Countdown to Super Tuesday 2020; Voting in San Diego

Here’s an early snapshot of how things are going locally with voting in the 2020 primary election. We don’t know or what is winning; ballots aren’t counted until election day, but demographic data is tracked as signatures are checked.

In addition to today’s data points, I’ll share helpful information on how to vote and various voter guides, along with a smattering of recent developments in local contests.

There are 1,805,530 registered voters in San Diego County; 1.349,210 received mail in ballots. Democrats have 38% of local registrants, No Political Party types include 28%, Republicans have 27.5%, with the balance going to various minor parties. 

The largest of those minor parties is the American Independent Party, the badly split legacy organization originating from Alabama Gov. George Wallace’s 1968 presidential campaign. 

A Los Angeles Times investigation in 2016 determined that thousands of California voters who are registered as affiliated with the American Independent Party on voter forms in fact intended to be registered as "no party preference" (i.e., as independent voters).

If you want to vote in the Democratic presidential primary and are not registered for that party, you must request a Democratic crossover ballot from a polling place. (Libertarian and American Independent crossover ballots are also available). Republicans and the rest of the minor parties run a “closed primary.” The San Diego County Registrar of Voters’ Hassle Free Voter Guide has further details.

Same Day voter registration and crossover ballots are available, but those votes are cast as provisional, meaning they must be verified and are counted last.

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Locally, 13% of mail-in ballots have been returned as of this morning (2/25). Early voters tend to be white and older. Data courtesy of PoliticalDataInc.com.

Republicans have returned 73,125 ballots (20% of 374,881), NPP/Other voters mailed in 39,418 ballots (9% of 447,580), and 66,093 Democratic (13% of 524,749).

As of Monday (2/24), there are sixty locations scattered throughout the county where mail-in ballots can be dropped off; they are mostly libraries. It should be noted that while many library branches do double duty as election day polling places, not all do. Here’s a list of all the polling locations throughout the county.

You can check the status of your mail-in ballot here. I’m happy to report mine has already been received.

Who and What to vote for or against 

(Including ballot measures).

Voter Guides: San Diego Union-Tribune, KPBS Voter Guide, Voters Edge – League of Women Voters, Indivisible San Diego Persist

Organizational Endorsements: San Diego County Democratic Party, Republican Party of San Diego, San Diego County Taxpayers Guide, San Diego Regional Chamber of Commerce, Democratic Socialists of America – San Diego, San Diego Democrats for Equality, San Diego County Democrats for Environmental Action, YIMBY Democrats of San Diego County, Democratic Woman’s Club, Planned Parenthood, Run Women Run, San Diego Building and Construction Trades Council, San Diego and Imperial Counties Labor Council, San Diego County Gun Owners, Sierra Club Endorsements, Deputy Sheriffs Association of San Diego, Words and Deeds Campaign Coverage (That’s Me) 

But what about…?

Judges: Words & Deeds (All), San Diego Indivisible Persist Chapter (All), San Diego Bar Association

Democratic Central Committee: You’re on your own. I voted for names of people I knew and organizational affiliations that mattered.

My Choice for President in the Primaries? I thought you’d never ask: Elizabeth Warren

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Local contest blurbs…

City Council President Georgette Gomez says Qualcomm heiress Sarah Davis is buying ads to boost a GOP candidate in the 53rd Congressional District contest; $385,000 worth we’re told. Eeeewwww.

A PAC supportive of Gomez was accused of coordinating with her campaign after a tweet announcing a mailing appeared. Not even close, said a source at the non-profit Campaign Legal Center. And even if it did, the Federal Election Commission doesn’t have a quorum. So, in case you hadn’t realized it, cheating in the Trump era is okay.  

In recent days, Gomez has been endorsed by Sen. Bernie Sanders and Rep. Alexandria Ocasio Cortez.

Mayoral Candidate Barbara Bry has taken a swing to right in her campaign with attacks on unions and union-backed legislation. I wish her lots of luck in the general election with those stances should she make it past next Tuesday.

50th Congressional district candidate Ammar Campa-Najjar had some fence mending to do, following an interview with the Union-Tribune editorial board, interpreted by some progressive groups as an ideological flip flop. Both the San Diego Progressive Democratic Club and several chapters of Indivisible had meetings with the candidate. Both apparently accepted his explanations--about messaging in a very conservative district--and are continuing to canvass for the candidate.

Thought for today

https://twitter.com/michaelharriot/status/1232191831242350592?s=20

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Lead image via American Libraries Magazine