SAN DIEGO (KGTV) -- Polls across San Diego County opened early Tuesday morning for the California gubernatorial recall election, and many San Diegans chose to cast their ballots in person as they decide if Gov. Gavin Newsom should stay in office.
ABC 10News was at the Registrar of Voters office in Kearny Mesa as numerous people dropped their ballots off, while others like San Diegan David Kraft waited in line to fill out their ballot.
“This whole past year, with the issues going on in our country, I think it’s my civil duty to make sure the people’s voices are heard,” said Kraft.
Kraft told ABC 10News that overall, his voting experience went well. He noticed the Registrar of Voters had COVID-19 protocols in place, from requiring those who are unvaccinated to wear a mask, to encouraging those who have been vaccinated to do the same. A one way in, one way out traffic pattern was also set up to help with spacing.
The Registrar of Voters is just one of the 221 polling locations across San Diego County. Voters who are in line at a voting location or drop-off location at 8 p.m. will be allowed to vote. However, no one can join the line to vote after the 8 p.m. deadline.
Jane Gindt brought her 5-year-old son with her to vote, and she said voting was a learning experience for him, showing him the importance of participating in this process.
“I wanted to teach him how to vote and put in your vote. He went through the process with me, and he was super excited about his sticker. We were talking about how to pick a leader for our state,” said Gindt.
Of the more than 1.96 million mail-in ballots issued in San Diego County, 876,484 -- 44.7% of registered voters -- had been returned as of Tuesday.
The expected turnout in California was 70%, which would surpass turnout for the 2003 gubernatorial recall election of 66.66%, said Gig Conaughton of the County Communications Office.
There were 1,970,709 registered voters in the county as of Aug. 31, he said, with 805,082 Democratic voters, 535,288 Republicans, 517,424 nonpartisan and 112,914 listed as other party voters.
