Contact: Mark Church, Chief Elections Officer & Assessor-County Clerk-Recorder
Alternate: Jim Irizarry, Asst. Chief Elections Officer & Asst. Assessor-Clerk-Recorder

(Redwood City, CA) Mark Church, San Mateo County Chief Elections Officer & Assessor-County Clerk-Recorder, announced today that February 18, 2025 is the deadline to register to vote for the March 4, 2025 Special Election.

You can register online at registertovote.ca.gov until 11:59 p.m. on February 18 to receive a mail-in ballot for the March 4, 2025 Special Election. Voter registration forms sent by mail must be postmarked on or before February 18, 2025.

Voter registration forms are available at the following locations:

• Registration & Elections Division (40 Tower Road, San Mateo); 
• Assessor-County Clerk-Recorder’s Office (555 County Center, Redwood City); 
• Any of the County’s Vote Centers; 
• City and Town Halls; 
• Department of Motor Vehicles Offices; 
• Post Offices; and 
• Public Libraries.

To be eligible to register to vote, a person must be:

• A U.S. citizen and a resident of California; 
• At least 18 years old by Election Day; 
• Not currently serving a state or federal prison term for the conviction of a felony; and 
• Not currently deemed by a court to be mentally incompetent to register to vote.  

If you are 16 or 17 years old, you can pre-register to vote. Once you turn 18, your registration automatically becomes active. Ballots have been mailed to those pre-registered if their 18th birthday is on or before March 4, 2025. If you turn 18 by March 4 but did not pre-register by February 18, you must visit a Vote Center for Same-Day Registration and voting. All voters can check their registration status online at www.smcvote.gov by clicking the “My Election Info” button.

Conditional Voter Registration (CVR)
Voters who miss the February 18, 2025, registration deadline may “conditionally” register and receive a ballot immediately at any county Vote Center. When a conditional ballot is cast, the Registration & Elections Division processes the registration, verifies eligibility, and validates the voter’s information. If the voter is eligible to vote in San Mateo County and has not voted elsewhere in the state, their registration becomes permanent, and their ballot will be counted.

Voting Rights for Persons on Parole
In 2020, California voters approved a constitutional amendment restoring voting rights to individuals on parole for felony convictions. Regardless of prior voter registration status, they must complete a new voter registration application upon release from custody.

Early Voting Period February 3 to March 3, 2025
San Mateo County began mailing Vote by Mail ballots to registered voters on February 3, 2025 for the March 4, 2025 Special Election.

Two Vote Centers opened on February 3, 2025, with six more set to open on February 22. On Election Day, March 4, 2025, seven additional Vote Centers will be available, bringing the total to 15 Vote Centers accessible across the county.

For more information, please call or text 650.312.5222, visit smcacre.gov, or follow us on X @smcvote.