San Rafael, CA – The Marin County Elections Department started mailing close to 96,000 vote-by-mail ballots on May 9, giving local registered voters nearly a month to fill out and send in their ballots.
Don't forget to put your signature on the return envelope.
Voters will have an added bonus when they send back their ballots: For the first time, the return envelope is postage paid. The Board of Supervisors approved the new service in December 2015 in a move that sent a positive message about the importance of voting.
“Voters will no longer have to look for a stamp or wonder if they are adding enough postage,” said Lynda Roberts, Registrar of Voters. “This will make returning their ballot much more convenient and there’s a chance it could lead to a higher turnout.”
Roberts also reminds voters to sign and date their ballot envelope. “We can’t process a ballot unless the return envelope is signed, and following up with voters to get their signature is very time consuming,” she said.
Even though a ballot can count if it is postmarked on Election Day and received by the Elections Department within three days, Roberts encourages voters to mail their ballot back a week before the election if possible.
“I am certain the turnout in this election will rival 2008, which was almost 76 percent,” she said. “We want to process as many vote-by-mail ballots as possible before Election Day.”
Vote-by-mail ballots not returned by mail must be at the Elections Department or delivered to a polling place not later than 8 p.m. on Election Day, June 7. For added convenience to voters, the Elections Department will have a drop box outside the main entrance of the Civic Center on Peter Behr Drive starting May 16.
Voters who want to vote by mail in the June election may apply for a ballot in one of the following ways:
- In person 8 a.m. to 4:30 p.m. weekdays or Election Day between 7 a.m. and 8 p.m. at the Elections Department, Suite 121, 3501 Civic Center Drive, San Rafael
- Online at marinvotes.org
- By phone at 415-473-6441 or 415-473-6444
- In writing until May 31. Send a letter or use the application on the back of the voter information pamphlet. Mail to the Registrar of Voters, PO Box E, San Rafael, CA 94913-3904.
Voters should contact the Elections Department if they don’t receive a ballot in the mail next week.
Not yet registered in Marin County? You have until May 23 to register for the June 7 election. Go to www.registertovote.ca.gov or call 415-473-6456 to request a voter registration form in the mail.