All 1,466 polling locations in San Diego County opened on time today, and no major voting problems have been reported, the Registrar of Voters said.
"The phones have been really busy, with lots of questions from voters about where to vote and from poll workers with set-up questions,'' San Diego County Registrar of Voters Deborah Seiler said. "But no big problems so far.''
The Registrar of Voters estimated a voter turnout of 55-65 percent for today's election, up from the 38 percent of voters who cast ballots in the June 8 primary election.
Seiler said 22,000 mail-in ballots arrived this morning, bringing the total to 370,000 ballots that have been received by mail so far.
Many more mail-in ballots will likely be dropped off at polling stations, she said. About 700,000 ballots were mailed to San Diego County voters for this election, and Seiler said she expects 25 to 30 percent of the ballots in this election to be cast by mail.
If a voter received a mail-in ballot but forgets to bring it to his polling location, he can fill out a provisional ballot that will be counted once election officials ensure the mail-in ballot was not also sent in, Seiler said.
Provisional ballots will also be given to voters who arrive at the wrong polling place, or who do not appear on their polling location's list, she said.
Seiler said 17,000 provisional ballots were used in the June 8 primary election, and she expects that many, if not more, in today's election.
Despite the nearly even split among parties in San Diego County, it appeared that more Republicans had mailed ballots in than Democrats, according to Seiler.
The first election results, which will include most of the mail ballots, will be released soon after the polls close at 8 p.m. today, according to Seiler.
Candidates and their supporters will gather at "Election Central'' at San Diego's Golden Hall to watch the results as they come in, starting at 6 p.m.
Voters in San Diego County will decide on a bevy of federal, state and local offices as well as a number of propositions.
On the ballot is California governor, one of the state's two Senate seats and five local congressional districts.
Races are being held for three state Senate seats and in eight state Assembly districts.
Seats on the San Diego County Board of Supervisors held by incumbents Ron Roberts and Bill Horn are on the ballot.
San Diego voters will also choose who will fill the vacated District 6 and District 8 City Council seats.
In Carlsbad, El Cajon, Escondido, Imperial Beach, La Mesa, National City, Poway, San Marcos and Vista, voters will select a mayor.
City Council seats are on the line in Carlsbad, Chula Vista, Coronado, Del Mar, El Cajon, Encinitas, Escondido, Imperial Beach, La Mesa, Lemon Grove, National City, Oceanside, Poway, San Marcos, Santee, Solana Beach and Vista.
There are numerous elections for school boards around San Diego County.
School bond measures are on the ballot in San Marcos, Julian, Dehesa and Encinitas. The San Diego Unified School District and the South Bay Union School District have parcel taxes on the ballot.
The only countywide measure is Proposition A, which would bar the county from entering into project labor agreements.
Proposition D would raise the sales tax in San Diego by a half-cent.
Proposition G in Carlsbad would require voter approval for pension changes to public safety employees.
In Chula Vista, Proposition H would expand the city's telecommunications tax.
