballots that were sent out on October fifth, or 37 to 38-thousand. That compares to over 23-thousand for the November 2018 election at the same point in time, although that was not a presidential election. In addition to the contentious race for the White House, Diaz says the ongoing pandemic is also a factor…

Meanwhile, vote centers will open on Saturday. And there appears to be no firm deadline here for turning in a ballot, if you want it as part of the Election Night count…

But, traditionally, mail-in ballots turned in on Election Day are not counted until the official canvas begins. And with less than a week left before the election, Diaz is not saying to forget about sending your ballot through the postal service. But he recommends one of the county’s 22 drop boxes. The pandemic also prompted legislation this year to allow ballots to be received in the mail until November 20th, as long as their postmarked by no later than November third.