Still haven’t cast your ballot? Here are some last-minute reminders:

• Vote-by-mail ballots must be postmarked on or before Election Day, Nov. 5. Those unsure if their ballot will make it in the mail in time can also bring their ballots to any polling location in the state or a ballot drop box in their counties by 8 p.m. on Election Day.
• Traditional in-person voting: Polls are open from 7 a.m. to 8 p.m. on Nov. 5. Click here to find your polling location.
• The deadline to register to vote in the Nov. 5 election was Oct. 21, but residents can also register in person on Election Day for a conditional ballot. Click here to learn more.

Local Races

Riverside County has a plethora of contests. Depending on where you live, your ballot may be chock full of local races to decide. Here’s a look at everything being voted on in Riverside County (scroll to see all the races):

—U.S. Senate

A consequential contest to watch is the race for the U.S. Senate seat long-held by the late Dianne Feinstein. In fact, voters are casting their ballot twice in this race, choosing a candidate to finish out Feinstein’s current term and again for the next term, which begins in 2025.

Democratic U.S. Rep. Adam Schiff and Republican Steve Garvey are both vying for the seat. Schiff, a progressive favorite in the Golden State, has served as a Democratic congressman here since 2000, representing the state’s 30th Congressional District in Los Angeles County.

Garvey, formerly an All-Star for the Los Angeles Dodgers and the San Diego Padres, advanced in March to the November ballot as a first-time political candidate. Republicans have failed to advance a candidate in two of the last three U.S. Senate races, making Garvey’s defeat of Democratic Reps. Katie Porter and Barbara Lee, a rare feat for the GOP in blue California.

According to a recent poll from the Public Policy Institute of California, Schiff holds a 28 point-lead (63 percent to 35 percent) over Garvey. Schiff gained widespread name recognition for his role in Donald Trump’s impeachment trial. Read more about that race here.

—U.S. House

As for congressional races, the state’s most competitive contests for the U.S. House seats in California are primarily in three regions — the Central Valley, Orange County and the Inland Empire, according to the Public Policy Institute of California’s most recent election report. The competitive races include districts 3, 9, 13, 22, 27, 40, 41, 45, 47 and 49.

Currently, the GOP holds seven of these seats. Here’s a brief breakdown of the candidates in each competitive area:

• District 3, which hugs the Nevada border from Death Valley to the Sacramento suburbs, will see another contest between Republican Incumbent Kevin Kiley and returning Democratic candidate Jessica Morse. Kiley previously attempted to run for Gov. Gavin Newsom’s seat in a failed recall attempt.
• District 9 centered in Stockton pits Democratic incumbent against Republican challenger Kevin Lincoln II.
• In District 13 covering the San Joaquin Valley, Republican incumbent John Duarte — who flipped the seat red in 2022 for the first time since 1974 — will go up against Democrat Adam Gray. Since Redistricting in 2022, the district is considered a left-leaning swing district whose voters went for Biden in 2020 but chose a Republican representative in 2022.
• District 22 in the San Joaquin Valley will have Republican incumbent David G. Valadao challenge Democrat Rudy Salas. Both candidates were neck-and-neck during the March primary, with Valadao receiving 32.7 votes to Salas’ 31.3. Redistricting has shifted the 22nd to the left since 2020, making Valadao one of the most vulnerable Republican incumbents in the House.
• In District 27, which covers northeast Los Angeles County, GOP incumbent Mike Garcia is pitted against George Whitesides, a former chief of staff of NASA during Barack Obama’s presidency and a formidable challenger for Garcia, who has held the seat since 2020.
• In District 40, covering northeast Riverside County, Democrat Joe Kerr will challenge Republican incumbent Young Kim.
• District 41 will have Republican incumbent Ken Calvert face off against a much younger Democratic contender, Will Rollins. Calvert is the longest-serving GOP member in California Congress. Rollins, who is gay, has clashed with Calvert over LGBTQ+ issues, which may prove to be a challenge for him in a district that encompasses Palm Springs.
• Orange County’s District 45, covering inland north county communities, is diverse both politically and by ethnicity, since the area hosts the largest population of Vietnamese people in the nation. There, Republican incumbent Michelle Steel will face off against Derek Tran, a Democrat known for his advocacy for workers’ rights.
• District 47, another Orange County stronghold, is currently represented by Rep. Katie Porter, who did poorly in the March primary and is not seeking reelection. Former GOP state legislator Scott Baugh, who lost to Porter previously, will challenge Sen. Dave Min.
• District 49 will see Democratic incumbent Mike Levin go up against Republican challenger Matt Gunderson.

—State Measures

Of course, it wouldn’t be a major election in California if there were not a slew of proposed propositions on the ballot.

There are 10 statewide propositions being voted on, including two $10 billion bond measures for school construction and to address climate change. There are also two amendments to the state constitution, one which would repeal the unenforceable ban on same-sex marriage and another that would make it easier for bond measures to pass by lowering the voter threshold from the current supermajority needed to approve bond measures.

However, the most hot-button measure on the ballot is Proposition 36, which seeks to reverse some of the criminal justice reforms passed when voters approved Proposition 47 a decade ago. If Prop 36 passes, it could significantly increase prison time for some drug and theft offenses that are currently misdemeanors.

The post Riverside County Election Guide: Deadlines, Reminders appeared first on The Hemet & San Jacinto Chronicle.

Ballot boxes opened across California on Tuesday, Oct. 8. Voters have until Nov. 5 at 8 p.m. to get their ballot into a local vote center or ballot box. Ballots going out through the mail can arrive as late as Nov. 12 as long as they are postmarked on or before Election Day.

Counties began mailing ballots by Oct. 7 — all active, registered voters are expected to receive a vote-by-mail ballot for the general election.

Not sure if you’re registered to vote, or need to change your address? You can find out here and make any changes you may need, as well. Californians need to register to vote by Oct. 21 to vote in the Nov. 5 election. You can also register in person on Election Day for a conditional ballot.

Vote centers in Lake Elsinore will be open for early in-person voting beginning Oct. 26. On Election Day, vote centers will be open from 7 a.m. to 8 p.m.

Ballot boxes and voting locations in Lake Elsinore:

• Canyon Lake Middle School, 33005 Canyon Hills Rd.
• Aaron Chevrolet Lake Elsinore, 31201 Auto Center Dr.
• Outlets at Lake Elsinore, 17600 Collier Ave.
• Lake Community Center, 310 W Graham Ave.
• Lake Elsinore City Hall, 130 S Main St.
• Lakeland Village Community Center, 16275 Grand Ave.

The locations listed above will also serve as vote centers, where residents can vote early, access same-day voter registration or just drop a ballot off. They will be open from Nov. 2 to Nov. 4 from 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. On Election Day, the locations will be open from 7 a.m. to 8 p.m.

While the competition with the most buzz is undoubtedly the race for the presidency between Vice President Kamala Harris and former President Donald J. Trump — there are plenty of races to watch in Lake Elsinore. Check back with Patch for the latest coverage.

The post Ballot Boxes Open In Lake Elsinore: Find Yours appeared first on The Hemet & San Jacinto Chronicle.

Asked about their views of Harris since she became the nominee, 48% of 1,000 registered voters surveyed said it was positive compared to 32% in July — the largest jump among politician ratings polled by NBC since President George W. Bush’s favorability rose after the Sept. 11, 2001, attacks.

Asked about Trump, 40% of those polled said they viewed him positively compared to 38% in July, the news network said. The poll, conducted Sept. 13-17, has a margin of error of 3 percentage points.

A separate CBS News poll also found Harris leading Trump, by 4 percentage points, 52% to 48%, among likely voters, with a margin of error rate of plus or minus 2 percentage points.

The findings are broadly in line with other recent national polls, including those by Reuters/Ipsos, that show a close contest heading into the Nov. 5 election.

While national surveys offer important signals on the views of the electorate, the state-by-state results of the Electoral College determine the winner, with a handful of battleground states likely to be decisive.

Trump, 78, is making his third consecutive bid for the White House after losing to Joe Biden in 2020, which he continues to falsely blame on widespread voter fraud while facing federal and state criminal charges over efforts to overturn the election results.

Harris, 59, is a former U.S. senator and prosecutor now serving under Biden. She would be the first woman to serve as president in the nation’s 248-year history.

“She’s been able to change this from a race that was a referendum on Joe Biden to a race that is a referendum on Donald Trump,” Amy Walter, publisher and editor in chief of the nonpartisan Cook Political Report, told NBC’s “Meet the Press.”

In CBS’ poll of 3,129 registered voters surveyed Sept. 18-20, Harris edged up 2 percentage points after a 50-50 split in August, shored by her performance in the Sept. 10 debate and brightening economic news.

The post Harris gaining ground on Trump, TV network polls show appeared first on The Hemet & San Jacinto Chronicle.