Maybe your ballot is still waiting to be filled out, and you need help deciphering what’s on it — from the ballot measures to the people vying to represent you in Sacramento and Washington.
Maybe you plan to vote in person — you can starting today — and need to know how and where, under San Diego County’s still fairly new vote-center system.
Here are some answers.
What is the California primary?
The March primary is Californians’ opportunity to decide which candidates they’ll ultimately get to choose between in the November general election.
Because California’s primary is nonpartisan, any registered voter, no matter their party registration or lack thereof, can vote in it. And for all races other than the presidential race, candidates of any party affiliation can advance to November.
But although much of the focus now is on deciding who will face off in November, there are also some items on the ballot that March primary voters will decide once and for all — including a proposed statewide bond measure to fund homelessness and behavioral health. And in a few cases, San Diego County voters could choose their elected representatives outright in March.
Who can vote in the March 2024 primary? How can I vote?
You have a lot of options.
Because California has an open, nonpartisan primary, every registered California voter was mailed a ballot that they can return by mail or to a drop box or vote center; the deadline to postmark it or return it is March 5. There is also the option of voting in person at one of San Diego County’s voting centers, some of which open today.
If you’re not yet registered to vote, you can still register in person at a vote center and cast your ballot there.
Consult our San Diego County voting FAQ below for more details — including on whether you have to be registered as a Democrat or a Republican to vote in the presidential primary. (Any registered voter can vote in every other race on the ballot, regardless of their party affiliation.)
What’s on the ballot?
Because it’s a presidential election year, of course the presidential primary is on the ballot.
But here in California, the Senate race has attracted arguably as much attention. A host of candidates vying for the seat Laphonza Butler has held since Dianne Feinstein’s death — chief among them Democratic Reps. Barbara Lee, Katie Porter and Adam Schiff and Republican Steve Garvey — are competing to become one of the top two candidates to advance to the November general election.
There’s also a statewide ballot initiative that voters will decide in March — Proposition 1, a $6 billion bond measure backed by the governor that would fund housing and mental health and substance use treatment for homeless Californians who need it.
Voters around San Diego County will also decide who advances to November in congressional, legislative and local races. Voters in the city of San Diego will decide whether to let the city auditor hire their own lawyer.
And a few local races could be decided entirely on the primary ballot.
For example, Chula Vista voters are choosing a city attorney in a runoff, after a November election in which no candidate won a majority. And the special election in San Diego City Council District 4 — which will tip the balance of power at City Hall — could avoid a runoff if any of the three candidates wins more than 50 percent of the vote in March.
I’ve never heard of a lot of these candidates. How can I learn more about them?
To help inform voters, The San Diego Union-Tribune posed a series of questions to each candidate in all of the contested congressional, legislative and city races in San Diego County.
Read our Q&As with them to compare their positions and priorities:
Does The San Diego Union-Tribune endorse candidates or take positions on ballot measures?
The Union-Tribune Editorial Board — which is separate from and independent of its newsroom — endorses candidates for office and positions on ballot measures. It also publishes its interviews with candidates. Find them here.
How can I learn more?
For regular email updates on the election, including results on election night, sign up for our email alerts.
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