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San Mateo County Chief Election Officer Warren Slocum is launching a new voter education campaign aimed at protecting voter rights and minimizing Election Day problems heading into the Nov. 2 Presidential Election.
Slocum is encouraging voters to do three things before heading to the polls:
- verify their voter registration;
- confirm their polling place address; and
- make sure they know how to vote (the basics of how to mark a ballot,
voting options--early, absentee, and at the polls on election day,
and referrals to on-line resources that provide information about
the measures, propositions, and candidates)
Voters can perform these tasks on-line at the Election Office’s interactive website, www.shapethefuture.org, or by calling (650) 312-5222. Voters only have to enter basic information to confirm their registration and locate their polling place.
“We want voters to be pro-active,” Slocum said. “If voters will take few minutes to verify their information and learn how to cast an error-free ballot, polling place operations will run more smoothly, every vote will count and we can limit confusion and errors.”
Voters might believe, for instance, that they registered to vote through the Department of Motor Vehicles or with one of the many registration organizations operating throughout the county. “Unfortunately, there are times when our Elections Office just didn’t receive the voter registration form – the person shows up at the polls only to find that they are not listed on the precinct lists.”
“In this instance, a voter will be given a provisional ballot. The Elections Office will verify the voter’s eligibility and once a voter’s status is confirmed, their votes will be counted,” explained Slocum.
By checking voter information in advance of Election Day, November 2, 2004 , everyone benefits--the voter, the precinct workers and the Elections Office.
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