The share of the more than 200,000 registered voters within the Chula Vista Elementary School District who vote at local campuses will not be able to cast their ballots there for the June 2 primary election due to a conflict with scheduled graduation events.
The San Diego County Registrar of Voters says it’s been notified by the school district of the need to remove 10 polling places from school grounds.
The reason, says Giovanni Castro, director of communications for the district, is “sixth-grade students in the Chula Vista Elementary School District will be participating in graduation rehearsals and ceremonies.”
However, another school district, Sweetwater Union High School District, is prepared to step up, one official said.
According to data provided by the registrar, there were 20 vote centers within the boundaries of the elementary school district for the November 2024 election. Half of those were provided at the schools themselves.
The 7,900 voters who used those 10 polling places in 2024 will need to find other polling spots.
However, in elections like the upcoming primary, the turnout is lower. For the June 2022 election, for example, the registrar shows that eight school polling locations had 1,201 voters.
Sweetwater Union already has said it is willing to assist by making its schools available to voters.
“Clearly, the importance of making space available for voting is fundamental to democracy,” says Moisés G. Aguirre, superintendent of the district, which has 33,000 students. He has told the registrar, “we will make our schools available to voters.”
Aguirre said the district is working through the logistics of making room for these polling places, even though the election also falls within a week of graduation events .
“We have more amenities than the elementary district,” he said. “They might have a multipurpose room, like a cafeteria, but our students are older. We have libraries, gyms and theaters we can provide. We just have more options.”
A spokesperson for the registrar’s office, Antonia Hutzell, told Times of San Diego that for the gubernatorial primary, the county will need 200 vote centers, which are still being finalized. A final list of confirmed locations will be available 40 days before the election.
She added that recruitment for the November general election will begin immediately after the June election concludes.
“We have longstanding and collaborative relationships with school districts across the county, and reach out in advance to give districts time to evaluate available options and secure any necessary approvals,” Hutzell said.
Top races on the ballot for the June primary include the crowded gubernatorial race to replace Democratic Gov. Gavin Newsom.
