San Diego County residents will head to the polls for the gubernatorial general election on November 3, 2026, with early voting opportunities beginning a month prior at the county Registrar's office on October 5.
All voters on the registration rolls will automatically receive a mail-in ballot from the San Diego County Registrar of Voters. Residents who do not receive their ballot materials by early October should verify their registration status through the Registrar's website. The deadline to register for the election falls on October 19, though those who miss that cutoff can still complete conditional registration at any voting location through Election Day.
Carlsbad voters will have several convenient options for returning completed ballots. Beginning October 4 and running through Election Day, residents may drop off their sealed and signed mail ballots at any of the city's three library branches during normal operating hours. On November 3, libraries will extend ballot collection from 7 a.m. to 8 p.m.
The city is also providing 24-hour ballot drop boxes at three park locations: Poinsettia Park, Buena Vista Reservoir Park, and Pine Avenue Community Park. These boxes will remain accessible until 8 p.m. on Election Day.
For those preferring to vote in person, select voting centers across the county will open on October 24, operating daily from 8 a.m. to 5 p.m. All voting centers, including seven locations within Carlsbad, will be operational starting October 31 with the same hours. On Election Day itself, all centers will extend their hours from 7 a.m. to 8 p.m.