Contact: Mark Church, Chief Elections Officer & Assessor-County Clerk-Recorder
Alternate: Jim Irizarry, Asst. Chief Elections Officer & Asst. Assessor-County Clerk-Recorder
(Redwood City, CA) On October 14, 2026, the Registration & Elections Division of the San Mateo County Assessor-County Clerk-Recorder’s Office was notified of a mail theft incident at a Daly City post office. The stolen mail reportedly included San Mateo County Vote by Mail ballots. The number of ballots potentially affected has not yet been determined.
The Elections Division is working with the United States Postal Service (USPS) regarding the incident. The U.S. Postal Inspection Service is actively investigating the reported theft.
Ballot Tracking and Replacement Options
Voters are encouraged to monitor the status of their Vote by Mail ballots through the California Secretary of State’s free ballot tracking service, “Where’s My Ballot”, at WheresMyBallot.sos.ca.gov. The service provides notifications to voters when their ballot is mailed, received, and processed by the Elections Division.
Voters who are concerned that their ballots may have been affected by this incident may request a replacement ballot online at smcacre.gov/elections/request-replacement-ballot or in person at any Vote Center in San Mateo County. Online requests for a replacement ballot must be submitted by October 27, 2026 to allow sufficient time for mailing.
Ballot Security Measures
The Registration & Elections Division maintains established ballot security procedures to ensure that only one ballot per voter is counted. Each Vote by Mail ballot is associated with an individual voter, and ballot processing safeguards prevent duplicate ballots from being counted for the same voter.
Vote Center Locations and Availability
Voters may also request a replacement ballot or vote in person at any of the three Vote Centers currently open:
- Registration & Elections Division, 40 Tower Road, San Mateo
- Assessor-County Clerk-Recorder, 555 County Center, Redwood City
- South San Francisco Public Library, 901 Civic Campus Way, South San Francisco
Seven additional Vote Centers will open on Saturday, October 24, 2026, followed by 36 additional locations on Saturday, October 31, and four more on Monday, November 2, bringing the total to 50 Vote Centers open by Election Day. For a complete list of Vote Center locations and hours of operation, visit smcvote.gov.
Important Ballot Return Deadlines
Voters who choose to return their voted ballots in person may drop them off at any Vote Center or official San Mateo County Ballot Drop Box no later than 8 p.m. on Election Day, Tuesday, November 3, 2026.
Ballots returned by mail must be postmarked on or before Election Day and received by November 10, 2026 to be accepted.
Voters mailing their ballots close to Election Day are encouraged to take them directly to a post office counter and request a postal clerk to hand-postmark them. Ballots placed in a mailbox or dropped off at a USPS location on Election Day may not receive a same-day postmark, potentially affecting their eligibility to be counted.
Contact Information
Voters with questions about their ballot status may contact the Elections Division by email at registrar@smcacre.gov or by phone or text at (650) 312-5222.
For more information regarding the Registration & Elections Division or the November 3, 2026 Statewide General Election, please call or text (650) 312-5222, visit www.smcacre.gov, or follow us on X @smcvote and Instagram @sanmateocountyvote.