Across the United States, 42 million people have cast their ballots early. In San Diego, half of the more than 1 million mail-in ballots sent to voters have been received as of Monday morning, according to the San Diego County Registrar of Voters.
Voters lined up as early as 6 a.m. to vote at the county office before Election Day tomorrow.
Registrar of Voters Michael Vu said his office has received 500,000 out of the more than 1,000,000 mail ballots that were sent to voters.
“They’re being sorted and scanned now so they’ll be ready to count right when the polls close at 8 p.m. on Election Night Tuesday.” Vu said.
On Monday, San Diegans have until 5 p.m. to vote. On Tuesday, polling places open at 7 a.m. and close at 8 p.m. Mail-in ballots can also be dropped off across the county.
The registrar has advised voters that a two-page double-sided ballot could result in longer lines on Election Day.
The statewide ballot has a whopping 17 propositions, the most on a single ballot since March 2000. There's a measure to legalize recreational marijuana and one requiring porn actors to wear condoms. Another would limit the price the state pays for some prescription drugs.
Local
Voters will weigh in twice on the death penalty. One measure would repeal capital punishment while another seeks to speed up the process.
Voters in most places will have a variety of local questions as well, from school bonds to development and housing.
City of San Diego voters will decide on the San Diego Chargers ballot initiative authorizing the construction of a new football stadium and convention center project. There’s also the Citizens’ Plan offering an alternative plan for developing a new stadium without using downtown real estate.
All of California's 53 U.S. House seats and 100 of the 120 state legislative positions are up for grabs, though only a fraction are likely to be close contests.
The national media is paying close attention to one Congressional race in our county.
Defeating San Diego-area Republican Darrell Issa would be a prize for Democrats. As chairman of a powerful House oversight committee, Issa has been the chief inquisitor of President Barack Obama.
In the state Legislature, Democrats are looking to regain supermajorities in the Assembly and Senate.
U.S. Sen. Barbara Boxer's retirement creates a rare open seat, and for the first time in the modern era, no Republican will be on the ballot. Thanks to California's unusual primary system, in which the two top finishers from the June primary advance to the general election, voters will decide between two Democrats -- state Attorney General Kamala Harris and U.S. Rep. Loretta Sanchez.
To learn more about voting in the Nov. 8 election, call (858) 565-5800 or visitsdvote.com.
