Tuesday Is In-Person Voter Registration Day at Santa Barbara Central Public Library

The League of Women Voters will be on hand at the Central Library on Tuesday between 10 a.m. and 2 p.m. to help people register to vote or check their voter registration information. This in-person service comes courtesy of the League’s many volunteers and the space is gratis through the Santa Barbara Public Library. The voluntary get-out-the-vote endeavor stands in sharp contrast to the daily dozens of pleas for cash coming from the presidential candidates.

These have varied in tone from shock (“I nearly escaped death”) to guilt (“you WON’T answer Vice President Harris’ call?”), urgency (“1 month till all hell breaks loose”), and an occasional acknowledgment that they may all be a little too: “Please read. Don’t delete.”

It’s paying off.

By the end of July, Kamala Harris’s campaign reported an intake of $489 million and Donald Trump’s reported $268 million. After last Tuesday’s debate, Harris is said to have raised another $47 million in 24 hours, to add to the $361 million she raised in August. Trump, though trailing in dollars, is making up for it in bombast, the latest that only losers ask for a debate rematch.

In the minnow-sized political waters of Santa Barbara, the League’s volunteers are observing National Voter Registration Day this Tuesday with the voter-registration drive. The League is also illuminating local races with four candidate forums. A webinar with former county counsel Shane Stark will be Zoomed on October 9 to examine the state propositions and local measures.

Tuesday, September 17, will be a good opportunity to get in-person help registering. Monday, October 21 is the date to pay attention to if you hope to vote in the election that pits Donald Trump against Kamala Harris. That deadline can be met online, though the mail, and at county election offices. California voters may also vote provisionally on Election Day — Tuesday, November 5 — which means the voter’s registration will be examined before the ballot is counted. This same-day provisional voting is also possible after ballots are mailed out, or from October 4 to November 4.

Upcoming League of Women Voters Forums

• Sept. 30: Santa Barbara City Council, 6 p.m., CEC Hub, 1219 State St.
• Oct. 3: State Assembly District 37, 6 p.m., CEC Hub, 1219 State St.
• Oct. 9: “Pros and Cons” — state propositions, local measures with Shane Stark, 5 p.m., Zoom Webinar
• Oct. 10: Goleta Mayor and City Council, 6 p.m., Goleta Union School District HQ, 401 N. Fairview Ave.
• Oct. 16: Carpinteria City Council, 7 p.m., Zoom Webinar

Correction: This story was corrected on September 16, 2024, to give the right date for the Santa Barbara City Council Forum, which is September 30 (not Sept. 20).