Registered voters in San Mateo County have 10 days starting Friday, Aug. 7, to review candidate statements and local ballot measures for the Nov. 3 general election and challenge any materials they believe are inaccurate before they're printed in the official voter pamphlet.
Mark Church, San Mateo County chief elections officer and assessor-county clerk-recorder, announced the first of four staggered review windows in a statement posted Aug. 4. During each window, any voter eligible to cast a ballot in the relevant contest can seek a judicial writ of mandate or injunction requiring materials be amended or deleted. Petitions must be filed before the window closes.
The stakes are real. Once the review periods end, candidate statements and ballot arguments are locked in for the county's Sample Ballot & Official Voter Information Pamphlet.
The first window runs from 5 p.m. Friday, Aug. 7, through Monday, Aug. 17, covering candidate statements and local ballot measures filed by the Aug. 7 deadline.
Three additional windows follow:
- Tuesday, Aug. 11–21: Primary ballot arguments for and against measures
- Wednesday, Aug. 12–22: Candidate statements filed during the extended filing period
- Tuesday, Aug. 18–28: Rebuttal arguments and impartial analyses
Each window opens and closes at 5 p.m.
What's on the ballot locally
San Mateo city voters will decide two citywide measures in November: a quarter-cent sales tax and a charter amendments measure, according to the city's ballot measure page. City Council seats in Districts 1, 3 and 5 are also up for election, with a voluntary campaign expenditure ceiling of $2.63 per resident in each district.
Campaign sign rules for the November election took effect Wednesday, Aug. 5, with $60 fines for violations.
How to review
County-level candidate documents and ballot materials are posted on the county elections website under the "Current Election" section. In-person review is available Monday through Friday, 8 a.m. to 5 p.m., at the Registration & Elections Division, 40 Tower Road, San Mateo.
City candidate filings and city ballot measure materials are available at the respective city clerk's office. Cities may set different filing dates and review periods.
For questions, residents can call or text the Elections Office at (650) 312-5222 or follow @smcvote on X for updates.
Upcoming election dates
- Friday, Aug. 7: First review period opens, 5 p.m.
- Friday, Aug. 28: Final review period closes, 5 p.m.
- October 2026: Vote-by-mail ballots mailed to all registered voters
- Monday, Oct. 5: First Vote Centers open for in-person voting
- Tuesday, Nov. 3: Election Day
