Due to a dry and dangerous wind forecast for Tuesday, PG&E is taking the precaution of shutting off power to avoid the risk of their equipment igniting a wildfire. Only two polling locations could be affected, and the shutoff would not happen until 9:30 p.m. on Election Day, well after the polls close.
The two voting centers that may be affected are Lakeside Elementary School in Los Gatos, and the other is the Calpine Geothermal Visitor Center in Middletown, Lake County.
“We are coordinating with those locations just in case backup generation is needed,” said Dave Canny, vice president of PG&E’s North Coast Region.
On Sunday, PG&E notified 15,000 customers in 17 counties that the utility may need to shut off their power Tuesday through Thursday. More customers will likely be notified Monday.
A Red Flag Warning was issued by the National Weather Service from 11 a.m. Tuesday through 7 a.m. Thursday.
Canny said typically, after the unsafe weather passes, power is restored within 12 hours and many customers get restored within just a few hours.
In anticipation of the event, Canny said they will expect 23 customer resource centers to be set up with charging stations in coordination with the county offices of emergency services.
There are a total of 7,000 Election Day polling locations in PG&E’s service area. Impacts may be felt in Napa, Sonoma, Contra Costa, Santa Clara and Alameda counties.
