San Mateo County Press Release

Assessor-County Clerk-Recorder-Elections
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE: May 10 , 2006

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

Alternate: David Tom, Phone: 650.312.5222 E-mail: dtom@smcare.org

Processing of Absentee and Provisional Ballots for the June 6th Primary Election Open to Observers

 

REDWOOD CITY, CA—Warren Slocum, San Mateo County's Chief Elections Officer, announced today that the Elections Office at 40 Tower Road in San Mateo will begin the processing of returned absentee ballot envelopes for the June 6th Primary Election as soon as the returned ballots are delivered to the Elections Office.

The immediate verification of the voter’s signature on the return envelope will allow voters to verify if their ballot has been received quickly and easily through the Elections Office web site, www.shapethefuture.org . Voters can use the look-up function on the website to confirm that their ballot was received by the Elections Office.

In accordance with state law, the opening and counting of the absentee ballots will commence on Tuesday, May 30th at approximately 8:30 A.M. The results shall not be tallied at any time before the close of polls on Election Day, 8:00 P.M. on June 6th.

The processing and counting of absentee ballots and provisional ballots collected at the precinct polling places on Election Day are a part of the official canvass, which is open to the public and must commence no later than the Thursday following the election. “The canvass of votes is the most important and yet the least understood aspect of an election,” Slocum said. This process will also take place at the Elections Division Office at 40 Tower Road.

Any person or organization interested in observing the election process may contact the Elections Division’s Manager, Mr. David Tom, at (650) 312-5222.

For more information on applying for an absentee ballot, polling place locations or about elections in general, visit www.shapethefuture.org or call (650) 312-5222.