SAN DIEGO — The San Diego County Registrar of Voters opened four satellite voting locations that will alleviate long lines for the Presidential Primary Election on March 3 and give voters more chances to register and cast their ballot.
The four satellite locations opened Saturday, Feb. 29 and along with the Registrar of Voter’s office will allow voters to register and cast their ballot through Election Day.
The San Diego Registrar of Voters office is located at 5600 Overland Ave.
The four other satellite locations are located in the following places:
San Marcos Location
3 Civic Center Drive
Carmel Mountain Ranch Location
10152 Rancho Carmel Drive
Spring Valley Location
8735 Jamacha Blvd.
Chula Vista Location
690 Oxford Street
The San Diego satellite voting locations and the Registrar of Voters office will have the following hours of operation through March 2: 8 a.m. - 5 p.m. and Election Day will be open 7 a.m. - 8 p.m.
During the last election, the local registrar found that many voters chose to complete their Conditional Voter Registration and cast a ballot on Election Day at the Registrar of Voters office. Long lines wrapped around the building and those registering endured hours-long waits.
In upcoming elections, including the Presidential Primary Election on March 3, voters will be able to register and vote at any polling place in addition to the registrar’s office. In anticipation of long waits on Election Day, the registrar is opening its additional satellite locations and encouraging voters to get out early and avoid crowds.
“The satellite voting locations will give voters the opportunity to register and vote before Election Day,” said Vu. “The earlier you register and vote, the less likely you will run into long delays. Waiting until Election Day almost guarantees you’ll run into long lines.”
The satellite locations will act as an arm of the Registrar’s office and Registrar personnel will have access to the status of all registered voters in the county. Staff can help with the registration process and give voters the ballot specific to their residence address.
The ballots will be provisional, meaning voters will need a little extra time to fill out information on the provisional envelope and seal their ballot inside after voting. The Registrar’s office can’t count it until it checks to see if you’re eligible to vote and you have not voted elsewhere in the state.
Voters who visit the satellite locations will also have access to new ballot marking devices. The devices allow voters to mark their choices using a touch screen and print out their selections on a paper ballot. The touch screen is used only to generate the paper ballot, not record the vote electronically. The voter can review the paper ballot before putting it into an envelope, and then the ballot box.
Tuesday also marked the last day for San Diego voters to register for a mail ballot.
