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) Mark Church, Chief Elections Officer & Assessor-County Clerk-Recorder announced that starting Monday, October 5, the San Mateo County Registration & Elections Division will begin opening and processing returned Vote by Mail ballots for the November 3, 2026 Statewide General Election. The public and the media are welcome to observe these activities.
“Transparency is an essential part of maintaining public confidence in our elections,” Church said. “We welcome members of the public and the media to observe the Vote by Mail process firsthand and see the safeguards and procedures our Elections staff follow to ensure ballots are handled securely, accurately, and in accordance with the current law.”
The San Mateo County Elections Office will process Vote by Mail ballot return envelopes and ballots Monday through Friday at 40 Tower Road in San Mateo. Processing will take place from 8:00 a.m. to 4:30 p.m. or when all ballots are processed for the day until the Official Canvass is complete.
For each returned ballot, an election official will first compare the voter’s signature on the outside of the envelope to the signature on the voter’s original registration application or other updated signatures on file from previous elections and the Department of Motor Vehicles.
The ballot is then separated from the envelope to preserve secrecy. The envelope is saved for the mandatory retention period, and the ballot is digitally scanned. The scanned ballots will not be counted or reported until the close of voting at 8 p.m. on Election Day, November 3, 2026.
Those interested in observing this process, or any other election-related activity, are welcome to visit the Registration & Elections Division office at 40 Tower Road in San Mateo. Observers may attend at any time during operating hours; however, space is limited and wait times may occur.
Time-specific appointments may be requested by email to ElectionObserver@smcacre.gov.
Observers will receive a copy of the Election Observer Program Guidelines, which specifies observer rights, responsibilities and limitations, and a copy of the Vote by Mail Processing Procedures.
Early Voting Period Begins October 5, 2026
All registered San Mateo County voters will be mailed a Vote by Mail ballot in October 2026. Three Vote Centers will open for in-person voting beginning October 5, 2026, with additional Vote Centers opening through Election Day.
For more information about the November 3, 2026 Statewide General Election, call or text (650) 312-5222, visit www.smcacre.gov, or follow us on X @smcvote and Instagram @sanmateocountyvote.