Find Voting Centers And Drop Boxes In La Mesa

LA MESA, CA — If you haven’t already, it’s not too late to vote today!

The polls are open until 8 p.m. Click here to find your voting center.

• Also see: Nathan Fletcher Faces Challengers In District 4 Race: La Mesa Primary

Early voting has been dismal in the California primaries, meaning that a relatively small number of voters can determine the outcome of several key races. Just 13 percent of registered voters had turned in their ballots as of Saturday ahead of Tuesday's Primary Election, according to Political Data Inc.

All registered voters in California should have received their ballots in the mail weeks ago. Once you’ve made your selection — see here for our full guide to candidates and the primary voting process) — you have three options for returning your signed, sealed and pre-stamped ballot today.

You can drop off ballots at any of the voting centers in San Diego County, vote in person or drop off ballots at approved drop box locations in La Mesa. Find your nearest voting center and drop box here.

• Also see: How To Drop Off Your Ballot In La Mesa

Drop boxes are relatively new and allow voters to place ballots in a spot where they are automatically considered on time. In California, mailed ballots must be received by June 14. That means that voters at the mercy of the often slow U.S. Postal Service may stress about whether or not their ballots will arrive on time.

Currently, California law requires jurisdictions to provide at least one drop box per 30,000 registered voters. Some counties may require one drop box per 15,000 registered voters.

Drop boxes must be a “secure receptacle established by a county or city and county elections official.” Drop boxes are clearly marked and are available 24-7 until 8 p.m. Tuesday when they are locked.

Starting in the 2020 elections, drop boxes got caught up in the partisan voting rights maelstrom. Proponents argued that they expanded access to voting. But opponents argued — without evidence — that they were not properly secured and contributed to election fraud.

Starting in 2020, a number of Republican campaigns and legislatures tried to limit drop boxes. In 2020, the campaign of President Donald Trump and the Republican National Committee sued Pennsylvania over its use of drop boxes, arguing that they were not properly monitored and susceptible to fraud. The Pennsylvania Supreme Court rejected the argument.

Officials in Ohio and Texas also decreed that counties could have only one drop box per county, even in counties with more than 1 million residents. Both rules have been upheld by courts.

In the 2022 elections, more states are trying to limit their use through ballot initiatives and new laws.

In California in 2020, Republicans set up more than 50 unofficial, unverified drop boxes around the state, particularly near churches, gun shops and Republican party offices in conservative parts of the state. Then-Secretary of State Alex Padilla ordered them shut down, but the California GOP refused. Hector Barajas, a spokesperson for the California Republican Party, said they were not illegal because the state did not forbid what he termed “ballot harvesting.”

City News Service contributed to this report.