Invitations to Participate in the November Election Being Mailed to Voters

Invitations to participate in the November 7, 2000 Presidential General Election are being mailed next week to each registered voter in Santa Cruz County in the form of a Sample Ballot and Voter's Information Pamphlet.

The pamphlet published and mailed by the Santa Cruz County Elections Department provides voters with the time, place, location, as well as other important information to make voting as convenient as possible.

The pamphlet contains a sample of the ballot the voter is eligible to vote, any candidates' "Statements of Qualifications" filed by candidates who are on the voter's ballot, as well as information on any local measure that is on the voter's ballot.

There are 99 different ballot types for this election, officials reported. The ballot type changes because there are many different combinations of contests on the ballot depending on the congressional, assembly, supervisorial, school, water, fire, or other special district within which a voter resides.

When a unique ballot type affects 250 or fewer voters, the law authorizes the Elections Department to create a mail ballot precinct. That means that instead of providing a polling place for 250 or fewer voters, the elections official may, instead, mail each of those voters a ballot. The voters may drop off their ballot at any polling place in the county on election day, or mail it back to the elections official by November 7, 2000.

Voters will find on the back cover of their Voter's Pamphlet a notice if they are in a mail ballot precinct, or if they have been assigned to a polling place. There are 160 polling places in this election, and voters must vote at the polling place where they are assigned. The facility name and address is provided on the back cover of the Voters' Pamphlet.

The back cover also contains an application to receive a vote-by-mail ballot. If voters, who are not assigned to a mail ballot precinct, want to vote by mail rather than go to their polling place, they must complete the application and submit it to the elections official no later than October 31.

The State Voter Guides featuring information on the eight state Propositions on the November ballot were mailed out to each household last week. If a voter registered to vote after September 8, they will receive their State Guide in a supplemental mailing to occur in mid-October. The State Guide is available online at vote2000.ss.ca.gov/VoterGuide

The Santa Cruz County Voter's Information Pamphlet is also available online at www.votescount.com If voters do not receive either their state or county voter pamphlet by mid-October, they should call the Elections Department at 454-2060. Voters who register to vote during the final two weeks before the October 10^th deadline, will be mailed a Voter's Pamphlet by the week of October.

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For more information, please call the Santa Cruz County Elections Department at 831-454-2060, visit our office at 701 Ocean St., Room 210 in Santa Cruz, or check out our website at www.votescount.com.