San Diego City Wire

Starting Tuesday, October 8, registered voters in San Diego County can return their mail ballots for the November Presidential General Election to any of the 150 official ballot drop boxes available throughout the county. Mail ballots are expected to be delivered this week to the county's 1.9 million registered voters.

The official ballot drop boxes are designed with security in mind. They are red, white, and blue, featuring the Registrar’s logo and the County seal. Each box is labeled “Official Ballot Drop Box” and constructed from high-grade stainless steel to prevent unauthorized access and damage. The Registrar’s team will handle ballot collection from these boxes.

Voters should mark their ballots, seal them in the provided envelope, sign it, and then return it either by mail or at a designated drop box location. A signature is required for each vote to be counted.

Out of the total drop boxes, 118 are located outdoors and accessible 24 hours daily until 8 p.m. on November 5th. The remaining indoor boxes follow facility hours where they are housed. Voters can check locations and hours at sdvote.com before returning their ballots.

Early voting began on Monday at the Registrar of Voters office in Kearny Mesa with operating hours from 8 a.m. to 5 p.m., Monday through Friday. Starting October 26th, voters can cast their votes in person at any of the 39 vote centers open daily until November 4th. On November 2nd, over 200 locations will be available for voting with extended hours on November 5th from 7 a.m. to 8 p.m.

Given numerous contests on this year's ballot, voting may take longer than usual; thus early voting is encouraged to avoid long lines. Options include mailing ballots or using any official drop box or vote center within the county.

For those voting in person, preparation is advised by reviewing voter pamphlets and marking selections on sample ballots beforehand for reference during actual voting.

Additional information about voting procedures can be found at sdvote.com or by calling (858) 565-5800 or toll-free at (800) 696-0136.