12 months ago
SACRAMENTO, CA - Starbucks got the word that offering free coffee to people who vote on Election Day violated the law, so now the coffee company is offering a free cup to anyone who asks on November 4.
Starbucks' spokeswoman Tara Darrow, sent this email response following an inquiry by News10 into the legality of its free coffee for voters:
"We've been excited by the number of positive responses received about our free coffee offer. To ensure we are in compliance with election law, we are extending our offer to all customers who request a tall brewed coffee. We're pleased to honor our commitment to communities on this important Election Day. We hope there is a record turnout on Tuesday and look forward to celebrating with our customers over a great cup of coffee."
On Monday's Live_Online at 11 a.m. with News10's Sharon Ito, Kim Alexander with the non-partisan California Voter Foundation raised the red flag about Starbucks' election day campaign.
Alexander said offering incentives to vote, even a free cup of coffee, is against state and federal law.
The California Secretary of State's spokeswoman, Nicole Winger, also confirmed Starbucks' offer of a free cup to voters was well-intentioned, but violates election rules. The free cup to anyone who asks on election day is legal.
During the online conversation, Alexander said it's quite possible 80 percent of registered voters will cast ballots in California. That works out to 14 million voters.
Unfortunately some ballots won't be counted because of a common mistake made by mail-in voters.
Alexander said the postmark on the return envelope doesn't matter. If your mail-in ballot is not received by county election officials by the time the polls close at 8 p.m. on November 4, you're out of luck. Your ballot won't be counted.
So by this late date, don't drop your mail-in ballot at the post office. Instead, you'll need to hand-deliver your ballot to any precinct in the county in which you're registered before 8 p.m. Tuesday.
Here are some other questions Alexander answered for us.
Q: Viewer, MJ Columbus, asked: "Do I have to wait in line if I just need to drop off my mail in ballot?"
A: You'll need to ask the poll worker if you can move to the head of the line.
Q: Viewer, hopenfaith, asked: Are we allowed to bring our young children (to the polls) if we can't find a babysitter?"
A: Absolutely.
Q: Viewer, Guest, asked: "My registration is in Merced but I attend school here in Sacramento, can I vote in Sacramento?"
A: No, if you're registered in another county, you can only vote in that county.
Q: Viewer, Guest, asked: "I registered for an absentee ballot but did not receive it, can I go to a polling place and vote?"
A: Yes you can vote, but you'll need to request a provisional ballot. The voter information you provide will be verified before the provisional ballot is counted.
Q: Viewer, Teresa, asked: "Where can you find all the information to vote on if you don't have your ballot?"
A: Click here for the California Voter Foundation Web site and county-by-county information.
News10/KXTV
