Contact: Mark Church, Chief Elections Officer & Assessor-County Clerk-Recorder
Alternate: David Tom, Elections Division Manager

(Redwood City, CA) The first of the 36 styles of the Sample Ballot and Official Voter Information Pamphlet will be mailed today to the 357,214 registered San Mateo County voters who prefer to continue receiving their pamphlets in paper form.

The Federal Voting Rights Act ensures that all voters have language accessible election information. Voters who favor Chinese or Spanish language election materials may request them at the time they register to vote or at anytime thereafter.

The Sample Ballot and Official Voter Information Pamphlet helps to inform voters by publishing voluntarily submitted candidate statements, text of ballot measures, and impartial analyses, with related arguments and rebuttals, and relevant voting information and resources.  Visually impaired voters may request a copy of the county’s Sample Ballot and Official Voter Information Pamphlet on audiotape by calling the Registration and Elections Division at 650.312.5222.

 “I encourage voters to review the material carefully and mark their selections in the Sample Ballot pages,” said Chief Elections Officer & Assessor-County Clerk-Recorder Mark Church.  “The Sample Ballot can be used as a guide to complete the Official Ballot and can help expedite the voting process, whether voting early or at the polls on Election Day.”

“The location of each voter’s polling place is printed on the back cover of the pamphlet.  Polling places are occasionally relocated after the printing of the Sample Ballot due to unforeseen circumstances.  Accordingly, voters are encouraged to double-check their polling place location by contacting our office or visiting our website,” Church advised.

As well, instead of receiving a hard copy of your Sample Ballot and Official Voter Information Pamphlet, voters have the option of “going green” by registering online at www.shapethefuture.org and clicking on “Go Green!  Get My Future Voter Information Pamphlets Online.”  By doing this, voters will receive all future Sample Ballot and Official Voter Information Pamphlets by downloading them from www.shapethefuture.org.  “This is a great way to help conserve our natural resources and save taxpayers’ dollars,” Church added.   

If you have any questions regarding the Sample Ballot and Official Voter Information Pamphlet delivery schedule, contact the Registration and Elections Division at 650.312.5222 or registrar@smcare.org. 

The press release is displayed in its original format. San Mateo County Assessor-County Clerk-Recorder & Elections website now resides at www.smcacre.org