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!
Voters who registered to vote after the E – 60 mark (60 days prior to the election) received a state voter information guide much later than voters who were already on the rolls. Why?
The California Secretary of State’s office sends a separate voter information guide from the County. Typically, County guides (which we call Sample Ballot & Official Voter Information Pamphlet) contain more local information, such as local measures and candidates. We tailor it specifically for the voters of the County.
The state guide includes statewide propositions, state or federal candidates, and other more general information that pertains to all voters within California.
They send it out pretty early — it usually starts arriving in boxes about 1 1/2 to 2 months prior to an election. Because of this, the State relies on the Counties to send out a supplemental mailing to voters who register after the original mailing was sent.
We had a huge influx of registration, as we’ve probably mentioned a couple of times. This necessitated sending multiple mailings of both county and state guides to ensure that voters received information about the ballot as soon as possible.
The total number of registered voters that received state guides during our supplemental mailings was 28,238. Some costs associated with the publishing and issuing of guides to voters who register after the first issues are mailed are reimbursable. Curious about what’s reimburseable and what’s not? Visit the SOS website at http://www.sos.ca.gov/elections/ccrov/pdf/2008/november/08319km.pdf.
Over 55% of voters should receive their Sample Ballot & Official Voter Information Pamphlet in the mail by tomorrow if they haven’t already received it, according to our mailing schedule.
Beginning Fri., Sept. 26, tens of thousands of booklets have been dropped off at various County post offices for delivery to voters. Because of precinct borders, residents in some cities will receive the booklets before their neighbors.
The Sample Ballot & Official Voter Information Pamphlet has been broken down into 65 ballot styles. Ballot styles encompass each area that the included contests affect. For example, in the City of San Mateo, it will take three different ballot styles to cover all the voting districts within the city lines.
Below is the schedule for mailed and projected mailing dates for the Sample Ballot & Official Voter Information Pamphlet of the Nov. 4 Presidential General Election.
For questions regarding this schedule, please feel free to contact the Elections Office at 650-312-5222.
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Posted in Ballots, Campaigns/Political parties, Elections Office, Polling place, Voting
Tagged Voting, ballot, Sample Ballot, election ballot, Voter Information, Sample Ballot & Official Voter Information Pamphlet, Voter Info, what to vote on, candidate statements, measures, local measures, state measures, propositions
As we mentioned previously, Sample Ballots & Official Voter Information Pamphlets will hit voter mailboxes beginning Sept. 27. Also coming soon? Official Ballots!
The early voting period for the Nov. 4 Presidential General Election begins Oct. 6. On this day, Vote by Mail ballots will begin arriving in Vote by Mail voter mailboxes and the voting centers at 555 County Center in Redwood City and 40 Tower Road in San Mateo will be open for in-person voting.
One big difference between the ballots for this election and ballots from previous elections: It’s a long ballot.
Every voting precinct has two ballot cards. The ballot cards have contests printed on both sides of the paper, meaning that after you select your options on one side of one card, flip the card over for more options. Make sure you take a look at both cards, so that you don’t miss the opportunity to vote on all the contests you want to vote on.
On the bottom of each ballot card is the statement “Vote on Both Sides.” There was some concern about this phrase several elections ago that indicated possible confusion since there are two columns of text on one side of the card. “Both sides” does not refer to both columns; it refers to the front “side” and the back “side” of the card.
To help curb confusion, we’ve also added the following phrase to the ballot card, at the end of the last column on the page: “Attention: This is a 2 card ballot. Please vote all 4 sides (front and back) of the ballot.”
What does this mean for voters voting on the eSlate? Obviously, there aren’t sides to a ballot on an electronic screen. Instead of sides, there will be multiple screens of ballots to scroll through. When you’re voting on the eSlate, pay attention to the instructions near the bottom of the screen, so that you know whether or not there are more screens with contests to vote on.
Questions about the ballot? Call the Elections Office at (650) 312-5222!
Posted in Ballots, Elections Office, Vote By Mail, Voting, eSlates, early voting
Tagged ballot, ballot cards, election ballot, long ballot, official ballot, Sample Ballot, vote ballot, vote by mail ballot, voting options
The “brrng brrng!” and “ding ding!” of phone calls and emails fill our office, which has been silenced into a quiet buzz in anticipation of the upcoming November Presidential Election.
Right now, some important items on our agenda include 1) scheduling, 2) candidate filing, 3) voter registration, and 4) Sample Ballot & Voter Information Pamphlet preparation.
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Posted in Elections Office, Graphics, Shape the Future, Signature verification, Voter registration
Tagged candidate filing, candidate roster, election code, election schedule, elections calendar, elections process, eletion calendar, Sample Ballot, voter information pamphlet, Voter registration
Poll worker classes for the June 3 Statewide Direct Primary Election begin tomorrow, but resources are available now to anyone wishing to brush up on Elections Operations ahead of schedule. On the Elections website, www.shapethefuture.org, are a number of poll worker tools that can aid in the preparation of Election Day.
In addition to online training registration and schedule availability, various handbooks are available such as the Election Officer Handbook, eSlate Operations Guide, and the Opening and Closing flip books. Past issues of the POLLcat, the Poll Worker newsletter that includes news and event information as well as useful operations tips, can also be found on the Poll Worker resource page.
Other information available online includes candidate guidelines, political party descriptions, sample ballot and voter information pamphlets, and voter registration options.
Posted in Campaigns/Political parties, Elections Office, Poll workers, Shape the Future, Training
Tagged candidate resources, Election Day, political party information, Poll workers, resources, Sample Ballot, Training
There are three must do’s before you head to the polls on Election Day. Not maybe do’s. Must do’s!
#1. Make informed choices. Review your Sample Ballot, talk to your friends, read the newspapers and then decide who and what you’re going to vote for on Tuesday.
#2. Double-check your polling place location. Really. More than 60 polling locations have been moved. Even Chief Election Officer Warren Slocum’s polling location was moved and he’s been voting there for the past 18 years. Think it won’t be moved? Think again!
Not sure where to find your polling location? It’s printed on the back cover of your Sample Ballot. If your polling location moved, you got a postcard indicating the new address. If that got tossed, no sweat. Just call (650) 312-5222, where there’s a phone bank operating just to help voters with questions like these.
#3. Encourage your friends and neighbors to go vote! These local races are very important to the quality of life in your community and many are decided by very small margins. The polls are open from 7:00 a.m. to 8:00 p.m., which gives you lots of time.
That’s it!
