Highest Turnout Since 1982, Record Registration In San Mateo Co.

REDWOOD CITY, CA -- With official certification of the midterm election, San Mateo County Registrar Mark Church reported an overwhelming voter turnout and record-high registration.

“The Nov. 6, 2018 election was the second held under the California Voters’ Choice Act, and the results have been striking. Voters had more days and more ways than ever before to cast their ballot, and they did so in extremely large numbers,” Church said. “Turnout in San Mateo County was the highest since 1982, with voter registration at an all-time high.”

On Election Day, there were 399,591 registered voters in San Mateo County. This election saw a turnout of 72.59 percent of registered voters, more than 8 percent higher than the statewide average and approximately 26 percent higher than the last Statewide General Election in 2014. This represents the highest turnout in the state for an urban county which implemented the Voter’s Choice Act.

“This was a massive undertaking for the elections division, as the largest Statewide General Election in the history of the county in terms of participating jurisdictions, ballot styles, and candidates,” said Church. “Elections staff worked three shifts around the clock to ensure the election was certified in an accurate, timely manner.”

Approximately 88 percent of the over 290,000 ballots cast were vote-by-mail ballots, with the remaining 12 percent cast at vote centers. Voters waited to the end of the voting period before casting ballots, with approximately 135,000 vote-by-mail ballots received on Election Day and the three days following, as allowed by law.

Also, vote centers were heavily utilized on Election Day. Only 19 percent of the ballots cast at vote centers were cast during the 28-day early voting period, while 81 percents of the ballots cast at vote centers were on Election Day.

The official election results are posted on the San Mateo County Registration & Elections website, www.smcacre.org. These official election results provide a complete picture of the election, with vote totals that are broken down by precinct and the method in which the ballots were cast. The Precinct Report is also available online and lists the ballots cast and turnout on a precinct-by-precinct basis.

Anyone may review, download or print a complete copy of the election results at https://www.smcacre.org/november-6-2018-election-results.

For more information on the California Voter’s Choice Act and the new All-Mailed Ballot - Vote Center election model, please call 650-312-5222, visit www.smcacre.org or follow us on Twitter @smcvote.

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