Voting to begin

The largest part of the electorate began casting ballots on Monday when vote-by-mail ballots went out to some 6 million voters in the state, Secretary of State Debra Bowen announced.
The nearly month-long period leading up to the Nov. 2 election has became a new target audience for candates as their advertising campaign is now directed at the early voters.
"Voting by mail is becoming an increasingly popular choice for Californians," Bowen said. "Ballots cast by mail comprised 57.9 percent of the total votes cast in the June 8 primary. In the May 19, 2009, Statewide Special Election, a record 62 percent of voters cast their ballots by mail. "
All voters can apply to vote by mail by returning the forms on the sample ballots that have been mailed to them.
"When you vote by mail, your mailbox is your polling place," Bowen said. "As more and more Californians opt for the ease and convenience of voting by mail, Election Day has really turned into Election Month."
More than six million Californians are registered as permanent vote-by-mail voters. Hundreds of thousands more voters choose to cast their ballots through the mail on a one-time basis each election.