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

Aternate:
David Tom
Phone: (650) 312.5222 E-mail: dtom@smcare.org

Processing of Vote By Mail and Provisional Ballots for the November 6th Consolidated Municipal, School and Special District Election Open to Observers

Redwood City, CA – Warren Slocum, San Mateo County's Chief Elections Officer, announced that the Elections Office at 40 Tower Road in San Mateo will begin the opening and counting of returned Vote By Mail ballot envelopes for the November 6th Consolidated Municipal, School and Special District Election on October 26th as allowed by law (seven working days before the Election).

The signature verification process is conducted as soon as the ballot arrives at the Elections Office. This allows voters to verify if their ballot has been received quickly and easily through the Elections Office web site, www.shapethefuture.org. It also makes the processing of the Vote by Mail ballots much smoother.

Turnout in this election is expected to reach about 30%; however, fully half of these ballots are expected to come from voters who cast their ballots by mail. As of yesterday, the Elections Office had already received 17,000 ballots in the mail.

In accordance with the Elections Code the opening and counting of the Vote By Mail ballots will commence on October 26th at approximately 8:30 a.m. The results will not be tallied at any time before the close of polls on Election Day, November 6th at 8:00 p.m.

The processing and counting of Vote By Mail ballots and provisional ballots collected at the precinct polling places on Election Day is 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.

For more information on applying to vote by mail, find your polling place or obtain information about elections in general, visit www.shapethefuture.org or call (650) 312-5222.