San Diego Election: 1.8 million reminders sent for Nov. 3

The Registrar of Voters has sent 1.8 million postcards to residents who had not yet voted as of Oct. 16. The goal is to push participation for the Nov. 3 general election. Officials say early voting helps ensure ballots are processed quickly and appear in the first release of election night results.

Every active registered voter received a ballot by mail. Voters have three options to return it. They can mail it back with no postage required. They can place it in one of the more than 150 official ballot drop boxes across the county. Or they can take it to a vote center. Before returning the ballot, voters must seal it in the postage-paid envelope. They must date and sign the envelope, as the signature is required for the ballot to count.

Deadlines differ depending on how the ballot is returned. Mailed ballots must be postmarked on or before Nov. 3. The Registrar must receive them by Nov. 10 for them to count. Ballots placed in drop boxes or vote centers must be dropped by 8 p.m. on Nov. 3. Voters can track their ballot status, including when it was mailed, received, and counted, through the California Secretary of State’s website.

Vote centers are opening in phases to reduce wait times. On Oct. 31, all vote centers will open daily from 8 a.m. to 5 p.m. On Nov. 3, the final day, all vote centers, drop boxes, and the Registrar’s office will be open from 7 a.m. to 8 p.m. The Registrar encourages voters to cast their ballot as soon as possible to avoid long lines on Election Day.

This election features a two-card ballot. To save time at the vote center, the Registrar advises voters to review their voter information pamphlet ahead of time. Voters are encouraged to mark their selections on the sample ballot. They may bring the marked sample to the vote center to help transfer choices to the official ballot using the Ballot Marking Device. More information is available at sdvote.com or by calling 858-565-5800 or 800-696-0136.