Contact: Mark Church, Chief Elections Officer & Assessor-County Clerk-Recorder
Alternate: David Tom, Interim Elections Division Manager

(Redwood City, CA) On September 29, the San Mateo County Registration & Elections Division will begin mailing the Sample Ballot and Voter Information Pamphlet to more than 355,000 registered voters for the November 8, 2016 Presidential General Election.

"I encourage voters to review the material carefully and to mark their choices on their sample ballot. If they are voting at the polls on Election Day, it is helpful to bring the pre-marked sample ballot with them," recommended Mark Church, Chief Elections Officer and Assessor-County Clerk-Recorder. "That extra preparation helps the voter, election officers and other voters who may be waiting in line at the polls. More importantly, a pre-marked sample ballot helps voters ensure that their choices are the ones meant to be selected,” added Church.

The Sample Ballot and Official Voter Information Pamphlet is a valuable resource for voters. It includes:

• A sample of your Official Ballot
• Information about candidates and measures on your ballot
• Voting options (Vote by Mail, Voting Centers, Polling Places and Ballot Drop-off Locations)
• Voter resources (websites, email addresses and phone numbers)

All voters will receive a pamphlet in English. Spanish and Chinese versions of the election materials will also be mailed to voters who have requested them in their preferred language. Spanish and Chinese election materials may be requested during voter registration or at any time thereafter. Additional copies and accessible formats of the pamphlet are provided on request.

Any voter may view or download the pamphlet in English, Spanish and Chinese by visiting www.shapethefuture.org and clicking on “View My Voter Information Pamphlet."

Voters participating in the Go Green! program will receive an email notifying them that their Sample Ballot and Official Voter Information Pamphlet is now available online.

In addition to the county pamphlet, registered voters will also receive an Official Voter Information Guide from the California Secretary of State.

“Voters should review both the county pamphlet and the state guide,” Church advised. “These are not duplicate materials. The state guide contains the U.S. Senate candidate statements and information on the state propositions. The county pamphlet has candidate statements for other contests and information on regional and local measures.”

For more information about the Presidential General Election, contact the Registration & Elections Division at 650.312.5222 or registrar@smcare.org. Information can also be found at www.shapethefuture.org or on Twitter @smcvote.

The press release is displayed in its original format. San Mateo County Assessor-County Clerk-Recorder & Elections website now resides at www.smcacre.org