Vote By Mail Ballots Enroute to Voters

Source: County of Santa Barbara

Santa Barbara County Registrar of Voters Joe Holland announced [Monday] that more than 138,000 Vote by Mail ballots were delivered to the Post Office on May 7 for the Statewide Direct Primary Election to be held on Tuesday, June 5, 2018.

Holland encourages voters to read their County Voter Information Guide sent by the County Elections Office and available online at http://www.sbcvote.com/ and the State Voter Information Guide sent by the Secretary of State’s Office and available online at http://voterguide.sos.ca.gov/  to learn more about the races, candidates, state propositions and local measures on the ballot.

Vote by Mail ballots must be received in the County Elections Office or at a polling place within California by 8 p.m. on Election Day, June 5, 2018.  If returning a ballot by mail, the ballot must be received by Election Day or postmarked on or by Election Day, June 5 and received by the County Elections Office by June 8, 2018.

Vote by Mail ballots may also be returned to one of the County Elections Offices in Santa Barbara, Lompoc or Santa Maria or a 24-hour drive-up drop box location through 8 p.m. on June 5, 2018.   Office locations and hours:

To confirm vote by mail status or voter registration status, voters can contact the County Elections Office at 1-800-SBC-VOTE or look up their status at the Secretary of State’s website https://voterstatus.sos.ca.gov/.  The deadline to register to vote for the election is May 21, 2018.  If a voter has moved or changed their name, they need to reregister.  Voters can register online at https://registertovote.ca.gov/ or obtain a Voter Registration Card from our office, the Department of Motor Vehicles, and most post offices and public libraries.

Santa Barbara County has many tools available to assist voters:

• The Automark ballot marking system is available at our three offices and at every polling location in the County on Election Day.  The AutoMARK is especially helpful for voters who are blind, have limited sight, or a disability or condition that makes it difficult to traditionally mark a ballot without assistance. The AutoMARK is easy to use and has a Braille keypad, increased font size, and audio options.
• Accessible Voter Information Guides and sample ballots are available at www.sbcvote.com in English and Spanish.
• Language Assistance and ballot facsimiles are also offered in Chinese, Korean and Tagalog in certain precincts. For more information visit: http://sbcvote.com/elections/languageassistanceinfo.aspx 
• Audio recordings and large font copies of the State Voter Information Guide and the County Voter Information Guide are available by contacting our office at 1-800-SBC-VOTE.
• Accessible voting booths are available at all polling locations for voters in wheelchairs or needing to sit while voting.
• The Independent Living Resource Center is also available at (805) 963-0595 to assist voters.

For information on accessible voting, contact the Elections Office at 1-800-SBC-VOTE or visit the Registrar of Voters’ website at www.sbcvote.com.