Voter Q&A
What’s the last date to register to vote and the
last date to request a vote by mail ballot?
May 19 is the last date to register to vote. The deadline to
request that a vote by mail ballot be sent by mail is May 27. You can request
a vote by mail ballot or vote in person at the San Mateo County
Elections Office at 40 Tower Road in San Mateo or 555 County Center, 1st
Floor, in Redwood City.
How long are the polls
open?
Polls are open from
My vote by mail ballot hasn’t arrived. What should I
do?
Go to
What’s the latest date I should mail my absentee
ballot?
Your ballot must be received by
I’m not sure my vote by mail ballot was received.
How can I make sure?
You can see whether your vote by mail ballot has been
received on http://www.shapethefuture.org.
If there is any question about whether the county has a record of your vote,
you can request a Provisional Ballot at your usual polling place.
How much postage does my absentee ballot require to be
mailed?
As of May 12, when postal rates increase, you’ll need a 42
cent stamp (1 oz. of postage) on your vote by mail ballot when you
mail it.
What happens if I mail my vote by mail ballot with
insufficient postage?
The ballot will still be delivered to the Elections Office,
it must be received by
I usually vote at the polls but must be out of town.
Can I still vote?
Yes. Whether or not you have a vote by mail ballot, you can
vote anytime within 29 days prior to an election by going to the Elections
Office at 40 Tower Road in San Mateo or 555 County Center, 1st
Floor, in Redwood City, between the hours of 8 a.m. and 5 p.m. on weekdays.
The Elections Office will also be open for voting from 10 a.m. to 3 p.m. on
the two Saturdays prior to Election Day, and it will be open from 7 a.m. until
8 p.m. on Election Day.
I have a vote by mail ballot, but I’m going to be
away (or am ill or disabled) on Election Day. What should I do?
Vote by mail ballots include instructions on how to designate
an “authorized agent” to return your vote by mail ballot for you. Or you
can drive to the Elections Office at
Before I drop my vote
by mail ballot in an authorized drop box, do I need to sign the return
envelope in a different way?
No. Just sign in the signature box, as directed, and drop it
in the box.
I made an error while marking my vote by mail ballot.
What should I do?
If there’s still time to get another vote by mail ballot
mailed, mark an “X” in the box on the upper right-hand side on the flap of
the return envelope and return it to the Elections Office. Otherwise, take it
in person to
How can I find out more about how and where to vote?
Go to
On Election Night, how can I find out who won?
Got
to http://www.shapethefuture.org
for election results in
Directions to the
Take Highway 101 south to Highway 92 and go west on Highway
92. Take the
This information was verified on 5/12/08 with the