To change your status, send us a note stating that you would like to be removed from the Permanent Vote-by-Mail category.

State your name and address, and sign your request.

that’ll do it.

I think this is my last election using vote-by-mail. As I recall, I got on permanent VBM when I first moved to the state in 2004 and registered at the DMV. What’s the procedure for getting off permanent VBM?

Without all of these steps, a person cannot take office, act in any official capacity, and be reimbursed (paid).

Ralph is correctly, except that the Counties have 28 days to certify, and the SOS has until the 32nd day after the election to compile those certified results.

The canvass has become more-and-more complicated because it is not only counting the cast ballots, it includes an extensive accounting for ballots issued, voted, spoiled, and not voted.

With the ever increasing use of vote-by-mail balloting, and with more than 67% of those cast ballots coming in the last 9 days (election day accounted for 25% of all cast vote-by-mail ballots), our canvass takes on more work. That work must be performed in a sequence to detect and prevent someone from voting twice (or three times).

Contra Costa has a logical and well thought out process that documents the chain of custody (who did what with the ballots)that also slows our canvass process.

I hate to say this, but I am going to explore the use of signature verifying software (now in use in several Bay Area counties) to streamline our signature checking process. This process can be set to include 60 0r 70 0r 80% match criteria.

In addition, we have been HAND COUNTING write in votes for designated write-in candidates when those candidates cannot even approach 5% of the vote required to win. There has to be a way to respect both candidates and voters who choose a write-in option, without having to go through almost 400,000 ballots. (There are legitimate cases for write-in candidates. However, with rare exceptions, most write-in votes are seemingly protest votes and are not for registered write-in candidates.