San Mateo County Chief Elections Officer & Assessor-County Clerk-Recorder, Mark Church, announced today that 41 cities, special districts and school districts in San Mateo County have approved a resolution for an all-mailed ballot election for the upcoming Nov. 3, 2015 Consolidated Municipal, School and Special District Election. The county will be the first in California to hold a county-wide all-mailed ballot election.
On Aug. 15, 2014, Governor Brown signed into law Assembly Bill 2028, authored by Assemblyman Kevin Mullin, authorizing San Mateo County to conduct up to three elections wholly by mail in an All-Mailed Ballot Pilot Program. The bill requires every jurisdiction calling for an election to include the approval of the vote by mail in a resolution to the Secretary of State. The resolutions must be received by the Secretary of State 88 days prior to the election. For the November election, the deadline is August 7.
“Conducting the November 2015 Local Consolidated Election by all-mailed ballot will be good for San Mateo County,” according to Mark Church, Chief Elections Officer & Assessor-County Clerk-Recorder. “It most likely will increase voter participation by as much as 10% and save taxpayers close to $1 million.”
Polling places will be full voting centers with the ability to issue a ballot to any registered voter in the county. This allows voters to go to any polling place in the county on Election Day, providing more in-person voting options than previous elections. There will also be one drop off location in each city beginning 28 days before an election.
"Election reform and boosting voter turnout have been legislative priorities for me since I arrived in Sacramento and I am excited that all of San Mateo County has signed on to participate in this pilot project,” said Speaker pro Tem Kevin Mullin (D-San Mateo). “It should increase voter turnout and save taxpayer dollars by making our election system as effective, efficient and accessible as possible. I appreciate the support of San Mateo County Chief Elections Officer, Mark Church and his office throughout this process and look forward to seeing the results.”
“I want to thank Assemblyman Mullin for his vision in authoring this landmark legislation,” Church said. “And a special thanks to the governing bodies of all 41 jurisdictions for their support of this important pilot program,” added Church.
For more information on the all-mailed ballot program, contact the Registration & Elections Division at (650) 312-5222 or visit www.shapethefurture.org.