In downtown Santa Barbara, about 40 activists affiliated with Showing Up for Racial Justice Santa Barbara (SURJ S.B.) will be taking to three polling places on Election Day — November 3 — to ensure everyone who needs a face mask has one, but primarily to ensure there’s no voter intimidation taking place.
“Communities of color don’t feel safe, so that kind of spurred this action,” explained Kym Paszkeicz of SURJ S.B. “If there are any people intimidating others in line, that’s something we will be watching for.”
Absent such provocations, she said, volunteers would be passing out face masks, hand sanitizer, and water should anyone need it.