Early voting has begun and as one of the five counties in California implementing the Voter’s Choice Act this year, along with the new Accessible Vote by Mail system, San Mateo County could be a model for the rest of the state.
In recent years, we’ve heard stories of states passing suppressive voter ID laws, many of which are tied up in federal court. There was also the president’s now defunct “Voter Fraud Commission” which several experts including Professor Richard L. Hasen of the University of California, Irvine agreed was a “faux commission” designed to argue for more voter suppression laws. California, however, decided on a different path with Senate Bill 450 otherwise known as the Voter’s Choice Act.
Over at 40 Tower Road in San Mateo, surrounded by two highways and occasional deer, you’ll find the San Mateo County Registration and Elections Division hard at work implementing quite a few firsts for not just the county but the state as well. One of those firsts includes the Voter’s Choice Act.
Voters will notice several differences this year. For voters who were not signed up for vote by mail previously it may come as a surprise when they received an absentee ballot anyway. Well, as of the start of 2018, all San Mateo County registered voters will be receiving an absentee ballot. Unless you wish to drop off your ballot, unlike previous years you don’t need to bring your vote by mail ballot with you to a voting site if you wish to cast your ballot on an eSlate machine. Speaking of voting sites, gone are the days of visiting your local polling place. Fret not as the San Mateo County Registration and Elections Division has upgraded its voting sites to 39 Vote Centers. Vote Centers act essentially as satellites for the Elections Division’s office by allowing voters across the county to cast their ballots and address registration questions at any one of the Vote Centers.
These are but a few of the changes the Voter’s Choice Act will bring this year. Some additional changes include same day registration and voting, Vote Centers remaining open the last two weekends before Election Day and many other innovations. The law itself was designed to increase voter turnout and accessibility but the importance lies in its execution. Here is where the county can shine as the San Mateo County Registration and Elections Division is no stranger to pilot programs and test runs.
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The Voter’s Choice Act isn’t the only new item this election, as San Mateo County is also the first county in the state to implement an Accessible Vote by Mail system. This new system allows voters with disabilities to vote “privately and independently by accessing and marking a ballot in a screen-readable format from any computer.” Once the ballot is printed out it can be returned to the Elections Division. While this election season has just begun, the Elections Division has done its homework by receiving input on this system from San Mateo County’s Voter Accessibility Advisory Committee or VAAC.
So what does San Mateo County’s new election law and system mean for California? There is no doubt the nation is divided on a variety of issues at all levels of government. Addressing those challenges through a strong democratic process is key to our identity as a nation. Now more than ever we need election offices around the state and country to provide the same level of access to all voters to ensure our democratic process is fair. If the rest of California is going to follow suit with the Voter’s Choice Act, then a lot rides on the San Mateo County’s success.
I have no doubt that in the hands of the San Mateo County Registration and Elections Division the county will continue its tradition of enfranchising voters regardless of their ability, language, political preference or availability. With the implementation of the Voter’s Choice Act and the county’s new Accessible Vote by Mail system, come next election cycle, there’s no doubt California will be leading by our example.
You can go to smcacre.org/elections or stop by 40 Tower Road in San Mateo for more information. Observers are always welcome.
Alex Melendrez worked as a San Mateo County elections specialist for two years and is a member of the San Bruno Parks and Recreations Commission. He was also a project manager of the University of California, Berkeley student government Vote Coalition and took several courses specifically in elections, democracy and public administration as part of his political science degree. The views expressed here are his own.
Former San Mateo County Sheriff Deputy Juan P. Lopez received his Sample Ballot which was no surprise because he was a permanent vote by mail for the last 5 years. What was different this year was he did not receive his mail in ballot. He called the Elections Office and requested another ballot be mailed to him and was told NO go vote in person. So while on Jury duty at the 400 County Center Building he went to the 555 building to vote. There he was informed that his vote was cancelled. He politely demanded that he be allowed to vote a provisional vote was cast. Mark Church has confirmed to me that CalVote had cancelled Mr. Lopez's vote. The question is who cancelled his vote since nothing changed in the last 5 years? Mr. Church has not answered that question yet.
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Former San Mateo County Sheriff Deputy Juan P. Lopez received his Sample Ballot which was no surprise because he was a permanent vote by mail for the last 5 years. What was different this year was he did not receive his mail in ballot. He called the Elections Office and requested another ballot be mailed to him and was told NO go vote in person. So while on Jury duty at the 400 County Center Building he went to the 555 building to vote. There he was informed that his vote was cancelled. He politely demanded that he be allowed to vote a provisional vote was cast. Mark Church has confirmed to me that CalVote had cancelled Mr. Lopez's vote. The question is who cancelled his vote since nothing changed in the last 5 years? Mr. Church has not answered that question yet.
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Keep the discussion civilized. Absolutely NO personal attacks or insults directed toward writers, nor others who make comments.
Keep it clean. Please avoid obscene, vulgar, lewd, racist or sexually-oriented language.
Don't threaten. Threats of harming another person will not be tolerated.
Be truthful. Don't knowingly lie about anyone or anything.
Be proactive. Use the 'Report' link on each comment to let us know of abusive posts.
PLEASE TURN OFF YOUR CAPS LOCK.
Anyone violating these rules will be issued a warning. After the warning, comment privileges can be revoked.