San Diego is holding four special elections on Tuesday, Nov. 7, 2023. Understanding the “who, what, where when and how” of voting can be daunting. KPBS researched answers to frequently asked voter questions.
What is the special election about?
Voters will weigh in on four special elections in different parts of the County. Only those who live in the County's Fourth Supervisorial District, the city of Chula Vista or in Fallbrook and Rainbow's districts are eligible to vote in the special election.
In the county’s Fourth Supervisorial District voters will decide on who will fill the seat vacated by former Supervisor Nathan Fletcher and make the final choice among the top two vote-getters in the special general election — voting for either Monica Montgomery Steppe, a Democrat, attorney, and San Diego City Council president pro tem or Republican Amy Reichert, founder of ReOpen San Diego.
Voters in the city of Chula Vista will vote to fill the vacant City Attorney seat. This term expires in December 2026. Candidates include Bart Miesfeld, who served as a city attorney for Chula Vista in the past, Dan Smith Diaz, an attorney, and Marco Verdugo, also an attorney with Burke, Williams & Sorensen.
In Fallbrook and Rainbow voters will weigh in on whether the Fallbrook Public Utility District and the Rainbow Municipal Water District should detach from the San Diego County Water Authority and join the Eastern Municipal Water District.
For the full list of races and candidates on your ballot, visit the KPBS interactive guide.
How do I register to vote?
You can register to vote or check your registration status online on the California Online Voter Registration page. In California, the last day to register to vote for any election is 15 days before election day. For the Nov. 7 election, Monday, Oct. 23 is the deadline to register to vote.
The San Diego County Registrar of Voters also provides opportunities to register to vote or obtain information in person at events throughout the county. You can check the Registrar of Voters community calendar for more information on events here.
Same day voter registration is also possible. If you miss the deadline to register to vote you can still vote up until Election Day. You can learn more here.
➡ To register online you will need the following:
- Your state driver's license or identification card number
- The last four digits of your social security number
- Your date of birth
How can I vote by mail?
All active registered voters will begin to receive vote-by-mail ballots on the week of Oct. 8 and some may receive theirs as early as Oct. 7. Voting in person will begin as early as Oct.9 at the Registrar of Voters' office located at 5600 Overland Ave, San Diego, CA 92123. And you can start dropping off your ballot on Oct 10.
➡ 'Inactive' registered voters
Voters will be given an inactive status when a "county elections official receives information (for example, from the post office) indicating the voter has moved out of state or mail is returned undeliverable without a forwarding address."
You can submit your ballot by:
- Mailing your ballot to a county elections office.
- Vote-by-mail ballots that are mailed must be postmarked on or before Election Day and received by your county elections office no later than seven days after Election Day.
- If you are not sure your vote-by-mail ballot will arrive in time, bring it to any Voter Center or ballot drop-off location between 7 a.m. and 8 p.m. on Election Day.
- Vote-by-mail ballots that are personally delivered must be delivered no later than the close of polls at 8 p.m. on Election Day.
- Dropping your ballot off at a drop-off location or into a ballot drop box in the county.
- Vote-by-mail ballots that are personally delivered to a ballot drop-off location must be delivered no later than 8 p.m. on Election Day.
- Authorizing someone to return the ballot on your behalf.
- Anyone may return your ballot for you, as long as they do not get paid on a per-ballot basis. In order for your ballot to be counted, you must fill out the authorization section found on the outside of your ballot envelope.
➡ Find your ballot drop-off location
Information on where to find ballot drop-off locations will be added to this page when list of locations is made available by the Registrar's office.
What if I want to vote in person?
The Registrar of Voters is encouraging voters to cast their ballots early. Ballots can be dropped off at ballot drop box locations starting Oct. 10. Some vote centers will open for early voting starting Oct. 28 and will open from 8 a.m. to 5 p.m. through Nov. 6.
The last day to vote is on Election Day, Nov. 7. All vote centers will be open from 7 a.m. to 8 p.m.
Locations will offer voter registration, replacement ballots, accessible voting machines and language assistance. Voters can vote at any vote center in the county.
➡ Find your vote center
Information on where to find vote centers will be added to this page when list of locations is made available by the Registrar's office.
When will voter guides be sent out?
The Registrar of Voters will start sending those out starting Sept. 28.
For KPBS' nonpartisan guide, visit the KPBS Voter Hub.
