The 1.8 million registered voters across Orange County should be receiving vote-by-mail ballots starting today.
It’s the first day of the mail-in voting process. All registered voters will receive a ballot in the mail and all drop box locations will open for voters to cast their selections.
Voters can return their ballots at one of the 122 drop-off locations across the county, with some located in every city.
Drop boxes are open 24/7 beginning today and ending on election day — March 5 at 8 p.m.
Click here to find a drop box location near you.
Residents can also send their ballot through the U.S. Postal Service with no postage required.
Ballots must be postmarked and signed by March 5 to be accepted and counted.
Click here to find a USPS post office or mailbox near you.
What’s on the Ballot?
Voters will be able to cast their preference for their party’s presidential nominee.
Other contests include state assembly members, state and U.S. senators, judges and congressional candidates.
There are three open seats on the County Board of Education and two open seats on the County Board of Supervisors.
For voters in the Orange Unified School District, there’s a recall election regarding board members Rick Ledesema and Madison Miner.
[Read: Two Orange Unified School Board Members May Face a Recall Election]
There’s also a state proposition regarding mental health facilities on the ballot, and there are measures for voters in Huntington Beach, Irvine and Westminster.
There are three measures on the ballot in Huntington Beach. The first would allow the city to require voter identification for elections in addition to adding more in-person voting centers and monitors for ballot drop-box locations.
The second measure would limit flags displayed on city property to only the U.S. flag, the California flag, the Orange County flag, the city’s flag and other flags unanimously approved by the city council.
The third measure would change the city’s budget to two-year increments instead of one. It would also update various procedures when canceling city council meetings and filling council vacancies.
Irvine’s measure would increase the city council from five people to seven and jumpstart the process of creating election districts in the city.
Westminster’s measure would enact a 0.5% sales tax toward the city’s general fund.
Four Different Ways to Vote
After receiving their ballot in the mail, voters can drop it off in a ballot box or through USPS.
Voters can also drop off their mailed ballot at any vote center, or they can vote in person at any vote center.
In-person voting won’t open until Feb. 24, but that’s only at a few locations.
All vote centers will open on March 2 and they will remain open until the polls close on election day, March 5.
There are set to be 183 in-person vote centers across the county in every city.
There are 37 vote centers scheduled to open on Feb. 24. They will operate from 8 a.m. to 5 p.m.
All other vote centers will open on March 2 and operate from 8 a.m. to 8 p.m.
On election day — March 5 — all vote centers will be open from 7 a.m. to 8 p.m.
Click here to find a vote center near you and opening dates.
Can I Still Register to Vote?
Residents wishing to register to vote can already do so. New voters must fill out a Voter Registration Form and send it in the mail by Feb. 20 to vote.
Click here to register to vote or to find more information about registering.
Angelina Hicks is a Voice of OC Tracy Wood Reporting Fellow. Contact her at ahicks@voiceofoc.org or on Twitter @angelinahicks13.
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