Mail Ballots For The March Primary Begin Arriving This Week

Mail Ballots For The March Primary Begin Arriving This Week

The San Diego County Registrar of Voters opened its doors to early voting Monday and sent out 1.3 million mail-in ballots. Also, the ballot packages will, for the first time, include postage-paid return envelopes and "I Voted" stickers.

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Listen • 8:05

Voters interested in casting their ballots early for the March 3 presidential primary can do so as of Monday at the San Diego County Registrar of Voters office in Kearny Mesa.

Also, the Registrar sent out more than 1.3 million mail-in ballots Monday morning through the U.S. Postal Service.

"If you know how you want to vote, grab that mail ballot when you get it, mark it and send it back in right away," Registrar Michael Vu said. "The sooner we get the ballot back, the sooner we can start processing it so it will be counted right when the polls close at 8 p.m. on March 3."

Vu added that postage on the return envelopes is now prepaid, thanks to a 2018 law authored by Assemblywoman Lorena Gonzalez of San Diego. And while some mail voters prefer to hand-deliver their ballots on election day so they can receive an "I voted" sticker, Vu said those stickers will now be included with the ballot.

Last year state lawmakers approved a law allowing voters to register as late as election day. But Vu said waiting until the last minute can cause long lines and confusion — so it is best to register well in advance of the Feb. 18 deadline before the period of "conditional voter registration" begins.

Voters registered with "no party preference" who also want to vote in the Democratic presidential primary should have requested the Democratic ballot. If the wrong ballot arrives, Vu said voters can exchange it at the Registrar of Voters office or request a new ballot online. Nonpartisan voters can also request the presidential primary ballots of the American Independent Party and the Libertarian Party.

Those who want to vote early in person can go to the Registrar's office located on the County Operations Center campus at 5600 Overland Ave. It is open Monday through Friday from 8 a.m. to 5 p.m.; and will also be open from 8 a.m. to 5 p.m. on Saturday, Feb. 29 and Sunday, March 1 for weekend voting.

As always, voters have the option of going to the polls on Election Day. Registered voters can request a mail-in ballot until Feb. 25.

The Registrar is still looking for poll workers, especially bilingual poll workers. For more information, call 858-565-5800 or visit sdvote.com.