The Coalition of Bay Area Elections Officials (CBAEO) is encouraging voters to Vote by Mail, which it calls “safe, secure and convenient.”
Official ballots were emailed on Monday and voters throughout California for the upcoming June 7 statewide primary election.
While doubt was cast upon voting by mail in elections held during the pandemic, the Coalition off Bay Area Elections Officials, which represents elections officials for 11 Bay Area counties including San Mateo, is reaching out to the public with the assurance that Vote by Mail is a highly regulated process.
“It is nearly impossible to cheat the system due to the number of multiple factors, checkpoints, people, and systems that coordinate to keep your vote safe,” the Coalition said.
“Over the past 20 years, California has steadily applied measures such as pre-paid postage, drop boxes, and a ‘cure’ process for challenged ballots, ensuring Vote by Mail is a robust sound process for voters to cast their ballots,” said Shannon Bushey, County of Santa Clara Registrar of Voters.
Voters can track their ballot by signing up at the Secretary of State’s office here, so they know when they are mailed, received, and processed by the county election office.
Permanent Vote by Mail has been in place in California since 2002. In 2021, Gov. Gavin Newsom signed Assembly Bill 37 into law requiring counties to mail a ballot to every active, registered voter in California. The return envelope is postage paid for all ballots. Voters are required to place their completed ballot in the envelope, seal it, sign it, and mail it to their local election office. Voted ballots returned by mail must be postmarked on or before Election Day and received within seven days of the election to be considered timely.
For more local information, go to your local county election official or visit BayAreaVotes.org or Bay Area Votes.
