Due to the large ballot for the November 7, 2006 General Election weighing just over the 1-ounce limit for a 39-cent stamp, returning a ballot by mail will cost 63 cents.

For voters who do not want to pay the additional postage, ballots may be dropped off at either of the 4 City Clerks Offices during their business hours: Capitola, located at 420 Capitola Avenue; Santa Cruz located at 809 Center Street; Scotts Valley located at 1 Civic Center Drive in Scotts Valley; and Watsonville located at 215 Union Street, Second Floor. In addition, there is a white mail box style box in front of the county building for voters to drop off their ballot 24 hours a day, seven days a week.

Voters in Santa Cruz County may also drop off their voted absentee ballot at any polling site in the county on Election Day, November 7. Both the Santa Cruz County Clerk/Elections Department and Watsonville City Hall will be open on the weekend prior to the election, November 4 and 5 from 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. for voters to vote and for voters with vote-by-mail ballots to return their ballots. Ballots must be received by an elections official no later than 8 p.m., Election Day, Tuesday, November 7.

To date, 47,359 absentee ballots have been mailed to voters in Santa Cruz County. The deadline to request a vote-by-mail ballot is October 31. Vote-by-Mail applications are printed on the back cover of the Sample Ballot and Voter’s Information Pamphlet that have been mailed to voters in Santa Cruz County. Voters may also apply for a ballot online at www.votescount.com, or at any of the City Clerk’s Offices in Capitola, Santa Cruz, Scotts Valley or Watsonville. Voters may also submit a written request by FAX to 831-454-2445 or by mail to 701 Ocean St., Room 210, Santa Cruz, CA 95060 for a ballot to be mailed to them as long as they provide their name, address where they live in Santa Cruz County, mailing address and signature.