Voter Service: Live Blogging

Weekend Voting

Beginning Oct. 25, Weekend Voting is available from 9:00 a.m. to 3:00 p.m.

"Weekend Voting is ... available during the two weekends prior to the election. For the Nov. 4, 2008 Presidential General Election, Weekend Voting is available from 9:00 a.m. to 3:00 p.m. on Saturday, Oct. 25; Saturday, Nov. 1; and Sunday, Nov. 2," the Registrar of Voters says.

Early voting is available to all registered voters.

183,087 ballots have already been cast in the county, according to the San Jose Mercury News. "More than 1,600 people have voted early at the Berger Drive elections office, which is staying open weekends to meet demand."

Early voting patterns reflect what could be 'record turnout'- 85 percent.

'I haven't received my absentee ballot'

"I haven't received my absentee ballot," writes Kathryn of San Jose. "Can my daughter pick one up for me?"

No. If your ballot has been mailed and you did not receive it, Smart Voter Liaison Laura Grybos recommends calling the Registrar of Voters at (408) 299-8640 for more options.

Vote-by-mail ballot tracking

Vote-by-mail voters in Santa Clara County can track their absentee ballot online. "Voters can now confirm when their absentee ballot was mailed... and when it was received by the Registrar of Voters' office," according to the website.

"Vote-by-mail ballots must be requested in writing at least seven days before an election," says Grybos. Requests must be received by 5 p.m. (postmarks not accepted) on Oct. 28. After that, ballots can only be obtained in person at the polls on Election Day.

Provisional Voting

James of San Jose recently moved in June, and says he also didn't receive his ballot. "How do I correct this and vote?" he asks.

"If you were registered at your old address, your ballot has been mailed to your old address," says Grybos. "You may be able to fill out a provisional ballot."

A voter is asked to vote a provisional ballot at the polls due to one of the following reasons:

1. The voter’s name is not on the official roster of voters and the election officer cannot verify the voter’s voting eligibility on Election Day. The Elections Official’s Office will check the registration records. If further research determines that the voter is eligible to vote in the election, the provisional ballot will be counted.
   
   
2. A voter has moved within the county, but did not re-register to vote. The Elections Official will verify the voter’s prior registration before the provisional ballot will be counted. The voter’s registration will then be updated with the voter’s current address.
   
   
3. Records indicate that the voter requested a vote-by-mail ballot and the voter fails to turn in the vote-by-mail ballot at the polls on Election Day. The Elections Official’s Office will check the records, and if the voter did not vote a vote-by-mail ballot, the voter’s provisional ballot will be counted.
   
   
4. The voter is a first-time Federal Election voter in the county and was unable to provide the required proof of identification. The Elections Official’s Office will verify the voter’s eligibility to vote by comparing the signature on the voter’s registration with the signature on the provisional ballot envelope.
   

Are you eligible to vote?

Santa Clara County residents who aren't sure if they are registered to vote should check by the deadline Monday. A total of 186,887 voters are listed as inactive or ineligible. That includes those who have not voted in the past two presidential elections and those who have moved.

"A voter's registration may be canceled if the Registrar of Voters receives information from the post office or DMV that the registrant has moved out of the area," said Maggy Smith, Election Division Coordinator of the Voter Registration Division.

A voter may become inactive if:

1. She has not voted in the past two federal elections.
2. Her residence address, name, or party affiliation has not been updated during that time.
3. The county elections official sends a confirmation postcard to the voter's address to verify their address information, and the postcard is not returned within 15 days.

If a voter's registration is placed on inactive status, the voter may have to vote a provisional ballot on election day if she still resides within Santa Clara County because her name may not appear on a precinct's combined roster of active and inactive voters.

Update and change voter registration

"We can fix anything, but we're not psychic. It only takes a phone call or letter," said Smith.

Voters can click here to check to see if they are registered to vote. If a voter's registration has been canceled, she can download a Voter Action Request Form and e-mail voter.registration@rov.sccgov.org.

How to update your voter registration

"I'm worried that my absentee ballot might not arrive on time," wrote Julia to the League of Women Voters of Cupertino/Sunnyvale.

The California registered voter temporarily lives in Worcester, Mass.−where "the mail delivery is about two weeks behind," she said.

As a precaution, Julia contacted the League for more information about early voting only to learn that her ballot may not have shown up at all.

"I called the Santa Clara County Registrar of Voters to find out when vote-by-mail ballots would be sent out," said Roberta Hollimon of the League. "It turns out Julia had been deactivated by a third party."

The Registrar re-activated her by telephone but required Julia to update her voter registration. Since she was already registered to vote in Santa Clara County, Julia was able to download, complete and mail a Voter Action Request Form−which allowed her to change her mailing address.

Voter Registration Lookup

Inactivity doesn't mean you can't vote. But if there's a large number of people for the presidential elections spending five to 10 minutes filling out provisional ballots, that can create a real traffic jam at the polls.

Given record voter turnout in February (66 percent), when California held its earliest presidential primary ever, it's critical for voters to check if they are registered to vote before they get to the front of the line.