SIERRA COUNTY, Calif. — Sierra County voters in the eastern part of the county will have significantly expanded access to vote-by-mail drop boxes starting next month, following a location shift driven by a newly signed state law.
Beginning Oct. 5, the county’s eastern ballot drop box will be located at the Sierraville School at 305 South Lincoln St., moving from its former site at the Loyalton City Hall Auditorium. Unlike the Loyalton site—which was only available on Election Day—the Sierraville location will be open throughout the month leading up to the Nov. 3 general election.
The move responds directly to Senate Bill 884, signed into law on Sept. 19 by California Gov. Gavin Newsom. The emergency legislation, known as the Protect Our Polls Act, mandates that all vote-by-mail ballot drop-off locations open during regular business hours starting at least 30 days before an election and remain open through Election Day.
Because the law took effect immediately, county officials faced a tight window to secure a site capable of supporting the expanded daily operations before ballots were mailed out.
According to Assistant Clerk-Recorder Melissa Kinneer, selecting Sierraville School came down to staffing and site security. The county owns the school property and already has staff stationed there. Those employees will be sworn in as election officers responsible for placing the box outside each morning, securing it to the building, and locking it inside at the end of each workday.
Kinneer noted that keeping the box in Loyalton would have required coordinating daily monitoring with city officials. Utilizing county employees and existing security surveillance at the Sierraville facility allowed the elections office to streamline logistics without placing additional burdens on the city.
“It’s a clear benefit to voters to have this expanded drop-off window,” Kinneer said, highlighting the added flexibility for residents in the eastern precinct.
