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) Mark Church, San Mateo County Chief Elections Officer & Assessor-County Clerk-Recorder announced today that the 10-day public review period for local ballot measures and local candidate filing documents for the November 3, 2026 Statewide General Election will begin at 5 p.m. on Friday, August 7, 2026.
During the 10-day public review period, members of the public may review candidate filing documents, local ballot measures, ballot arguments, rebuttal arguments, and impartial analyses. During this time, any voter of the jurisdiction in which the election is being held may seek judicial review of these materials before they are finalized and published in the County’s Sample Ballot & Official Voter Information Pamphlet.
This is the first of four separate 10-day public review periods associated with the November 3, 2026 Statewide General Election. Each public review period will begin at 5:00 p.m. on its respective opening date.
Documents filed with the Registration & Elections Division will be posted for public review on the County's Elections website at www.smcacre.gov/elections under the “Current Election” section.
Public Review Period Schedule
August 7 to August 17
Candidate statements and local ballot measures filed by the August 7, 2026, 5:00 p.m. filing deadline will be available for public review beginning at 5:00 p.m. on August 7 through 5:00 p.m. on August 17, 2026.
August 11 to August 21
For primary ballot arguments for and against ballot measures filed by the August 11, 2026, 5:00 p.m. filing deadline, public review begins at 5:00 p.m. on August 11 and concludes at 5:00 p.m. on August 21, 2026. Arguments in favor of and against city measures must be filed with the respective City Clerk’s Office.
August 12 to August 22
Candidate statements filed during the extended candidate filing period, which closes at 5:00 p.m. on August 12, 2026, will be available for public review from 5:00 p.m. on August 12 through 5:00 p.m. on August 22, 2026.
August 18 to August 28
Public review of rebuttal arguments, where primary arguments were filed both in favor of and against a ballot measure, and of impartial analyses for each ballot measure, begins at 5:00 p.m. on August 18 and concludes at 5:00 p.m. on August 28, 2026.
During each 10-day public review period, any registered voter eligible to vote in the applicable contest may seek a judicial writ of mandate or an injunction requiring that any of the materials be amended or deleted. Any petition for a writ of mandate or injunction must be filed no later than the close of the applicable review period.
Federal, State and County candidate filing documents, as well as school and special district ballot measures, ballot arguments, rebuttal arguments, and impartial analyses, will be available for in-person public review, Monday through Friday, from 8 a.m. to 5 p.m., at the following location:
Registration & Elections Division
Office of the Chief Elections Officer & Assessor-County Clerk-Recorder
County of San Mateo
40 Tower Road
San Mateo, CA 94402
City candidate filing documents and ballot measure materials will be available for in-person public review at the respective City Clerk's Office. Please contact the applicable City Clerk's Office for filing deadlines and public review periods, as cities may establish different filing dates.
Early Voting Period Begins October 5, 2026
All registered voters in San Mateo County will be mailed a Vote by Mail ballot in October 2026. Three Vote Centers will open for in-person voting beginning October 5, 2026, with additional Vote Centers opening through Election Day, November 3, 2026.
For more information about the November 3, 2026 Statewide General Election, call or text (650) 312-5222, visit www.smcacre.gov/elections, or follow us on X @smcvote and Instagram @sanmateocountyvote.