PG&E Could Turn Off Power to 17 California Counties on Election Night

Power could be shut off for up to five days due to high winds

PG&E has warned that it may need to turn off power to 17 California counties on Election Day, November 3, due to high winds. The utility said the outages could affect up to 1.5 million customers and last for up to five days.

The counties that could be affected are: Alpine, Amador, Butte, Calaveras, Colusa, El Dorado, Glenn, Lake, Lassen, Nevada, Placer, Plumas, Sacramento, Shasta, Sierra, Sutter, and Yuba.

PG&E said the decision to turn off power will be made based on the weather forecast and the condition of its equipment. The utility said it will only turn off power if it believes there is a risk of wildfires.

If power is turned off, it will likely disrupt voting in some areas. In 2019, PG&E turned off power to parts of California during the Kincade Fire, and some polling places were forced to close.

PG&E has said that it is working with election officials to ensure that all polling places have backup power. The utility said it is also providing generators to polling places that are not located in areas with backup power.

Voters who are concerned about power outages on Election Day should check with their local election officials to see if their polling place has backup power. Voters can also track the status of power outages on PG&E's website.

Here are some tips for voters who may be affected by power outages on Election Day:

• Check with your local election officials to see if your polling place has backup power.
• If your polling place does not have backup power, consider voting early.
• If you are unable to vote early, make sure you have a plan for how you will get to your polling place on Election Day.
• Bring a flashlight and extra batteries with you to your polling place.
• Be patient and understanding if there are delays due to power outages.

PG&E's decision to turn off power on Election Day has been met with criticism from some California officials. Governor Gavin Newsom said he is "deeply concerned" about the potential impact of power outages on voting. Secretary of State Alex Padilla said he is "working with PG&E to ensure that all polling places have backup power."