Early voting begins for March 3 presidential primary

Voters interested in casting their ballots early for the March 3 presidential primary election can now do so at the County Registrar of Voters office, 5600 Overland Ave., on the County Operations Center campus in Kearny Mesa.

Early voting began Monday, Feb. 3, and will continue from 8 a.m. to 5 p.m., Monday through Friday until the polls close Election Day. The office will also be open 8 a.m. to 5 p.m., Saturday, Feb. 29, and Sunday, March 1, for weekend voting.

Over 1.3 million mail ballots were sent out through the U.S. Postal Service Feb. 3, and voters could find them in their mailboxes as early as that same day.

"If you know how you want to vote, grab that mail ballot when you get it, mark it and send it back in right away," Registrar Michael Vu said. "The sooner we get the ballot back, the sooner we can start processing it so it will be counted right when the polls close at 8 p.m. March 3."

You'll also find something new in your mail ballot packet this year – an "I Voted" sticker.

Mail ballots are convenient for voters who'd rather not make a special trip to the Registrar of Voter's office to cast their ballots or wait for the polls to open Election Day. Registered voters can request a mail ballot until Feb. 25.

Meantime, the Registrar is still looking for poll workers, especially bilingual poll workers. For more information, call (858) 565-5800 or visit http://www.sdvote.com.