Vote Centers and Ballot Drop Boxes open in South Lake Tahoe for March 5 primary election

SOUTH LAKE TAHOE, Calif. - The March Presidential Primary is just a week away, and there are some dates and locations South Lake Tahoe and Meyers voters need to be aware of.

El Dorado County has 132,294 registered voters, with about 18,000 in South Lake Tahoe. Registered voters should have already received their ballots in the mail, and if not already mailed in, they will also be accepted at the following locations:

The 11-day Vote Centers are open. Lake Tahoe Community College has a Vote Center open from 8:30 a.m. to 4:30 p.m. until election day, then on March 5, it is open from 7 a.m. to 8 p.m. The college is located at 1 College Dr., South Lake Tahoe.

On March 2, the 4-day Vote Centers in the county will also be open. One will be in Meyers at the California Conservation Corps, 1949 Apache Lane. It is open from 8:30 a.m. to 4:30 p.m. until election day, then on March 5, it is open from 7 a.m. to 8 p.m.

Each day the Drop Boxes are open. In South Lake Tahoe they are located at:
South Lake Tahoe Library, 1000 Rufus Allen Blvd. 24-hour drive up.
Holiday Market, 2977 US Hwy 50, 7:30 a.m.-7 p.m.
Grocery Outlet, 2358 Lake Tahoe Blvd., 7:30 a.m.-7 p.m.
The boxes will be emptied at 8 p.m. on March 5.

To find the closest location of a drop box or Vote Center to your location, visit HERE.

All ballots are transferred to the El Dorado County Elections Center nightly.

February 20 was the deadline to register to vote in the March 5, 2024, Presidential Primary Election, but it isn't too late to participate. Through Conditional Voter Registration, citizens can complete a voter registration form and vote conditionally through Election Day. The form can be obtained at the Elections Office located at 3883 Ponderosa Rd. Shingle Springs CA, 95682, or any vote center in the County. A conditional voter registration ballot must be voted at the time and location a voter receives it.

At this primary election, it may not be as much of a concern, but for the general election in November, concern has been expressed over how second homeowners may register to vote. There may be an initiative on the ballot that many vacation homeowners have an interest in.

Voters register at the address where they plan to spend the bulk of their time and where they plan to live.

The election code has a lot of references to “domicile.” When a voter completes a voter registration they are signing under penalty of perjury what their permanent residence “domicile“ is, a person can only have one domicile. The term of domicile is computed by including the day on which the person’s domicile commenced and by excluding the day of the election.

Domicile: A person who leaves his or her home to go into another state or precinct in this state for temporary purposes merely, with the intention of returning, does not lose his or her domicile. A person does not gain a domicile in any precinct into which he or she comes for temporary purposes merely, without the intention of making that precinct his or her home.

While changing one's registration for the purpose of having their domicile in a second home's location is possible, it is not the intention of the election code. Elections departments have no enforcement authority but people can file a lawsuit should they feel the

If you believe there has been a violation you can report it to the CA Secretary of State’s office by using this link and they will investigate.