We’re now in the midst of the Official Canvass, a process that takes place immediately following an election. This process is our time to update voting history in the voter registration database and audit and certify the election results, and must be complete within 28 calendar days.
Until the official results are published in our Statement of the Vote, semi-official results will be regularly posted on our website at www.shapethefuture.org.
During the Canvass, we also take an opportunity to reflect on Election Day and the days leading up to it. Narda Barrientos, Elections Supervisor, once said, “The Elections Office is all about change. We’ve been in a constant state of change, and we will continue to change as long as it makes our processes stronger.”
The biggest change this election? We did away with Receiving Stations. Was it successful? As Mattel’s Magic 8 Ball would say, “all signs point to yes.”
Keep reading →
Categories: Ballots · Election Day/Night · Elections Office · Poll workers · Polling place · Results · Shape the Future · Training · Vote counting
Tagged: AssetShadow, canvass, Couriers, integrity, receiving stations, security, supplies
November 3 is upon us, and polls open at 7 a.m. for voters who wish to cast a ballot in favor of or against measures and/or candidates in the Consolidated Municipal, School & Special District Election.
No county measures exist on the ballot, meaning not all cities are participating in the election. To find out whether or not you are able to vote in this election and to find your polling place, visit http://shapethefuture.org/apps/voterlookup.
What’s happening right now? Almost the entire staff is already in and at work, supporting Election Officers as they prepare for the opening of the polls. The Election Day Call Center, a phone bank that we set up specifically for Election Officers to call throughout the day if support is needed, is staffed with a team of people ready to assist.
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Categories: Ballots · Cities · Election Day/Night · Elections Office · Poll workers · Polling place · Shape the Future · Voting · accessibility · eSlates · measures
Tagged: Candidates, election day call ecnter, election day processes, local measures, opening of the polls, poll opening, polls, voters, write-in candidates
It’s the day before the November 3 election, and final preparations are underway.
Supplies are being distributed to Field Techs, back up Election Officers are being secured for the polls, and final training for the Election Day call center was conducted. Election Materials Courier routes are finalized, and assignments have been distributed to all participants in the process.
Keep reading →
Categories: Election Day/Night · Elections Office · Poll workers · Polling place · Uncategorized
Tagged: dock teams, Election couriers, Election Day, election day supplies, election officers, preparation
We’ve been supporting and tracking proposed legislation in this year’s session that, if passed, would make important contributions to the elections world. Two 
bills were “enrolled” this week, meaning a majority of lawmakers in both houses of the State Legislature approved these bills. The only thing standing between an approved bill and law is Governor Schwarzenegger. We hope he supports and signs these two bills into law.
AB 30 (Price) Allow registrars to pre-register 16-year olds to vote. Last year, we had 1,000 student poll workers sign up in San Mateo County. These students would definitely pre-register to vote, take this civic engagement step in school, and receive their voter information at home until they establish a permanent home of their own—after college, the military, or working. This bill could help increase the number of younger voters who participate in elections. Let’s give it a try!
AB 1228 (Yamada) Authorizes the participation of Yolo and Santa Clara Counties in a pilot program through December 31, 2016, that would allow them to fill a vacancy in a state office, the Legislature, or Congress in an ALL MAIL election if specified conditions are satisfied (it would not apply in statewide primary or general elections or special elections).
If approved, it will be an interesting test of voter participation in all mail elections as Yolo County is rural and more homogenous while Santa Clara County is diverse–in language, culture, education and socio-economic status. We wholeheartedly support this pilot.
And there was an honorable mention in this year’s list of bills that did not succeed.
AB 1121 (Davis), would have authorized a limited number of pilot jurisdictions to test the viability of rank choice voting, but it did not get through the Senate. We have supported this bill and appreciated the capable leadership of Rob Dickinson , a local Redwood City resident. The bill failed due to opposition by the California Association of Clerks and Elected Officials (CACEO) who were concerned about adding cost and complexity to the election process at a time when registrars lack the resources (staff) and budget to take on new items. While we have been unwavering supporters of this bill, we understand that the budget crisis has all California registrars just trying to figure out how to deliver existing, mandated services.
Categories: Elections Office · Outreach · Poll workers · Reform · Vote By Mail · Voting · legislation
If you’re still interested in running for office in the November 3, 2009 election, you now have an opportunity to file as a write-in candidate.
The write-in filing period opened September 7 and closes October 20 at 5 p.m.
Keep reading →
Categories: Campaigns/Political parties · Results · Voting · candidate filing
Tagged: board, candidacy, Candidates, fiiling period, municipal, November 3 election, write in
It’s always nicer to talk to a person rather than a machine. While we do our best to maintain an online effort at communicating with San Mateo County residents, we also work hard at making sure our office is readily available in person and on the phone.
Some shifting of responsibilities has occurred in the past few months, so we thought we’d give you an update on operations. Meet our core staff, as listed below, and learn more about the different parts of the office that each oversees.
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Categories: Elections Office · Outreach · Uncategorized
Tagged: Elections Office, responsibilities, staff
Five p.m. today marks the deadline for rebuttal arguments and impartial analysis statements for measures included in the November 3, 2009 ballot.
Twenty measures were submitted to the Elections Office for inclusion in November’s election, all of which are City measures. There are no county measures, nor any school district measures, up for voter consideration.
Since all are city measures, the main contact for document filing is the City Clerk of each respective jurisdiction. City clerks are election officials for local elections, and can choose to use the County to execute the actual election. Once documents are filed at the City level, the City Clerk transmits the hard (paper) and soft (electronic) copies of the filing to the County’s filing officer, Lupe Sanchez.
Upon each submission deadline is a public review period. The public review period, which allows the general public to review the accuracy and validity of arguments, for the rebuttal arguments and impartial analysis statements begins at 5 p.m. today and ends September 3 at 5 p.m.
“Any review of the documents need to be conducted through the cities directly,” said Sanchez.
This means that all measure documents filed thus far can be viewed on each city’s website as appropriate. A full roster of measures can be viewed on the County Elections website at www.shapethefuture.org. The cities with measures on the ballot are:
http://www.ci.atherton.ca.us/
Categories: Ballots · Campaigns/Political parties · Cities · Elections Office · Shape the Future · Voting · candidate filing · measures
Tagged: arguments, elections, filing, measures, November 3 election, rebuttals, UDEL
- Access for All
Purchasing HAVA compliant voting equipment was just the beginning of a process to make it possible for all voters to have a private and independent voting experience. The polling places have to be accessible and they have to be set up accessibly.
That’s why the Secretary of State made HAVA funding available to evaluate polling places for accessibility. Truth is, these surveys have to be done every few years–they’re not a one time thing.
In San Mateo County, nearly 40% of our 231 polling place locations (or 87 locations) have changed since the last HAVA polling place survey conducted in 2006. Since many polling place locations host more than one precinct, that represents a significant portion of our registered voters.
(A precinct can serve up to 1,000 voters.)
Why is that? Well, here are a few of the reasons…
- In 2006 – the accessible voting equipment required more electrical support and more room. That spelled the end of most neighborhood garage polling places;
- More people now vote by mail. In response, we have created more vote-by-mail precincts – allowed by law when the number of election day precinct voters falls below 250;
- Many precincts have been consolidated–allowed by the Secretary of State in predictably low turnout elections;
- Properties change hands. Sometimes new owners don’t or can’t provide us their building for voting. Fire chiefs, while civic-minded, don’t like leaving their stations completely unattended when they go out on a call. And, some schools have expressed concern about the security and safety of their young students. These are just some of the reasons that sites become unavailable for polling places.
And it was time. Fortunately, our partners, the Center for the Independence of the Disabled in San Mateo County (they moved from Belmont) has the expertise to conduct these surveys.
We’re halfway done. It’s really encouraging to see the ADA improvements made in many of the county’s polling locations. Right now, there are just a handful of locations that we will probably have to relocate because we can’t identify a one-day mitigation to satisfy the ADA requirements.
Now if you’re wondering…what conditions would make a polling place unacceptable? Wonder no more. It’s things like a doorway that’s too narrow to accommodate a wheelchair, inadequate (or no available) disabled parking, excessively steep ramps or walkways that make it impossible for a voter with disabilities to get inside the building, or a lack of curb cuts that prevents someone from getting from their car onto the sidewalk to gain entrance to the polls.
We’ll be ready for November’s election. And so will our polls.
Categories: Help America Vote Act · Outreach · Polling place · Voting · accessibility
