San Joaquin County starts mailing ballots for Nov. 3 election

San Joaquin County has begun mailing Vote by Mail ballots to every registered voter for the Nov. 3 General Election, opening the county's voting period.

Mountain House Town Hall at 251 East Main Street is one of the county's 27 ballot drop boxes and will be open 24 hours. Other drop boxes in the area include Larch Clover Community Center at 11157 W. Larch Road, open 8 a.m. to 5 p.m., Four Corners Restaurant at 7509 West Linne Road, open 24 hours, and the Tracy City Hall Support Services Building at 325 E. 10th St.

Mail-in ballots must be postmarked by Nov. 3 to be counted, and all drop boxes close at 8 p.m. that day. In-person early voting is available at the Registrar of Voters office, 44 N. San Joaquin Street, Suite 350, in Stockton, from Oct. 5 through Nov. 2 during office hours, with the office also open until 5 p.m. on Saturday, Oct. 31. A drive-through drop-off outside the building will run from 7 a.m. to 8 p.m. on Nov. 3.

On Election Day, 158 polling locations, the ROV office and all drop box locations will be open. The county encourages voters to return ballots early and to sign the blue Vote by Mail return envelope to speed up counting and reporting.