County mails ballots and opens more than150 ballot drop boxes for November general election

By County News Center
COUNTY OF SAN DIEGO COMMUNICATIONS OFFICE

 Registered voters will receive their ballots for the Nov. 3 Gen­eral Election starting the week of Monday, Oct. 5. Some voters may receive their ballot over the weekend.

This election’s ballot card has two pages, front and back. Vot­ers can choose which contests to vote on.

RETURNING YOUR MAIL BALLOT

Every active registered voter will receive a ballot by mail and can return it in one of three ways:

By mail, with no postage re­quired

At any of the Registrar’s of­ficial ballot drop boxes starting Oct. 4

At any vote center starting Oct. 24

After marking their selec­tions, voters should:

Seal the ballot in the postage-paid return envelope.

Date and sign the envelope. The voter’s signature is re­quired to ensure the ballots counts.

Return the ballot by mail or drop it off at any of the Reg­istrar’s more than 150 official ballot drop boxes around the county.

Mailed ballots must be post­marked on or before Nov. 3. The Registrar of Voters must receive mailed ballots no later than seven days after Nov. 3 for them to be counted.

Ballots returned at official drop boxes or vote centers must be dropped by 8 p.m. on Nov. 3.

Voters can track their ballot to know when it is mailed, re­ceived and counted by signing up for the California Secretary of States ballot tracking service.

What’s in the Official Ballot Packet?

The official ballot packet will include voting instructions, a two-card ballot and an “I Vot­ed” sticker. Additional informa­tion, including candidate state­ments, official ballot drop box locations and vote centers, is

available in the voter informa­tion pamphlet.

What Do Official Ballot Drop Boxes Look Like?

The Registrar of Voters’ offi­cial ballot drop boxes are red, white and blue and feature the Registrar’s logo along with the County seal. All boxes are la­beled “Official Ballot Drop Box.”

Each official ballot drop box is made from high-grade, heavy-gauge stainless steel to prevent physical damage and unauthorized access. Security features include:

• Double-locking access doors

• Anti-pry door jambs

• A fire suppression system

• Only the Registrar’s ballot retrieval team collects the bal­lots from these boxes.

REGISTRAR OF VOT­ERS OFFICE

In-person voting begins Mon­day, Oct. 5, at the Registrar of Voters office at 5600 Overland Ave. in Kearney Mesa. The of­fice is open from 8 a.m. to 5 p.m., Monday through Friday.

VOTE CENTERS

Vote centers open in phases to support early voting and re­duce wait times.

Oct. 24: Select vote centers open daily, 8 a.m. to 5 p.m.

Oct. 31: All vote centers open daily, 8 a.m. to 5 p.m.

Nov. 3: Final day of voting: All vote centers, official bal­lot drop boxes and the Regis­trar’s office are open 7 a.m. to 8 p.m.

If you plan to vote in person, remember that this election includes a two-card ballot. To save time at the vote center, review your voter information pamphlet ahead of time and mark your selections on the sample ballot. You may bring it to help you transfer your choic­es to your official ballot using the Ballot Marking Device.

For more information, vis­it sdvote.com or call 858-565- 5800 or toll-free 800-696-0136.