Santa Barbara County Clerk, Recorder, and Assessor Joe Holland announced on Oct. 6 that a record number of absentee ballots have been mailed out for the Nov. 4 Presidential General Election.
More than 98,000 registered voters—more than half of the registered voters in Santa Barbara County—are now casting their ballots by mail.
In a release from the county registrar of voters, Holland said he expects that even more vote-by-mail ballots will be requested before the Oct. 28 deadline.
The registrar of voters recommends that voters read the sample ballot, vote, and return the vote-by-mail ballot as soon as they’ve made their voting decisions.
In the release, Holland said that voting by mail is leading to increased voter participation in Santa Barbara County, pointing to increased voter turnout at recent elections.
Holland also said that voter turnout in Santa Barbara County has been significantly higher than the statewide turnout.
To request a vote-by-mail ballot or to become a permanent vote-by-mail voter, registered voters can mail the application on the back cover of their sample ballot, download an application at sbcvote.com, or request an application by calling 1-800-SBC-VOTE.
The deadline to turn in vote-by-mail applications is Oct. 28.
This article appears in Oct 9-16, 2008.