San Mateo County Press Release

Assessor-County Clerk-Recorder-Elections

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

Slocum Announces Election Night Festivities
and Availability of Semi-Official Results

(Redwood City, CA) - San Mateo County 's Chief Elections Officer, Warren Slocum, announced the election night reporting updates for receiving election results for the Gubernatorial Primary Election on Tuesday, June 6, 2006 and identified new features.

What’s New?

Election Night Reports. The look of the results reports has completely changed. A new Reporting & Results section of www.shapethefuture.org was created to give candidates, the media and the public a sneak preview of the reports that will be issued on election night and in the 29 day canvass period that follows the election. Reports are available in both pdf and HTML formats and posted shortly after the release of results.

The Web Cam. This real time camera is trained on the back door of the elections warehouse. Today, truck after truck will depart Elections filled with supplies to outfit the 472 polling places for Election Day. You can watch the caravan from your living room.

The Real Time Tally Monitor. The Real-Time Tally Monitor is a web-based, bar-code/scanning application that aids the Elections Office staff and the public in determining the exact location of the memory packs at any given moment in time during the Election process. Memory packs are the removable units in the Eagle voting machines that capture all the votes cast at a specific precinct.

How does it work? All memory packs are bar-coded and affiliated with a specific precinct. They are scanned at each location in the chain of custody. Each time a memory pack is scanned, its location and status is updated and revealed on the Real-Time Tally Monitor. The color of the precinct on the display will change as the memory pack from that precinct moves through the process.

There are five steps in the process. First, the equipment must pass the rigorous Logic & Accuracy testing process conducted at the Elections Office at Tower Road. When a precinct’s equipment passes Logic & Accuracy, the color of that precinct turns blue. When the equipment is delivered to its rightful precinct, the corresponding precinct turns red. And so on. At each stage of the process, the color changes to reflect the status of the equipment and vote count for each precinct.
Today, as the equipment leaves the Elections Office for its precinct destination, you will see the colors change from blue to red. “Take a look—you’ll witness an important preliminary phase of an election today,” Slocum remarked.

On election night, you will be able to watch the movement of the memory packs from the precincts to the receiving stations and ultimately to the Elections Office for the tally. “When the majority of the Board is green, you can see in an instant how much of the vote is counted and where the outstanding votes are located,” explained Warren Slocum, Chief Elections Officer for San Mateo County.

What’s Returning?

Reporting Schedule. All polling sites will close at 8:00 PM on election night. The first vote report will be issued at 8:05 p.m., reflecting only absentee votes. The next report at 8:30 p.m. will include vote counts from the 36 precincts in the County where all voters cast their ballots by mail. Beginning at 9:00 p.m., and every 30 minutes thereafter, the reports will also include available vote counts from individual precincts, until all precincts have reported.

Election Night at the Rotunda. Community members, candidates and media representatives are invited to attend the Election Night gathering at 555 County Center in Redwood City. Periodic vote reports, internet access, and television coverage will be provided, along with refreshments. It is an informal, drop-in event for anyone interested in this election and the results. 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.

Elections Staff Assistance Available. Until precinct reporting is complete on election night, staff will be available to answer questions. Regular business hours for the Elections Division office at 40 Tower Road in San Mateo is 8:00 a.m. to 5:00 p.m., Monday through Friday. You may call (650) 312-5222 or visit www.shapethefuture.org for additional information.

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 p.m. 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 a.m. to 8:00 p.m.