An official ballot drop box in front of Santa Barbara City Hall on Anacapa Street.
An official ballot drop box in front of Santa Barbara City Hall on Anacapa Street. Credit: Giana Magnoli / Noozhawk photo

The message to vote early has been getting through, according to the Santa Barbara County Elections Office.

“Approximately 88,000 ballots have been returned, representing 35% of the registered voters in Santa Barbara County; today alone we received over 10,000 ballots,” Martin Cobos, the deputy registrar of voters, said Monday.

“Voting has been consistently strong and steady, both at drop boxes and at the Elections Division offices in Santa Barbara and Santa Maria.

“Because of the length of the ballot and the possible wait time at the polls, we urge all voters who have not made their choices to do so as soon as possible.”

The California gubernatorial race is on the ballot as well as a congressional seat, a state Assembly seat and important city council, school board and special district offices. Voters also will decide on local measures, including sales taxes and school bonds, and 14 state propositions.

Noozhawk’s Voter Guide has coverage of local races and measures, candidate forums, candidate Q&As and voter information.

People so far are “heeding the recommendation to vote early,” the Santa Barbara County Elections Office said. 

Cobos recommends that voters who have not yet voted use one of the secure, official ballot drop boxes located around the county anytime, take it to a polling place, or take it to the Santa Barbara or Santa Maria elections offices. 

Because of U.S. Postal Service processing changes, ballots mailed on Election Day may not be postmarked in time to be counted.

About 2,300 late ballots from county voters were rejected in the June primary election for being late. 

Voter Information & Election Results

Polling places and ballot drop boxes are open until 8 p.m. Tuesday for Election Day in Santa Barbara County. 

Noozhawk will have live election results coverage after polls close, with updates throughout the night as more ballots are processed and counted. 

The results from vote-by-mail ballots that have already been processed and prepared for counting will be released at approximately 8:15 p.m., according to the County Elections Office.

First results from polling places are expected around 9 p.m. and will be posted on the County Elections Office page.

Still deciding who to vote for? Read the Noozhawk Voter Guide. 

Make a mistake on your ballot or need a replacement? Here’s how to handle it.

Here is what else to know for the Nov. 3 election.

Noozhawk executive editor Giana Magnoli can be reached at gmagnoli@noozhawk.com.