Election Day is around the corner: Important Dates San Diegans need to know

Above: Nexstar Media Wire video about how states know if you’re eligible to vote.

SAN DIEGO (FOX 5/KUSI) — The general election season is right around the corner and voters registered in San Diego County will soon be receiving information about how to participate.

The county’s Registrar of Voters office is set to begin sending out voter information pamphlets to registered voters on Sept. 26, just over a week before official mail-in ballots will be distributed to all registered voters.

Voters will then have until Election Day on Tuesday, Nov. 5 to cast their ballot via mail or at one of the county’s available drop boxes or vote centers.

Before Election Day rolls around, here is everything voters need to know in order to make sure their voice is heard in November.

Registering to vote

There is still plenty of time for San Diegans to register to vote — whether it is for the first time or to update information like permanent address.

While California offers same-day voter registration at vote centers, those who want to prepare in advance have until Oct. 21 to sign up or update their information.

To register as a California voter, one must be a U.S. citizen, a resident of the state, at least 18 years old on or before the next election, void of any felony convictions, and not declared mentally incompetent by a court. Those under the age of 18 can pre-register to automatically be added to voter registration rolls upon your 18th birthday.

Residents who registered in the county for previous elections are also encouraged to check their status before the deadline.

Both registering to vote and checking voter registration status can be done through the San Diego County Registrar of Voters’ website.

According to the Registrar of Voters office, those who sign up as a voter before the end of the month will receive the voter information pamphlet and mail-in ballot when they begin to get distributed.

Important dates to know

Once registering, there are a few important dates to keep in mind as the election inches closer.

Early voting will officially begin on Monday, Oct. 7 at the Registrar of Voters office in Kearny Mesa, as well as at select drop boxes. Completed mail-in ballots can also begin to be sent back via the U.S. Postal Service during that week.

On Saturday, Oct. 26, the first crop of vote centers will begin opening up throughout the county. The remaining 200 vote centers will open about a week later, on Saturday, Nov. 2.

The final date to cast a ballot in the general election will be on Tuesday, Nov. 5. On that day, the Registrar of Voters’ office, vote centers and ballot drop boxes will be open from 7 a.m. until polls close at 8 p.m. Last-minute mail-in ballots will need to be postmarked Nov. 5 to be counted.

Once polls close, the Registrar of Voters office will turn to counting ballots and certifying the election. County officials will have until Dec. 5 to certify the election results.

In the meantime, San Diegans can expect the first set of preliminary, unofficial results on election night, shortly after 8 p.m. Additional unofficial results will be released on a rolling basis in the days after the election.

What’s going to be on the ballot?

Every San Diego County residents’ ballot is likely going to look slightly different, depending on one’s place of residence. That is because most local races, such as those for school board or city councilmembers, are only open to residents who live in that district.

However, the Nov. 5 will have a handful of races that will look the same for all residents in California, including the presidential contest, the race for California’s open U.S. Senate seat, and a number of propositions like Proposition 36, a divisive “tough-on-crime” ballot measure.

For races specific to San Diego County, FOX 5/KUSI will be compiling guides detailing key races — from San Diego mayor and Board of Supervisors’ posts to the region’s representatives in Washington, D.C. and Sacramento — and ballot measures closer to Election Day.

FOX 5/KUSI will be following the general on Election Day. Check back on Nov. 5 for real-time results .

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