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

Redwood City, CA –San Mateo County's Chief Elections Officer, Mark Church, announced today  that Tuesday, October 11 is the first day of the early voting period for the November 8, 2011 election. The early voting period is the 29 days immediately prior to election day, during which any eligible voter may cast a ballot at one of two regional Voting Center sites and Vote by Mail voters may submit their mail ballots by mail or by in-person delivery to a Voting Center.

Ballots cast during the early voting period are not counted until after the polls close on election night.  

The November 8 election is a Consolidated Municipal, School and Special District Election, presenting voters throughout the county with races for local offices and a number of local ballot measures. Official ballot information is provided to all voters in the "Sample Ballot & Official Voter Information Pamphlet" which began going out to voters by mail on September 29, and voters should receive them before October 18. Ballot information is also available online now at the official website:  www.shapethefuture.org. All voting materials and official information are available in English, Spanish or Chinese, at the voter's request.

“As a convenience to voters, we provide several options for early voting:  voters may join our Vote by Mail program; or they may go to one of our two Voting Centers, where they can vote on a voting machine or vote a paper ballot or drop off a voted mail ballot," Mr. Church added.

The two regional Voting Center sites are available to any registered voter. They will be located at two County office sites:  the Elections Office at 40 Tower Road in San Mateo and the office of the Assessor-County Clerk-Recorder, located at 555 County Center, First Floor, in Redwood City. Hours of operation will be as follows:

• Tuesday October 11 – Monday November 7 (BOTH SITES): weekdays, 8:00 a.m. to 5:00 p.m.
• Saturday, November 5 (SAN MATEO SITE ONLY): 10:00 a.m. to 3:00 p.m. only
• Tuesday, November 8 (Election Day) (BOTH SITES): 7:00 a.m. to 8:00 p.m.

To vote by mail, a registered voter must file an application, either for this election only, or to become a Permanent Vote by Mail voter for this and future elections. An application form is provided in the Pamphlet, or is available at the official website.

The Elections Office will begin to mail out Vote by Mail ballots on October 11 and they will begin to arrive in voter's mailboxes during the following week. Beginning on October 12, every Vote by Mail voter may use the "Track and Confirm" tool on the official website, to verify when the ballot materials were mailed to the voter and when the returned voted ballot was received.

Voted mail ballots must be physically received by an elections official by 8:00 p.m. on election night, November 8. Voters may mail in the voted ballot any time during the voting period, or they may deliver it in person to a Voting Center or to any city hall in the county. On election day, they may deliver the voted mail ballot in person to any active polling place in the county until 8:00 p.m., or to any city hall during its normal business hours. Mailed ballot return envelopes will require 44 cents postage.

"We have developed these options and resources to give our voters convenience and peace of mind with the voting process that best fits their needs," stated Church.

To be able to vote in the November 8 election, the eligible voter must file a voter registration form before 5:00 p.m. on Monday, October 24 (timely postmarks are accepted). Registration forms may be obtained and filed at a Voting Center, and forms may also be obtained at all city clerk offices, US Postal Service offices, city and county libraries, and the Department of Motor Vehicles. Eligibility requirements and registration status information is available on the official website.

The official website at www.shapethefuture.org also provides polling place locations, voting machine instructions (text and video), answers to frequently asked questions, and election news.

For additional assistance, call the Elections Office at 650.312.5222. All information and assistance is available in English, Spanish and Chinese.

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