SAN DIEGO — Tuesday night is the last opportunity for residents in San Diego County’s fourth supervisorial district to cast a ballot in the special primary election.
Fourteen vote centers are open across the county until 8 p.m. for registered voters to participate in the election, as well as 29 ballot drop boxes that are available.
Anyone who is in line at a vote center or drop box location before 8 p.m. will be able to cast their vote, according to Registrar of Voters officials.
With polls closing tonight, some District 4 voters might be wondering what to expect afterwards. Counting ballots, of course, takes time for all elections, including special elections.
So, what will happen next?
Unofficial results will start to roll in tonight after 8 p.m., according to the Registrar of Voters. These preliminary ballots counted will include mail ballots received before Election Day and vote center ballots case from early voting between Aug. 5 and Aug. 14.
After the first group of unofficial results, night-of race updates from the Registrar of Voters will only include vote center ballots cast on Election Day, officials say.
There will be a bit of a gap in counting these ballots, however, as poll workers will need to pack up supplies and drive into the Registrar’s office from each of the vote centers.
According to election officials, upon arrival, the vote center ballots will be scanned and the results will be periodically updated until all have been counted.
Unofficial election night results may not come in until about 10 p.m. or later, election officials say. San Diegans can track the latest updates regarding results on the Registrar of Voters’ website.
But after those results come out, there are still more votes that need to be counted.
Mail ballots sent or dropped off at a vote center or ballot drop box right on Aug. 15 won’t be able to be counted until several days after Election Day.
Provisional ballots will also be counted at this time. District 4 residents who missed the July 31 registration deadline may conditionally register and vote provisionally in person up to and on Election Day, according to county officials.
Once their registration is processed and the Registrar confirms the voter did not vote elsewhere in the district, the registration will become active and the provisional ballot will be counted.
The next release of unofficial results with these two groups of ballots is scheduled to be posted by 5 p.m. on Aug. 17, according to the Registrar. If you voted early, you can track the status of your ballot here.
Results must be certified by Sept. 14, officials add. For this election, the Registrar of Voters may certify the results on an earlier date, according to county officials.
Four candidates are running for the vacant District 4 seat: Marine Corps veteran Janessa Goldbeck, retired Marine Paul McQuigg, San Diego City Councilmember Monica Montgomery Steppe, and founder of “Reopen San Diego” Amy Reichert.
If a candidate garners more than 50% of the vote during the Aug. 15 primary, they will assume the role for the remainder of the term, which runs into January 2027. If a candidate does not meet that threshold, the special general election will move to a runoff on Nov. 7.
