“Your Vote—Our Responsibility.” That’s the motto of the Orange County Registrar of Voters (OCROV). It is taken seriously with Mail-In Ballots sent to every registered Orange County resident, over 120 Ballot Drop-off Centers, nearly 200 Vote Center locations, and—Pop-Up Vote Centers.

What are Pop-Up vote centers? They appear at designated locations for one day and then move to another location. Services offered in the Pop-Up Vote Centers are similar to all vote centers and include voter registration, providing a secure Vote-by-Mail ballot drop–off, in-person voting, replacement ballots, and voter assistance at convenient locations that are accessible.

Five pop-up locations for the March primary included San Juan Capistrano Community Center, EastersealsSouthern California in Irvine, Braille Institute Anaheim Center, Leisure World in Seal Beach, and Alt Med Medical Group in Santa Ana.

Give a hand to the small band of Orange County Registrar of Voters employees working these Pop-ups. They arrive at 5:00 am at the Registrar of Voters on Main Street in Santa Ana to pick up the trailer and truck loaded with vote center equipment and supplies.

By 6:30 a.m., they begin setting up at the designated location—arranging the vote Center trailer, erecting pop-up tents, and preparing the equipment to be ready for ‘the polls are now open’ by 8:30 a.m. Every location is different, so they must be flexible. They even have a generator for power.

Are they accessible to everyone? Yes. They position an elevator (vertical platform lift) to allow wheelchair access to the voting machines in the trailers. The ROV has thought of everything necessary to ensure every citizen can vote.

These stalwart souls help our citizens vote during the day until ‘the polls are now closed’ at 5 pm. Then, they process the voting machines, count the ballots, and seal them in a pouch to go to the ROV. Not finished yet, they must un-pop all the pop-up tents and dismantle the voting equipment, store everything in the truck and trailer, and drive back to the ROV in Santa Ana. A 14-hour day!

The Pop-Up Vote Centers are also on standby to replace a designated Vote Center that cannot function due to a power outage, fire, or other emergency. In 2020, Pop-Up Vote Centers were opened in areas affected by the Silverado wildfire.

When not working a pop-up center during the election cycle, ROV employees guide observers during ballot counting at the ROV and are on standby if a Pop-Up Vote Center must be deployed in an emergency.

During the year, these ROV employees promote voting by providing community engagement to educate county citizens and register them to vote. They visit libraries, high schools, colleges, senior citizen centers, and special events during the months leading up to the primary and general elections.

Next year, give our ROV employees a smile—and a hand.