Assessor-County Clerk-Recorder-Elections

December 5, 2005

Contact:
Warren Slocum
Chief Elections Officer & Assessor-County Clerk-Recorder
Phone: (650) 363-4988 Fax: (650) 363-1903 E-mail: wslocum@smcare.org

Alternate: David Tom - Phone 650.312.5222 E-mail dtom@smcare.org
Web: www.shapethefuture.org www.smcare.org

Half Moon Bay Candidate Requests Recount of City Council Race
Chief Elections Officer Explains Process

(Redwood City, CA) – Today, Chief Elections Officer Warren Slocum ordered a recount at the request of Mike Ferreira, a candidate for Half Moon Bay City Council who was defeated by Bonnie McClung by 15 votes in the November 8th election.

When the election was certified on Tuesday, November 29th by the Chief Elections Officer Warren Slocum the time clock began for the period when recount requests can be made. Today, Monday, December 5, 2005, is the last day that any voter can legally request a recount of any contest on the November 8th San Mateo County ballot.

According to the Chief Elections Officer, “After the request has been filed, the California Elections Code provides the registrar with seven days to begin the recount. The first step will be for the parties to sit down and go through all the ground rules for the recount—how many observers, the hours, the breaks, the people, the questions, etc.”

“A number of questions relative to the recount will be decided by Mr. Ferreira, including what kind of recount will be requested. It could be a manual count, a machine count, or both. In some instances, a candidate will request that the precincts be recounted in a certain order,” explained Slocum.

The person requesting the recount is responsible for the cost of the recount. Recount costs vary depending on the type of recount requested and the size of the district and number of votes that are being recounted. The person requesting the recount posts a deposit at the beginning of each day for estimated costs for the vote counting to be performed. If the recount is completed, and the results of the election are reversed, the person requesting the recount is refunded the money they placed on deposit.

The person requesting a recount can decide at any time during the recount to halt the recount. They are charged for the time and labor involved in the recount up to that point.

Prior to the certification of the election, Slocum and the Elections Division staff held the County’s first-ever Vote Counting Seminar for candidates and their campaign volunteers and friends, as well as the press and anyone interested in the elections process. The seminar focused on the counting of absentee ballots and provisional ballots, the process of the official canvass, and the procedure and timeline for requesting and conducting recounts and election contests following the election. The seminar was held Friday, November 18th at the Elections Office at Tower Road in San Mateo to help those people who were in close races to better understand the process. Approximately 30 people attended the seminar.

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