Ballots are on the way to San Diego County's voters for the Nov. 4 special election, with the documents scheduled to arrive in the next week, it was announced today.
More than 2 million of the ballots are being mailed to registered voters, along with an "I Voted" sticker.
Attorney General Rob Bonta said that it's important for voters to send their ballot as soon as possible if they choose to vote by mail.
"Due to a change in the United States Postal Services policies, mail- in-ballots in some communities will not be postmarked the day they are mailed, but will instead be postmarked a day later," Bonta said during a news conference in Los Angeles on Thursday. "That means if those voters drop their ballot off at a US Postal Service, mailbox or post office on Election Day, it won't be postmarked until the next day, and it will not be counted."
Voters throughout the state will decide whether to adopt Proposition 50, an amendment to the state Constitution related to redistricting.
Prop 50 is a proposal to temporarily redraw California's congressional district lines in an effort to create more Democratic seats in the House — an effort Gov. Gavin Newsom says will offset a similar move in Texas designed to create more Republican seats.
The proposition would establish new congressional district maps for 2026, 2028 and 2030. An analysis by the election news website Ballotpedia said it would shift five Republican-held congressional districts toward Democrats.
Democrats already hold a 43-9 advantage in the state's House delegation.
The measure came in response to an effort in Texas for a mid-decade congressional redistricting that analysts said would give Republicans five additional seats. Other Republican-controlled states such as Florida, Ohio, Indiana, Missouri, New Hampshire, Nebraska and South Carolina are also considering efforts to approve mid-decade redistricting.
Backers of the measure say it "draws fair maps that represent California's diverse communities and ensure our voices aren't silenced by Republican gerrymandering in other states."
Opponents say Prop 50 "creates one of the most extreme partisan gerrymanders in modern American history" and is a "threat to democracy and fair elections in California," according to the campaign against the measure.
Besides the statewide election, voters living in Poway's Council District 2 will have an additional question on their ballot, asking whether to remove their elected representative on the city council from office.
San Diego County residents can vote from home and return ballot through the mail or to any of the registrar's official ballot drop boxes starting Tuesday, Oct. 7, through the final day of voting Tuesday, Nov. 4. Visit sdvote.com for a list of locations and hours of operation.
County leaders asked voters to remember to sign and date return ballot envelopes to be counted. Voters who return their ballot through the U.S. Postal Service can track it by signing up for "Where's My Ballot?"
Early voting begins Monday at the Registrar of Voters office in Kearny Mesa, located at 5600 Overland Ave. The registrar's office will be open from 8 a.m. to 5 p.m. Monday through Friday.
Starting Oct. 25, select vote centers located around the county will be open daily from 8 a.m. to 5 p.m. Starting Nov. 1, all vote centers will be open daily from 8 a.m. to 5 p.m. On the final day of voting, Nov. 4, all vote centers, official ballot drop boxes and the registrar's office will be open from 7 a.m. to 8 p.m.
