Assessor-County Clerk-Recorder-Elections

August 12, 2008

Voter Registration Information Seminar for Candidates & Campaigns will be Conducted by the Elections Office
Busy November Election translates into heavy demand for voter file information

Redwood City, CA –Due to the increasing sophistication of local campaigns, more candidates are requesting voter file data from the San Mateo County Elections Office than ever before. “With nearly 51 candidates running for local office and 9 local measures on the ballot, the demand for voter file information is tremendous. We created the Voter Registration Information Seminar in response to this demand,” Warren Slocum, Chief Elections Officer for San Mateo County explained.

This seminar is designed to help candidates, their staff and/or those involved in a ballot measure campaign learn how to obtain and use voter registration and Vote by Mail data. “Having the data is one thing. Having the technology skills to use the data is another,” Slocum said. All voter file and Vote by Mail information is available electronically; however knowing what it can be used for, when it will be updated and what format(s) the information is available in and how to use it is absolutely necessary to the success of a campaign. The seminar will discuss the different types of data available, the required forms for access and distribution, and provide a schedule of data releases for the November 4th election.

“Not only does the Voter Registration Information Seminar help candidates and campaigns be more effective, it helps the Elections Office. When campaigns learn how to use the voter file, they no longer need the same level of assistance to use these information resources. It saves time for all involved,” Slocum said.

By law, much of the voter registration information maintained by the Elections Office is available on a restricted basis to candidates for office, ballot measure committees, or persons or groups for election, scholarly, journalistic, political, or governmental purposes. However, a voter’s driver’s license, social security number, official identification and/or signature is never shared to protect a voter from identity theft and is considered confidential information in the State of California. And, the names of those who are protected by the Safe At Home Program or the Confidential Voter Program are excluded from the voter registration data file.

The Voter Registration Information Seminar will be held on August 13, 2008 from 6-8 p.m. at the Elections Office at 40 Tower Road in San Mateo. RSVPs are requested to accommodate the number of people interested in attending. Candidates and/or their staff may RSVP by sending an email directly to Steve Dennison at sdennison@smcare.org, calling 650.312.5370, or by sending a fax to 650.312.5348.

Those interested in attending are asked to provide the following information in their RSVP: