Entries from March 2009
Although it is a part of our on-going effort to maintain the most accurate voter information possible, we’ve stepped up the clean up of our voter registration records to ensure that all updates are made before the upcoming May 5, May 19 and June 2 elections. There are two main projects that we intend to complete before election materials for the May 19 election start going out.
The first is the validation of returned election mailings. Our last countywide mailing of the November 2008 Sample Ballot & Official Voter Information Pamphlet resulted in 21,807 pieces of returned mail. Since the Elections Code allows us to use National Change of Address (NCOA) data from the U.S. Postal Service to verify voter addresses, we are able to send “Residency Confirmation” postcards to voters who show up on the USPS data. The NCOA data is obtained from forms that people fill out when applying for mail forwarding or address changes through the post office.
We carefully analyze the USPS data to make sure that the name and former address match the voter record exactly. If the address change is within San Mateo County, the residential address is updated. If the address is located outside of the County, the voter record is inactivated. If the USPS data contains a family name and does not exactly match the voter record, we send a voter cancellation request or new voter registration card to the new NCOA address data. To date, our office has processed about 17,000 records (including thousands of inactivations) from this current Address Confirmation effort.
Once a voter record is updated, a“Residency Confirmation” notice is sent to the voter’s new address. The notice, which is forwarded by the USPS to a correct address if needed, has a detachable postage-paid postcard that can be sent back if we’ve made a mistake.
The other part of our voter record clean up has to do with Elections Code §2224. Voters who have not voted in the past four years, or have had no election-related activity within that time, receive a different version of the “Residency Confirmation” postcards. These postcards also have a detachable postage-paid portion, but it must be returned within 15 days of receipt to verify residency. If we don’t receive a response within that time, the voter will be inactivated.
But don’t confuse inactivation with deactivation or cancellation. Inactive voters are still eligible to vote, but they don’t receive election materials in the mail nor are they included in our active registered voter numbers. Inactivation is a way for us to keep our voter registration records clean without affecting voter eligibility. These code-driven processes save taxpayer money on election material mailing and help us to properly allocate resources for running the polling places on Election Day.
While we aren’t required to complete these projects immediately, we’re doing our best to do as much as we can before the May 4 voter registration deadline for the May 19 Consolidated Special Statewide Election. Completion of these projects before the special election and our upcoming November 2009 election will result in two countywide mailings that will experience significant savings in election material production and material costs. Then we will start all over again right after the November election!
Categories: Elections Office · Voter registration
Tagged: address change, dmv, jury duty, ncoa, voter records, Voter registration
Primary arguments in favor of and against the measures up for election on May 19 and June 2 are due by 5 p.m. on March 13. Some arguments have already been submitted, and we anticipate the remaining arguments to arrive shortly!
Did you know that in addition to filing the “hard” copy of the arguments, we also ask for a “soft” copy? It’s not a requirement, but it’s something that really helps us out with the Sample Ballot & Voter Information Pamphlet process.
Because the arguments (and ballot questions, full texts, and impartial analyses) are all included in the Sample Ballot & Voter Information Pamphlet, it’s important for us to be sure that the text is transcribed exactly as submitted. If we type it out, there’s always a chance for error, which results in extra man hours used for proofing and correcting.
By having a soft copy of the filed documents, we can simply proof it once to make sure it matches the hard copy, import the text into our publication software, then proof it again to make sure nothing got messed up.
It really helps us out!
Categories: Campaigns/Political parties · Elections Office · Graphics · candidate filing
Tagged: filing, primary arguments, procedures, Sample Ballot, software, Voter Information
Arguments in favor of and against City of Pacifica’s Measure D for the Consolidated Special Statewide Election on May 19 are due on Friday by 5 p.m.
The ballot question and full text of the measure are currently posted online at www.shapethefuture.org.
At 5 p.m. on Friday, filed arguments will be posted on www.shapethefuture.org for the 10-day public review period. Rebuttals to arguments will then be accepted through 5 p.m. on March 23.
The Redwood City School District is also conducting a special election, scheduled for June 2.
Primary arguments (in favor of and against) for the June 2 election are also due on Fri., March 13 at 5 p.m. The 10-day review period will also make rebuttals due March 23 as well.
Any questions about how to file an argument can be directed to the appropriate Filing Clerk for the election. For the May 19 election, please contact the City of Pacifica’s City Clerk at 650-738-7307. Arguments for the June 2 election should be filed with the San Mateo County Elections Office, which can be reached at 650-312-5222 for questions.
Categories: Uncategorized
Tagged: City of Pacifica, consolidated election, elections, June 2, May 19, Redwood City School District, special school district election, special statewide election
Budgetary constraints are at the forefront of everyone’s minds. In today’s economic climate, companies are struggling with the shifting supply and demand of both products and services. Many companies are forced to resort to labor cutbacks in the effort to stay afloat.
In government, economic downturns mean more services with less funding. What happens when staff is limited but the work isn’t? Workers have to make more happen with the same resources or less .
In the Elections Office, this is an ongoing challenge. San Mateo County already has the smallest ratio of regular staff to registered voters. A survey of California counties in 2003, when we had 11 regular staff members on board and 340,000 voters, showed that our Elections Office had one regular staff member for every 30,909 registered voters. The next smallest ratio is the County of San Diego, who had 1 staff member for every 25,510 registered voters. In contrast, Santa Clara and San Francisco County have ratios of 1:15,592 and 1:17,520 respectively.
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Categories: Elections Office · Uncategorized
Tagged: budget crisis, elections office team, hiring, staff, staff ration, staff work
