Inside Sacramento County’s unique places to vote on Election Day

The Abridged version:

• Sacramento County voters can cast a ballot at any of 92 voting centers on Election Day.
• Among some of the most unusual polling venues are museums, animal shelters, grocery stores and a fire station.
• To determine accessible and convenient voting locations, Sacramento County prioritizes well-known government buildings and community centers before turning to businesses, schools and beyond.

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In some Sacramento County neighborhoods, voters choose their elected officials beside barking shelter dogs, drop a mail-in ballot at a hot chicken joint, or vote surrounded by art in a century-old building.

Civic duty doesn’t always happen in conventional voting spaces like gymnasiums, government buildings or a library.

To determine voting center locations, the county prioritizes public facilities like libraries, community centers or government buildings, Sacramento County spokesperson Ken Casparis said. From there, large distances between polling places are supplemented with churches, schools and beyond.

If you’re looking to cast a ballot somewhere out of the ordinary, you don’t have to look far. From animal shelters to grocery stores, here are a few of Sacramento County’s most unexpected voting centers.

Among fine art

The 145-year-old Crocker Art Museum, one of the 11-day voting centers in the county, is in its second year as a voting center. During that time, election inspector Eben Burgoon said there can be slow moments. To pass the time, he’s created stickers for voters in addition to the traditional “I voted” tags.

“When I had idle moments over the last 11 days, I just drew ballots as works of art,” the cartoon artist said. 

The voter mood is “proud and excited,” Burgoon said, while election clerks are excited to be helpful.

“They’re asking us some really great questions about the process as well as how they can make sure that their ballot gets to the county safely and is counted,” Burgoon said.

This marks his sixth year working at the polls. He previously worked at the California Museum’s voting center.

While the Crocker Museum is in the heart of Sacramento, Burgoon encourages people from across the area to come out and vote — and that voters from different counties can still come by and drop off a mail-in ballot. 

Beside barking dogs

Like many voters, 27-year-old Bernaise Rodriguez chose the Sacramento County Animal Shelter because of its short walking distance from where she lives. For her, the experience of casting a ballot at a voting center was a first.  

“This is the first time I’ve gone to an actual person up here, and they said that my signature was canceled in that last election,” Rodriguez said. “So I’m glad that there’s people here and they can verify that.” 

She’s guided through the process by election clerks and inspector George Foxworth. The last three days have been steady and slow, he said, but his experience informs that Tuesday afternoon will be a rush of last-minute voters. 

For Foxworth, it’s his 25th year of working at the polls. A lot has changed over the years, with the system using computers rather than reams of paper. In between breaks, he and the election clerks talk among themselves and bond over conversation.

In particular, he touts his roots in North Carolina, where he grew up on a farm. 

“I’ve been doing it my entire life, he said. “And family farms back in those years, they routinely volunteered in the community, and that’s my mindset.”

Next to a karaoke bar

Sandwiched between an international supermarket and a karaoke bar, the Koreana Plaza voting center has saw a steady increase as Election Day approached, Alejandro Guzman said. 

“It’s always exciting to see people coming to vote, especially the people who have turned 18, the first-time voters,” Guzman, a Rancho Cordova resident and election supervisor, said. “And it’s not just 18, like people who got their citizenship.”

Inside a fire station

Behind the Sacramento Metro Fire District 50’s small voting center are shiny red firetrucks, and inside is a small team of election clerks, each with varying experience. For Jamilla Moore, it’s her first time working an election, and a good reason to get out of the house. 

“I wanted to get back into life, and I’m tired of yelling at my dogs all day,” she said. 

While the experience is new, Moore said it’s been a calm pace to follow. In comparison to more conventional polling places, Moore said that foot traffic can be slow at times, but with the breaks, she and the election clerks will talk among themselves about their training and procedures. 

“It seems that not many people in the neighborhood know about the station,” she said. “They’re probably used to going someplace bigger like a library or one of the churches. But we’re here.”