Santa Cruz County Elections

June 6, 2006 Gubernatorial Primary

It is important to know how to properly mark your ballot cards and what the consequences can be when ballot cards are not marked correctly.

If voting at the polls, mark your choices on your ballot card(s) with the Mark-A-Vote pen provided by the precinct officers. This pen has special, non-reflective ink that allows the card reading equipment to "see" the marks you make, and to tabulate your votes.

If voting by mail ballot, mark your choices on your ballot card(s) with a #2 (soft lead) pencil. Please note that ballpoint ink and other marking pens cannot be seen by the card reading equipment. If you mark your ballot with ink in error, you can go over your marks with a soft lead pencil.

Efforts are made by the county election officials to visually inspect all ballots to ensure that they will be read by the computers. If ballots are not readable they are remade or marked over.

Marking more voting spaces than allowed for a contest is called an overvote. For example, if the contest heading states "Vote for no more than Two," and you mark three voting spaces, your votes for that contest will not be counted.

Marking fewer voting spaces than allowed for a contest is called an undervote. For example, if the contest heading states "Vote for no more than Two," and you mark only one voting space, your vote for the one candidate for whom you marked the voting space will be counted. In addition, the ballot counting system will record one undervote, as you had the opportunity to vote for two candidates and chose to vote for only one candidate.

If you choose to vote for a write-in candidate, you must write the candidate's name in the space provided below the printed names of the other candidates for that office, and you must mark the voting space next to the candidate's name you have written in. If you write in a candidate's name without marking the voting space, the card reading equipment will not "see" the vote and your write-in vote will not be counted. Also, only votes for qualified write-in candidates will be counted. To be a qualified write-in candidate, the candidate must have file the required nomination documents within the timeframe specified by law.

Signing your name or writing your initials on the ballot card will invalidate that card and it cannot be counted pursuant to law. If you make a mistake at the polls request another ballot from the precinct officer. If you make a mistake on a vote-by-mail ballot, call 831-454-2060 or send an e-mail to 2ndballot@votescount.com to receive another ballot by mail.