MAIL BALLOTS BEGIN TO ARRIVE
In-person early voting began at the Registrar of Voters’ Office on Monday; county has 125 drop-off locations
The 2020 election is officially in full swing.
San Diego County’s more than 1.9 million registered voters began receiving their mail ballots for next month’s election on Monday, which was the same-day that early in-person voting kicked off at the Registrar of Voters’ office in Kearny Mesa.
This year every registered voter in San Diego County is going to receive a ballot in the mail — not just those who requested one — because Gov. Gavin Newsom signed an executive order in May requiring all county registrars to do so in hopes of protecting public health and avoiding the spread of coronavirus on Election Day.
“We encourage voters to act early and make voting decisions from the comfort and safety of their home,” Registrar of Voters Michael Vu said Monday.
“Mark your ballot, sign, seal and return your mail ballot to a trusted source. The sooner we receive your ballot, the sooner we can start processing it so it will be counted right when the polls close at 8 p.m. on Nov. 3.”
Voting by mail has long been safe and secure in San Diego County, and the preferred voting method among residents.
About 78 percent of San Diego County’s registered voters are already signed up as permanent mail ballot voters — including 77 percent of registered Republicans, 81 percent of registered Democrats and 74 percent of voters who expressed no
party preference.
Because of that, San Diego County is better equipped than some other jurisdictions to handle an increase of mail ballots, Vu said. However, that doesn’t mean there aren’t things voters can do to help make things a bit easier, he added.
To properly fill out a mail ballot, voters must use a blue or black pen, seal their ballot inside and sign and date the back of the envelope with their name as it appears on their driver’s license or ID card. Voters should also remember that it is one ballot per envelope, so if they are in a household with multiple voters it is imperative to make sure each ballot goes individually into its respective envelope.
Voters can then return the ballots — which each come with a pre-paid postage envelope — through the U.S. Postal Service or drop the ballot off at a drop-off location, polling site or the registrar’s office located at 5600 Overland Ave. in Kearny Mesa.
The county has 125 dropoff locations, which can be found through a locator tool on the registrar’s website.
Voters can also track their ballot online at sdvote.com and sign up for notifications about its status.
For more information about the election visit sdvote.com.