Burlingame and Hillsborough voters who want to challenge what candidates or ballot measure authors wrote in the official voter pamphlet have a narrow window starting Friday, Aug. 7.
San Mateo County Chief Elections Officer Mark Church announced Tuesday, Aug. 4 that four overlapping 10-day public review periods will open between Aug. 7 and Aug. 28 for materials headed into the Nov. 3 Sample Ballot & Official Voter Information Pamphlet.
During each window, any registered voter in the relevant jurisdiction can seek a court writ of mandate or injunction requiring that candidate statements, ballot arguments, rebuttal arguments or impartial analyses be amended or deleted.
What's on the ballot locally
Burlingame voters will weigh in on three City Council district seats (Districts 1, 3 and 5), a transient occupancy tax measure requiring majority approval, a Burlingame School District bond measure requiring 55% approval and the regional Connect Bay Area transit sales tax. As we reported July 15, that half-cent transit tax would push Burlingame's combined sales tax rate from 9.625% to 10.125%.
Hillsborough has two council seats and three Hillsborough City School District governing board seats on the ballot.
The four review windows
- Period 1 (Aug. 7–17): Candidate statements and local ballot measures filed by 5 p.m. Friday, Aug. 7.
- Period 2 (Aug. 11–21): Primary arguments for and against ballot measures filed by 5 p.m. Tuesday, Aug. 11.
- Period 3 (Aug. 12–22): Candidate statements filed during the extended filing period, which applies only when an eligible incumbent did not file for re-election.
- Period 4 (Aug. 18–28): Rebuttal arguments and impartial analyses for each ballot measure.
Each period opens at 5 p.m. on its start date and closes at 5 p.m. on its end date.
How to file a challenge
The legal bar is high. A voter must show by "clear and convincing evidence" that materials are false, misleading or inconsistent with the Elections Code, according to the county's election calendar. The court must also find that granting the challenge won't substantially interfere with printing or distributing election materials.
Where to review documents
County-level candidate filings and school and special district ballot measure materials are available in person at the Registration & Elections Division, 40 Tower Road, San Mateo, weekdays 8 a.m. to 5 p.m. They are also posted online at smcacre.gov/elections.
City candidate documents and city ballot measure materials for Burlingame and Hillsborough are available at each city's clerk office. The county notes that cities may set different filing dates from the county schedule.
Measure letter designations have not yet been assigned; the randomized alphabet drawing is scheduled for Thursday, Aug. 13.
