Santa Clara Co. has record voter registrations, ballots cast not keeping pace

SAN JOSE, Calif. (KGO) -- Monday is the last day for early voting. In Santa Clara County, there's a record number of registrations, but election officials say the number of ballots returned are not reaching record levels.

Only a handful of people showed up Monday morning at the Registrar of Voters in San Jose.

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"With our highest registration in our history, it would be great if we could get our highest turnout but, at this moment, we're about 60-70 percent, we believe," said Santa Clara County Registrar of Voters Shannon Bushey.

When you compare this year's mail in ballots and early voting ballots already cast by the day before Election Day to the past two gubernatorial elections, it lands in the middle.

It was 28 percent in 2010, 19 percent in 2014 and 26 percent in 2018.

Some people say they're seeing past non-voters make sure they cast a ballot this election.

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"Both of my roommates, I've spoken with them, and both have barely voted in the past 10 years and both of them are going to be voting this election and a lot of my friends are as well," said Santa Clara resident Sam Artho-Bentz.

If you haven't registered to vote, you can still sign up for conditional registration, have a ballot printed and vote before Tuesday's deadline at the eight early voting sites in Santa Clara County.

But on Tuesday, you'll only be able to do that at the Registrar of Voters office in San Jose.

The bottom line -- there's no excuse for not casting a ballot.

RELATED: Santa Clara Co. reports record voter registration numbers ahead of 2018 midterm election

Monte Sereno Faraz Ellahie summed it up this way, "If you want to complain on Facebook and fight with strangers about my ideologies, you might as well go do something about it, right?"

Early voting ends at 5 p.m. Polls open Tuesday at 7 a.m.

Take a look at full coverage on the 2018 election here.