Redwood City, CA - For the first time in San Mateo County Elections history, television spots in English, Spanish, Chinese and Filipino are airing on local cable television stations to remind people to register and to vote.

“We challenge ourselves each year to try new mediums to make sure that our message reaches out to every kind of voter,” said Warren Slocum, the Chief Elections Officer for San Mateo County. “Finding new ways to engage voters, particularly those from the underrepresented communities in our County, is fundamental to our mission. We believe these spots will help us do that and in the process strengthen our democracy.”

“We’re lucky—we live in a richly diverse area with media outlets that broadcast in many different languages. They take a proactive role in educating their communities on important issues.” said Slocum,“We asked them, if we produce these spots, will you air them? The answer was a resounding, “YES!”

The second language spots are airing on ABS-CBN airtime on KTSF/Channel 26 and TFC Channel 241 (Filipino), KTSF-Channel 26 in Brisbane (Cantonese, Mandarin, Filipino), Telemundo KSTS/Channel 48 (Spanish) and Univision KDTV/Channel 14 (Spanish).

The English language voting spots are airing on Peninsula TV/Channel 26 and on the mix of 26 Comcast cable stations like ESPN, CNN, MSNBC, Fox News, Bravo, TBS, and TNT. “We have had wonderful support from both Comcast and Peninsula TV,” said Slocum. “I’ve heard from many people in the community that they’ve seen the spot with the kids talking about voting.”

“If you just want to watch all the spots ‘on demand,’ you can! Simply log onto www.shapethefuture.org, the official Elections website, and watch them on your computer,” said Slocum. “We’re very proud of the spots—let us know what you think.”

“We used talent from our office, the local community, the schools and the production capabilities of Channel 26, San Mateo County’s local government television station to produce these spots,” said Slocum. “Juliet Fernandez, my assistant, was the Executive Producer and she did a marvelous job.” “A focus group of real voters gave us practical advice on our election materials and messages. The request made most often was to remind voters of upcoming deadlines. These spots were written with this advice in mind,” said Slocum. “Watch and see!”

Watch the Vote 2005 videos airing on local cable stations!
English | Spanish | Chinese | Filipino