Public is Encouraged to Observe the Audit Process
February 28, 2020

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

(Redwood City, CA) At 10:00 a.m. on Friday, March 6, 2020, the San Mateo County Registration & Elections Division will randomly select the voting precincts to be included in the One Percent Manual Tally for the March 3, 2020 Presidential Primary Election.

The One Percent Manual Tally is a legally required election canvassing procedure that takes place after the polls have closed on Election Day. The One Percent Manual Tally ensures the accuracy of the vote before the official results are certified.

The procedure begins with the randomized selection of precincts from Vote Centers and batches of Vote by Mail ballots. Selection is determined through a dice roll using three ten-sided dice and matching the resulting three numbers to a corresponding precinct number or Vote by Mail batch. For each contest not included in the One Percent Manual Tally, an additional voting precinct or batch with that contest will be tallied.

The One Percent Manual Tally, including the rolling of the dice, is open to the public and will be live-streamed on our Twitter page @smcvote. Past observers have rolled the dice to help select the precincts.

The subsequent manual tally will begin on Tuesday, March 10, 2020, at 8:30 a.m. Election officials will work in teams of four, called a “precinct board,” to manually read, call out, record, and tally votes by hand.

This process will take approximately one week to complete. The Chief Elections Officer will then certify and publish the official results no later than April 1, 2020. The official certified results, known as the Statement of the Vote, will be published on www.smcacre.org.

The One Percent Manual Tally will be held at the Registration & Elections Division at 40 Tower Road in San Mateo. Please call 650.312.5222 if you wish to observe the manual tally or be a part of the process of selecting precincts. Follow @smcvote on Twitter for updates.

All-Mailed Ballot – Vote Center Election Model for the March 3, 2020 Presidential Primary Election

The March 3, 2020 Presidential Primary Election will be the fourth election San Mateo County conducts under the California Voter’s Choice Act (VCA) model. It is the first Presidential Primary Election to be held under the VCA.

Traditional polling places have been replaced by Vote Centers, which will be open for voting for an extended 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 voters can return with no postage required in any mailbox or into secure county ballot drop boxes located throughout the county.

For more information, call 650.312.5222, visit www.smcacre.org or follow us on Twitter and Instagram @smcvote.

Related Contacts

Mark Church

Assessor-County Clerk-Recorder and Chief Elections Officer
555 County Center
Redwood City, CA 94063-1665Get Directions
Phone:
650.363.4988

Jim Irizarry

Asst. Assessor-County Clerk-Recorder & Asst. Chief Elections Officer
555 County Center
Redwood City, CA 94063-1665Get Directions
Phone:
650.363.4988