A final plea for your vote

What the strategy produces on the other end, though, is some percentage of those whose ballots continued to sit on the counter while the weeks simply got away from them, and research on voter discouragement confirms this: Instead of a well-intended timing shift, some portion of those people simply never get their vote registered in time for it to count. This keeps me up at night.

As of Sunday, about 17% of San Mateo County’s registered voters had returned their ballots. At these numbers we are currently tracking to theoretically exceed 2022’s election voter turnout, at the moment fueled by higher Republican and independent voter return. But even so, 17% a few days ago means that Tuesday, Election Day, probably something like 70% to 75% of the county’s registered voters have not yet voted. At this point, anything can happen.

In the 2024 General Election, voters between 18 and 29 turned out at roughly 48%, compared to 77% of voters over 65, a gap that has remained relatively stable for decades and is even more weighted in San Mateo County. Younger voters care and the political energy in that age group is real and loud. But election after election, caring hasn’t translated come ballot return time, and our younger voters need to vote. They must have a say in the future that is being decided today. 

Yes, today is the day. 

If you are a San Mateo County voter and your ballot is at home, any of the county’s 49 vote centers are open from 7 a.m. to 8 p.m., and you can bring it there and drop it off or turn it in and vote in person. If you cannot find your ballot for any reason or you simply never got around to returning it, you can still walk into any vote center and vote and they will help you from there. And if you never got around to registering to vote, California has a provision called Conditional Voter Registration that lets you register in person at any vote center today, cast your ballot and have it counted once your registration clears, which generally takes a few days. You are not locked out.

You can find the vote center nearest to you at www.smcacre.gov. Click on the link at the top to also view real time vote center wait times countywide.

I have spent time in and around local politics for the past decade in various capacities, and the thing I have noticed consistently is that most people who don’t get around to voting have informed opinions and care deeply — about schools and the next generation, about housing and how their city is evolving and what the various public entities spend their money on. And yet, too often the ballot never reaches its intended destination. You forgot to bring it on the way home from work, a meeting ran late, maybe you got a flat tire or sick kids kept you at home, or a deadline blew up the calendar. Life simply happens, but so do elections.

Yes, the California governor’s race is getting a majority of the attention right now, but remember your ballot today also includes county races, congressional and state representative seats, judges and more. Many of these elected roles make decisions that will be much more visible in your daily life than what happens in Sacramento or Washington. So here we are, the clock is ticking. You have until 8 p.m. to get in line at the vote center or drop your ballot in an official drop box.