Contact: Mark Church, Chief Elections Officer & Assessor-County Clerk-Recorder
Alternate: Jim Irizarry, Asst. Chief Elections Officer & Asst. Assessor-County Clerk-Recorder
(Redwood City, CA) The randomized alphabet drawing that is conducted to assign letter names to the local measures that will appear on the June 7, 2022 Statewide Direct Primary Election ballot will be held on Thursday, March 17, at 11 a.m. at the Registration & Elections Division located at 40 Tower Road in San Mateo.
“I encourage the public to observe this important process,” said Mark Church, Chief Elections Officer & Assessor-County Clerk-Recorder. Members of the public may observe the drawings by watching our livestream on our Twitter account or in person at our office.
The randomized alphabet drawings serve two essential functions for the June 7, 2022 Statewide Direct Primary Election ballot. First, they determine the placement order of candidates’ names on the official ballot. Second, they assign a letter to each measure that will appear on the ballot.
The randomized alphabet drawing is a crucial phase of the official ballot development process. “A randomized alphabet helps create a level playing field,” Church explained. “If we used the standard alphabet in every election, ‘John Adams’ would always appear above ‘George Washington.’” At the drawing, election officials and interested members of the public will draw letters from a basket to determine the candidates’ name placement order and assign them for each measure listed on the ballot.
The San Mateo County drawing will determine the order for the following offices:
State Assemblymember, Assembly Districts 19 & 23
The Secretary of State Drawing will determine the order for all other offices.
“The San Mateo County drawing will also assign the letters to the local measures submitted to the voters,” stated Church.
Information regarding candidates and the local measures are available on the Registration & Elections Division website at www.smcacre.org under Current Election. For more information about the drawing, please contact the Candidate Services Supervisor, Hillary O’Connor, at 650.312.5294 or CandidateServices@smcacre.org.
Voting Period Begins May 9 and Ends on June 7
San Mateo County’s registered voters will receive a ballot in the mail in May. Three of the 45 Vote Centers for the June election open on May 9 for in-person voting. For more information on the June 7, 2022 Statewide Direct Primary Election, please call or text 650.312.5222, visit www.smcacre.org or follow us on Twitter and Instagram @smcvote.