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[With the City’s first ever, by-mail-only ballot almost upon us, we want to get the word out in hopes of avoiding disappointed potential voters. The following guidelines, as described by the City, will make sure you exercise your franchise.]
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City Of Santa Barbara General Municipal Election
Tuesday, November 3, 2009
Important Notice: This is a Vote-By-Mail Ballot Election. There will be NO polling places designated. You must vote the ballot mailed out by the City and return it by mail or in person to one of the Official Drop-Off Centers listed below, using the Return / Identification Envelope provided within the ballot packet.
Be sure to sign your name on the back of the Return Envelope.
VOTE EARLY! Your ballot must be received by 8:00 pm on Election Day, November 3, 2009, to be counted.
See Voting Instructions inside the packet.
Drop-Off Centers If you wish to deliver your ballot rather than mail it, you may do so on Saturday, October 31, 2009, 8:00 am to 5:00 pm and [Election Day], Tuesday, November 3, 2009, 7:00 am to 8:00 pm at the following locations.
- Braille Institute, Auditorium 2031 De La Vina Street, Santa Barbara, CA 93105
- Cleveland School, Multi Purpose Room 123 Alameda Padre Serra, Santa Barbara, CA 93103
- Grace Lutheran Church, Fellowship Hall 3869 State Street, Santa Barbara, CA 93105
- Holy Cross Church, Parish Hall 1740 Cliff Drive, Santa Barbara, CA 93109
- Pilgrim Terrace, Activity Center 649 Pilgrim Terrace Drive, Santa Barbara, CA 93101
- Santa Barbara Museum of Natural History, Fleischmann Auditorium2559 Puesta Del Sol, Santa Barbara, CA 93105
- Santa Barbara City Hall, City Clerk’s Office 735 Anacapa Street, Santa Barbara, CA 93101
The City Clerk’s Office drop-off center will be open daily, Monday - Thursday, 7:30 am to 5:30 pm and Fridays, 8:00 am to 5:00 pm (City Hall is closed every other Friday)
Previous Month
Comments
I don't know if the city clerk intended to alienate voters that don't have stable addresses, but that's kind of what has happened. I had a long day hopping from the City Clerks office, to the County Clerks office, back to the City Clerks office in order to get the Ballot that I was supposed to get in the mail but never did.
The only reason I got my ballot in the first place is because I get really touchy about voters rights. I don't think most people get that touchy. In fact I think a lot of people that would normally have voted in this election now will not vote simply because the City has made it more difficult for them to do so.
The fact that this is happening during such a controversial election (Measure B, Randall Wolfswinkel @ Co. attempting to Co-opt the City Government, etc) only makes this whole mail in ballot thing seem that much sketchier and more corrupt to me.
I lodged a formal complaint with the City Clerks office. I believe that a number of votes in town will be silenced due to this process, and I am very unhappy about it. Personally I think that others should do the same, it's rather frustrating.
bacchuswino (anonymous profile)
October 19, 2009 at 12:28 a.m. (Suggest removal)
TODAY (19th October) is the last day to register to vote for this election. Here is the link to the form due today with a postmark or delivery to the County Elections office at 130 E. Victoria St.
http://www.sos.ca.gov/nvrc/fedform/
For Santa Barbara city residents who have voted before but have not received the big ballot envelope in the mail, the reason for not receiving a ballot likely is because the current residential address DOES NOT MATCH the current voter registration address. Thus, a new voter registration is necessary to have the new address on record.
Ballots DO NOT FORWARD in the mail. They are returned as undeliverable and nearly a thousand ballots have been returned and eventually shredded by the Post Office, all as the law specifies.
For any questions, no bouncing is necessary; just call the City Clerk at 805-564-5309.
YOUR VOTE IS YOUR VOICE
Your ballot should have arrive two weeks ago is that big heavy envelope with the City Seal in color and the big words in color that say: "THIS IS YOUR BALLOT"
David_Pritchett (David Pritchett)
October 19, 2009 at 8:54 a.m. (Suggest removal)
If you want to verify your registration, you can check online at http://sbcvote.com/Elections/VoterReg... . Use the address where you registered; if you've moved since then, but within the city, you may still be able to vote. If the lookup doesn't work, or you have more questions about registration, you can call the County elections office at 568-2200.
Then if your ballot hasn't arrived, as Dave says, call the City Clerk's office at 564-5309, or visit them, to find out to obtain a replacement ballot.
LindaPhillips (anonymous profile)
October 23, 2009 at 4:57 p.m. (Suggest removal)