You don’t have to wait until Election Day to vote in person. Voters can take advantage of early voting at 39 voting centers starting Saturday, October 26. The centers are located throughout the province and are open daily from 8 a.m. to 5 p.m.

On Saturday, November 2, more than 200 polling stations will be open daily from 8 a.m. to 5 p.m. until November 4. On the last day of voting, November 5, all polling stations are open from 7 a.m. to 8 p.m.

If you plan to vote in person, be prepared. Read your voter information brochure and mark your choice on the sample ballot in advance. When you enter the voting booth at the voting center, you can refer to your choices on the sample ballot to easily mark your selections on your official ballot.

You can visit any polling station in the province. Find a location near you at sdvote.com.

Polling stations have replaced polling places and offer more services. You can:

• Vote in person or drop off a ballot by mail
• Vote using an accessible ballot marking device
• Receive help and voting materials in multiple languages
• Register to vote or update your voter registration and vote the same day

Voters can use a touch screen to make their selection on ballot marking devices. When ready, the voter prints the official ballot, examines it, places it in a secrecy sleeve and hands it to a poll worker who places it in the ballot box to be counted at the polling place. The ballot marking device does not store, tally or count votes.

Please note that campaigning or election activities within a radius of 30 meters from a polling station or an official ballot box is not permitted. This includes the visible display or audible dissemination of information that favors or opposes a candidate, measure, or proposal on the ballot. In addition, an individual may not circulate petitions, including those for initiatives, referenda, recalls, or candidate nominations.

Don’t wait any longer! Because there are a significant number of elections scheduled, the voting process may take longer than normal. The Clerk’s Office recommends taking advantage of early voting options to avoid long lines.

The options are:

• Vote in person at a voting center in the province.
• Or cast your vote by post.
• Or hand in your ballot sealed in the return envelope at an official mailbox.

If you wish to vote from home, sign and date your return envelope, enclose the completed ballot inside and return it immediately by mail to ensure it reaches the polling place by November 5.

To drop off your ballot, enclose it in the return envelope and return it to one of the clerk’s office’s 150 official ballot drop boxes. The secure, self-contained boxes feature the clerk’s logo, along with the county seal, and are labeled “Official Ballot Box.”

Find one near you through the registrar location map, your voter information brochure or online at sdvote.com. Most of these drop boxes are available 24/7. The rest depends on the opening hours of the location. Check each location’s hours before heading out to drop off your ballot. On November 5, they all close at 8 p.m.

The sooner the polling place receives your ballot, the sooner it will be processed for the first announcement of election night results.

If you have already returned your ballot, you can confirm when it was received by the registration office at sdvote.com or you can track it through the US Postal Service by signing up for ‘Where’s My Ballot?’.

Learn more about voting in the November general presidential election at sdvote.com, or call (858) 565-5800 or toll-free at (800) 696-0136.