Contact: Mark Church, Chief Elections Officer & Assessor-County Clerk-Recorder
Alternate: David Tom, Deputy Assessor-County Clerk-Recorder
Redwood City, CA – The 'Special Absentee Voters’ ballot application period opens September 9 and will remain open through November 8 for overseas and military voters participating in the November 8 Election, according to Mark Church, Chief Elections Officer & Assessor-County Clerk-Recorder.
As defined by the California Elections Code, "Special Absentee Voters" include members of the uniformed armed forces of the United States or any auxiliary branch and their spouses and eligible dependent children, or citizens who are temporarily living outside of the territorial limits, or citizens who are serving on a merchant vessel.
Eligible overseas voters who wish to register to vote can obtain an online application from either the Federal Voting Assistance Program (www.fvap.gov) or the Overseas Vote Foundation (www.overseasvotefoundation.org), or may contact any US Embassy or the military officer in charge of voting. They may also contact the San Mateo County Elections Office, to request a voter registration application.
“We respond immediately to requests from overseas voters, to address the inherent logistical challenges of distance and foreign circumstance. Our goal is to provide every voter the opportunity to participate in the upcoming election,” Church explained.
The San Mateo County Elections Office will send a ballot to qualified overseas voters by the method the voter chooses: fax, email, or postal mail. Overseas voters have the option to return their voted ballot by either postal mail or fax (return by email is not accepted at this time).
The deadline to register to vote in this election is October 24. Registered overseas voters may submit an overseas ballot application up to and including November 8, if the voter wants to receive the ballot via email or fax. Ballot applications that require the overseas ballot to be sent via postal mail must be received by the Elections Office by November 1.
Further information for overseas voters or their family members is available from the Elections Office by email (registrar@smcare.org) or by phone (650.312.5222).
The press release is displayed in its original format. San Mateo County Assessor-County Clerk-Recorder & Elections website now resides at www.smcacre.org