Voting Clarifications from Elections

Got this nice response to my question regarding what to do if one wanted to vote for just one or two candidates in the recasting situation with the school board race. I am impressed I got an email from them on a Saturday. Who said SEIU workers don't work hard enough? -- Sara

The SB School Districts contest has three Governing Board member seats to be filled. Voters can vote for up to three candidates. A voter does not have to vote for three. This means that whether they vote for only one or two candidates those votes would still be counted toward selecting candidates to fill the three seats. The Elections Office is offering voters affected by the disqualification of the candidate Kate Smith to recast their vote for the SB School Districts contest only if they cast a vote for Kate Smith. If a voter cast a vote for Kate Smith the voter has two options depending on whether they have the ballot in their possession or have already returned their ballot to the Elections Office.


Voter Options:

1) If the voter still has their ballot in their possession and they have voted for Kate Smith they can choose to simply place an "X" through the oval next to Kate Smith and not choose select a vote for another candidate. If they choose to select another candidate they must fill in the oval next to their choice and write “Yes” next to the candidate’s name.

2) If the voter has already returned their ballot to the Elections Office we are offering them the opportunity to recast their vote for the Santa Barbara School Districts contest only. This must be done no later than 5:00 p.m. on October 28, 2008.

Ballot Correction Example: The voter votes for three candidates for the SB School Districts contest. One of the candidates selected is Kate Smith. The voter subsequently receives a notice from the County Elections Office informing them that Kate Smith has been disqualified as a candidate. The voter wants to correct their ballot and select another candidate instead of Kate Smith. The voter must place an “X” through the oval next to Kate Smith, fill in the oval next to their new choice and write “Yes” next to that candidate’s name. The other two candidate selections made by the voter are not affected and will still be counted.

More on Kate Smith's Disqualification

I received a very nice email back from the Elections Office saying that Ms. Smith had been registered at one address when she filed her candidate papers and then registered again at another location which was out of the district after the nomination papers were already filed.

I did ask for further explanation on the process as their descriptions of what to do when one recasts their vote assumes a voter will vote for all three candidates. I hope to hear from them on Monday about that issue.

Breaking News: Kate Smith Disqualified from School Board Race

Many of you got a letter today from the Registrar of Voters today saying that Kate Smith has been disqualified from the School Board race because she is not registered to vote in the district.

Although I doubt many of you voted for the gadfly, you can recast your vote if you already voted for her and sent it in by going to the Elections Office at 130 East Victoria Street (or in Santa Maria or Lompoc) before 5 PM on October 28th.

If you marked your ballot and gave her your vote and haven't sent it in, you can change your vote by making an "X" over the mismarked oval and then mark your preferred choice and write a legible "YES" next to the candidate of your choice. Do not initial or sign your name.

It is not clear from the letter if one has to write "yes" if you only vote for one or two of the other candidates only...I have already emailed the Elections Office to find out what one would do.

Smith told KEYT that she has a ten year old letter from the district saying she lives within the boundaries...why wasn't her registration checked when she turned in her candidate papers? I bet it was and there is a good explanation but I am unaware of what that could be.