REDWOOD CITY, CA -- San Mateo County 's Chief Elections Officer, Warren Slocum, announced today his plan for election night reporting of voting results for the presidential primary election on Tuesday, March 2, 2004 .

Reporting Schedule. All polling sites will close at 8:00 PM on election night. The first vote report will issue at 8:05 , reflecting only absentee votes. The next report at 8:30 PM will include vote counts from those precincts where all voters cast their ballots by mail. Beginning at 9:00 PM , and every 30 minutes thereafter, the reports will also include available vote counts from individual precincts, until all precincts have reported.

Online Reports. These periodic reports will be available online at the San Mateo County Elections Office website at WWW.SHAPETHEFUTURE.ORG . Reports will be posted shortly after the times listed above. The reports will be available for printing in both HTML and Adobe PDF formats.

Public Reception at "Election Central." Community members, candidates and new media representatives are invited to mingle at the Election Division's departmental headquarters at 555 County Center in Redwood City . Periodic printed vote repots, internet access, and television coverage will be provided, along with light refreshments. Elections staff will be on hand to answer questions. 555 County Center is situated on the corner of Middlefield Road and Bradford Street (now known as County Center Street ). Best access is via Veterans Blvd : turn onto Middlefield, then immediately enter the driveway on the right, for free parking in the adjacent garage or lot. Because of the Peterson trial, Middlefield Road is one-way northbound, between Marshall and the driveway.

Personal Fax Reports. Direct reports by fax are available at no cost. To subscribe, fax your request to the Elections Office at (650) 312-5348, Attention: Linda Tulett . Please provide your name, your fax number, and indicate whether you wish to receive all interim update reports or only the final report. All requests must be received not later than 5:00 PM on February 27, 2004 .

Elections Staff Assistance Available. Until precinct reporting is complete on election night, staff will be available to answer questions. The Elections Division office at 40 Tower Road in San Mateo is open weekdays from 8: 00 AM to 5:00 PM . You may call (650) 312-5222 or visit. Additional information is available online at www.shapethefuture.org .

Absentee Ballots Accepted Until 8:00 PM on Election Night. All registered San Mateo County voters who have applied for and received an absentee ballot by mail, may return the voted absentee ballot at any polling place within the county until 8:00 on election night. Other registered voters who have not applied for an absentee ballot and find themselves unable to vote at their assigned polling place may vote by absentee ballot, but only at one of the two Elections Division offices: 40 Tower Road in San Mateo, or 555 County Center in Redwood City.

Slocum urges all voters to shape their future by casting a thoughtful ballot on election day. The polls will be open from 7:00 AM to 8:00 PM .