By Alexandra Mendoza
The San Diego County Registrar of Voters is urging voters to double-check their registration status for the upcoming November elections after thousands of San Diego residents received a letter which may have caused some confusion.
The Voter Participation Center, a nonprofit, sent out close to 405,000 letters to San Diego residents which may have contained incorrect or outdated information as to whether the person is properly registered to vote, said the County Registrar.
The letters are causing uncertainty among voters because, in many instances, voters who received the letter are in fact properly registered to vote this November.
“It is important that organizations conducting voter registration drives through the mail ensure that their voter data is up-to-date and accurate,” said California Secretary of State Alex Padilla in a news release, adding that “causing confusion right before an election is wrong.”
You can check your registration status by visiting sdvote.com, or by calling the Registrar of Voters at (858) 565-5800.
As a result of the number of federal, state, and local contests in the November 8 general elections, San Diegans will for the first time receive a two-card ballot. Because this will be a presidential election, voter participation is expected to be high; as a result, voters are advised to either set enough time aside, or to opt to vote by mail.
Those who register to vote by mail (at sdvote.com) will begin receiving their ballots starting Tuesday, October 11. It is estimated that 960,000 San Diego residents will decide to go this route.
Once the ballot is received, voters will need to mail it in such that it will arrive at the Registrar of Voters no later than November 8. Voters may also drop it off at their polling place, which will be specified in the pamphlet that will be included in the same envelope that contained the mailed ballot.