Contact: Mark Church, Chief Elections Officer & Assessor-County Clerk-Recorder
Alternate: Jim Irizarry, Assistant Chief Elections Officer & Assessor-County Clerk-Recorder

(Redwood City, CA) The voting period for registered military and overseas voters begins September 7 and will continue through Election Day for the November 6, 2018 Statewide General Election.

“We have more than 4,000 military and overseas voters, and our primary goal is to make it easy for those serving our country, and residents far from home, to exercise their right to vote,” said Mark Church, Chief Elections Officer & Assessor-County Clerk-Recorder.

Eligibility Criteria

San Mateo County voters who are eligible include:

• Members of the Uniformed Services or Merchant Marine on active duty;
• A spouse or dependent of a member of the Uniformed Services or Merchant Marine on active duty;
• Activated National Guard members on State orders; 
• Members of the U.S. Public Health Service Commissioned Corps or the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration; and
• U.S. citizens living abroad.

San Mateo County voters may register and apply for a ballot by completing a Federal Post Card Application form (“FPCA”).

Ballot Application Procedure

The FPCA form is available at any U.S. Embassy or at the Federal Voting Assistance Program website, www.fvap.gov. You may also go to the California Secretary of State’s website www.registertovote.ca.gov to register as a military or overseas voter. When you register, you may choose to receive your ballot by:

• Email/online;
• Fax; or
• Postal mail.

Pursuant to the Uniformed and Overseas Citizens Absentee Voting Act, San Mateo County will send your ballot between 60 and 45 days prior to Election Day. While the period to request a ballot to be mailed to you ends on October 30, registered military and overseas voters may submit an application to receive the ballot via email or fax up to and including Election Day, November 6.

In addition, an Accessible Vote by Mail system is available during the early voting period, beginning October 9 through Election Day. Access to the Accessible Vote by Mail system is limited to voters with disabilities, overseas voters, military personnel, and military spouses. To access their ballot, voters click the Accessible Vote by Mail link at www.smcacre.org/MyElectionMaterials/. Voters can also call 650.312.5222 or email registrar@smcacre.org to request that a link to their ballot be emailed to them, or for assistance in accessing and using the system.

The deadline to register to vote in this election is October 22, 2018. However, as a result of changes in California Election law, voters will be able to register and vote provisionally beyond October 22, 2018 up to and including Election Day.

New Election Model for November 6, 2018

The November 6, 2018 Statewide General Election will be the second election conducted under the California Voter’s Choice Act. Traditional polling places will be replaced by Vote Centers, which will be open for voting for a greater period, and which will offer expanded voter services including voter registration, multilingual assistance, and disabled access voting options. Every registered voter will also receive a Vote-by-Mail Ballot, which can be returned with no postage required in any mailbox or special ballot drop boxes located throughout the county.

For more information on the November 6, 2018 Statewide General Election, please call 650.312.5222, visit www.smcacre.org or follow @smcvote on Twitter.