Election Day Arrives With High Stakes and a Scare at the Registrar
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San Diego County's 2026 Election Day arrived Tuesday with polls open from 7 a.m. to 8 p.m. across all 221 vote centers — and with the county's democratic machinery having already survived an unsettling test the night before. An unattended briefcase spotted in the lobby of the Registrar of Voters building in Kearny Mesa prompted the Sheriff's bomb and arson team to respond, closing surrounding streets at approximately 3:10 p.m. Monday. An explosives-detection dog swept the building, and authorities issued an all-clear at approximately 4:40 p.m. The building reopened less than ten minutes later.
County spokesperson Aiyana Moya confirmed that ballot processing and election services had continued at other locations throughout the incident. The registrar's full schedule of vote centers was never disrupted, and all 221 locations opened on schedule Tuesday morning. Voters still holding mail ballots at home have until 8 p.m. to deposit them at any of the 154 official drop boxes — 122 of which offer round-the-clock access.
The ballot itself is among the most consequential the county has seen in years. Two supervisor seats are contested: in District 4, incumbent Democrat Monica Montgomery Steppe faces Republican Kristine Alessio, a former La Mesa council member. District 5 is an open seat, with former San Marcos Mayor Rebecca Jones, a Republican, running against Democrat Kyle Krahel to replace term-limited Jim Desmond. Desmond is simultaneously running for Congress in the 48th District against San Diego City Councilmember Marni von Wilpert — a race that extends into Riverside County and may take time to resolve after polls close. Four of nine San Diego City Council seats are also on the ballot Tuesday.
Structurally, the most far-reaching items may be the two countywide measures. Measure A would add an independent budget analyst, an independent program auditor, and an ethics commission to county governance, while also extending supervisors' term limits from two terms to three. Supervisors Aguirre, Lawson-Remer, and Montgomery Steppe voted in May to place it on the ballot; Supervisors Joel Anderson and Jim Desmond opposed it. Measure B proposes a half-percentage-point countywide sales tax increase dedicated to health and safety priorities. Results in all races will begin emerging after the 8 p.m. close of polls.