USPS

‘I Feel We're a Part of It:' Local Mail Carrier Sees Biggest Mail-In Ballot Rate in 30 Years

NBC Universal, Inc.

Election Day is taking place in two weeks, and approximately 28 million ballots have already been returned. The Bay Area is no exception, as ballot drop-off boxes across the region continue to overflow with voters' ballots.

Normally, drop-off boxes at the registrar are emptied only a few days a week. This election year, however, workers have had to empty out boxes multiple times everyday. Post offices have seen a high volume of ballots as well.

Scott Ruiz has been a mail carrier for 30 years, and he says political mail has been relentless this year.

“Democracy is important, and I feel we’re a part of it and we’re able to get the job done. It’s all good," Ruiz said.

Ruiz told NBC Bay Area homeowners have been handing him his mail-in ballots instead of leaving them out for him to grab. The postal service says most voters use the drop-off boxes at the registrar's office, which tend to fill up rapidly.

The registrar's office says there's been a significant increase from previous presidential elections.

A week ago in Santa Clara County, 38,000 voters had already returned their ballots. The turnout has been so high, that the number of returned ballots went up to 220,000.

Ruiz said he's never seen such a high voter turnout in his 30 years as a mail carrier.

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