Department of Elections
City and County of San Francisco
John Arntz, Director
For Immediate Release
SAN FRANCISCO, October 7, 2013 – Early voting opens today at the Department of Elections in City Hall. The Department has also begun sending out more than 200,000 vote-by-mail ballots, and has completed the mailing of Voter Information Pamphlets to currently registered voters.
Early Voting
Starting today, voters can vote at the Department of Elections on the ground floor of City Hall. Hours are 8 a.m. to 5 p.m. weekdays. Please note that the Department will be closed for the October 14 holiday.
Weekend voting will be available from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. on the two weekends before the election, October 26-27 and November 2-3. For weekend access to City Hall, the public must enter on Grove Street.
Voting by Mail
Voters who have registered to permanently vote by mail will receive their ballots soon. Other voters who wish to vote by mail can request a ballot in the following ways:
· Use the Department of Elections’ online application, available at sfelections.org/toolkit
· Complete and send the application found on the back cover of the Voter Information Pamphlet
· Send a letter requesting a vote-by-mail ballot to the Department of Elections. The letter must include the voter’s printed name, signature, date of birth, telephone number, residential address, and mailing address, if different from the residential address
The Department must receive completed vote-by-mail ballot applications no later than Tuesday, October 29, at 5 p.m.
New! Curbside Ballot Drop-off Stations at City Hall
Beginning the weekend before the election, you can walk, drive, or pedal to City Hall to drop off your ballot. Once you’ve marked your ballot, bring it in your signed and sealed envelope to special Curbside Drop-off Stations outside every City Hall entrance. Drop your envelope in the secure box and get your “I Voted” sticker from the Elections staff.
· Saturday-Sunday, November 2–3, 10 a.m. to 4 p.m.
· Monday, November 4, 8 a.m. to 5 p.m.
· Election Day, Tuesday, November 5, 7 a.m. to 8 p.m.
As always, a vote by mail ballot can be returned free of charge via USPS, as long as it is received by the Department before 8:00 pm on November 5, or turned in at any San Francisco polling place on Election Day.
Voter Information Pamphlets
Voter Information Pamphlets are now in the mail. Pamphlets are sent to registered San Francisco voters and include sample ballots and information about local candidates and ballot measures and the voting process.
Voters can choose to stop receiving the paper Voter Information Pamphlet for future elections and view it online instead. To stop mail delivery and save resources used in the printing and mailing of the Pamphlet, visit sfelections.org/gogreen
More information about early voting, voting by mail, and the Voter Information Pamphlet is available at sfelections.org/toolkit, or by calling (415) 554-4375.
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