Ballots and other information contained in the Santa Clara County vote-by-mail packet will be sent to more than 1.04 million local voters starting this week, according to election officials. The packets for the Nov. 5 general election are being mailed to every active registered Santa Clara County voter.
Also this week, the registrar of voters’ office opened more than 100 ballot drop boxes in local communities where voters can securely submit their ballots any time through election day, the office said on Oct. 7.
The vote-by-mail ballots provide voters with a convenient option to cast their ballot this fall, says a notice from the Santa Clara County Registrar of Voters office.
“We want to make participating in this historic election as easy as possible,” said Matt Moreles, Santa Clara County’s Acting Registrar of Voters. “Voting by mail is by far the most popular and convenient method of casting a ballot among our voters. By mailing a ballot to every eligible registered voter, we hope to make the democratic process accessible and inclusive for everyone in our diverse community, no matter how busy you are.”
Each vote-by-mail packet includes an official ballot, a postage-paid return envelope, instructions for casting your vote, and an “I Voted” sticker, says the press release from the registrar’s office. Ballots are specific to each voter’s registered address, including options for city, county, school district and other local races and measures in the balloter’s neighborhood.
After filling out their ballots, voters are required to sign the return envelope for verification before returning it to the Registrar of Voters’ Office, says the press release. The ballot can be returned through the mail or dropped off at any official ballot drop box and vote center in the county.
On Oct. 7, the registrar’s office opened more than 100 official ballot drop boxes for secure 24-hour ballot dropoffs. These drop boxes will be available continuously until the close of the polls at 8pm on Nov. 5.
The registrar’s staff collects return envelopes from drop boxes regularly and delivers them directly to the office’s central ballot processing location for signature verification, says the press release.
Early in-person voting began Oct. 7 today at the Registrar of Voters’ Office at 1555 Berger Drive, Building 2, in San Jose. Starting Oct. 26, 2024, twenty-six vote centers will open throughout the county, offering enhanced services such as in-person voting, voter registration, ballot replacements, language assistance and accessible voting, says the press release. All vote centers will open in the days leading up to election day, with a total of 106 vote centers available the last four days before Nov. 5.
The list of all Vote Centers and Official Drop Box locations is available on the registrar’s website at sccvote.org.
“Whether you enjoy the convenience of voting by mail from the comfort of your home or prefer to cast your ballot in-person, our goal is to offer a diverse set of voting options to meet the needs of our voters,” said Moreles. “From accessibility aids to language assistance, from early and weekend voting hours to secure 24-hour drop boxes, it’s never been easier to make a plan to vote that meets your unique lifestyle and needs.”
To ensure your vote-by-mail ballot is counted, the return envelope must be postmarked by election day, Nov. 5, 2024, and received by the Registrar of Voters’ Office within seven days, which is Nov. 12. Voters are encouraged to return their ballots early to avoid any potential delays, election officials said.
All vote-by-mail return envelopes containing the voted ballots must also be signature-checked before they can be opened and counted, so it is important for voters to remember to sign their return envelopes, the registrar’s office added. The signatures on the ballot return envelopes are compared to the signatures on file from the voter registration records.
Voters who forget to sign their return envelope or whose signatures do not match will be notified and given an opportunity to correct their signatures. However, making sure to sign the return envelope before casting the ballot is the best way for a voter to make sure their vote counts, officials said.
The last day to register to vote and receive a mailed packet is Oct. 21. After that, “Conditional Voter Registration” will be available at the Registrar of Voters’ Office and at a vote center through election day, allowing residents to register and vote at the same time.
For more information, including locations and hours of all vote centers and official drop boxes, visit sccvote.org or call the Registrar of Voters’ Office at 408.299.VOTE (8683) or toll-free at 866.430.VOTE.
Vote early
Secure ballot drop boxes are located throughout South County, including the following locations in Morgan Hill: MHUSD headquarters, Morgan Hill City Hall, Morgan Hill Library, Nordstrom Elementary School and Morgan Hill VTA Park and Ride.
Ballot drop boxes can also be found at the following locations in Gilroy: Gavilan College Student Center, Gilroy City Hall, Gilroy Library, Valley Health Center Gilroy and Rod Kelley Elementary School.
All drop boxes are located outside the front of each of the buildings listed above.
Starting Oct. 26, in-person vote centers will have limited hours at the following locations in South County: Morgan Hill Masonic Center and South Valley Middle School (Gilroy).
For hours and other information about how to cast ballots early for the Nov. 5 election, visit the Santa Clara County Registrar of Voters’ Office website at sccvote.org.
