Santa Barbara County residents who haven’t yet voted in California’s special election still have time to cast a ballot on Tuesday before polls close at 8 p.m.
The special statewide election will decide the fate of Proposition 50, a statewide measure that would adopt temporary new California congressional districts intended to favor Democrats.
As of Monday afternoon, 77,645 vote-by-mail ballots had been returned and accepted in Santa Barbara County, out of more than 250,000 registered voters, according to the California Secretary of State.
Santa Barbara County voters with a vote-by-mail ballot can return it by mail, but it will need to be postmarked by Tuesday to be counted. Ballots also can be dropped off at any official drop box, the County Elections Office or at a polling place by 8 p.m. Tuesday. Drop boxes are open 24 hours a day until 8 p.m. Tuesday, when polling places also close.
Voters must sign the return envelope for their ballot to be counted. Signatures are verified against voter registration records, and voters have until Nov. 30 to correct a missing or mismatched signature, according to state guidelines.
Same-day voter registration is available for those who missed the Oct. 20 deadline and results in a provisional ballot that is counted once eligibility is verified, according to county elections officials.
In-person voting runs from 7 a.m. to 8 p.m. Tuesday at polling places across the county, including the Santa Barbara County Elections Office at 4440-A Calle Real and the Santa Maria Elections Office at 511 E. Lakeside Pkwy.
California law allows voters who are in line at a polling place by 8 p.m. to cast a ballot.
A full list of polling locations in Santa Barbara County for the special election is available here.
For information about Tuesday’s election, visit sbcvote.com or call 1.800.SBC.VOTE or 1.800.722.8683.
Sí desea información en español llame al 1.805.568.2200 o llame al 1.800.722.8683.
Local preliminary election results will be available Tuesday night on the Elections Office website here, and statewide results will be posted on the Secretary of State website here.
