With all the talk of mail-in ballots this election season, some Inland Empire voters said Tuesday, Nov. 5, that they still prefer the old-fashioned trek to their polling place.

Happy Election Day, Inland Empire. Months if not years of campaigning, fundraising and — you’ve probably noticed — advertising come down to the choices you make by pen or touch screen for who should serve in elected offices from judge and city council to U.S. Senate and the White House.

In San Bernardino County, 62% of voters who participated in the 2020 presidential election returned their vote-by-mail ballots before Election Day, with the “vast majority” of those ballots determined to be valid and counted, a county data analysis showed.

For voters who wish to return their vote-by-mail ballots at a drop box location, the Registrar of Voters has 106 official ballot drop-off locations throughout the county. Drop boxes have been available since Oct. 7 and will remain open through 8 p.m. on Election Day.

I’m looking forward to voting in my first presidential election today, and I hope whoever is reading this feels the same. Regardless of which side you are on, your voice has power, and your vote is your vote.