Myth Busters
Trusted Election Information in Santa Clara County
Ensuring Public Trust in Elections by communicating and providing access to Accurate, Current, and Transparent (ACT) election information to the voters of Santa Clara County.
Election Myth:
Sharpies cause bleed through which will impact how ballots are counted.
Election Fact:
Sharpie, blue, and black ink are the preferred methods for marking your ballot in the County of Santa Clara. Bleed through does not impact how ballots are counted. Please do not use pencil and other colored inks; there are procedures in place for reconciling ballots marked incorrectly.
Election Myth:
Punched holes around the signature area of the ballot envelope allow people to view your votes.
Election Fact:
Punched holes around the signature area serve as guides to help blind or low literacy voters sign accurately. The two holes help blind voters to tactilely identify the location of the signature space and the correct orientation of the envelope. One goes all the way through the envelope, one only through the front or back. The punched hole in the return envelope also allows election workers to see if an envelope contains a ballot.
Sources:
Election Myth:
The tabulation equipment is connected to the internet.
Election Fact:
The tabulation equipment is never connected to the internet, nor do they have modems or hardware that could be remotely "activated."
Every county must validate -before every election -that the voting system is identical to the Secretary of State supplied trusted build by reinstalling the trusted build or utilizing the Secretary of State trusted build cryptographic HASH (essentially a digital fingerprint of the software and firmware) to ensure it matches the approved version and has not been modified.
For the comprehensive list about California’s voting system security standards, please visit CCROV #22105.
Sources:
- Office of Voting System Technology Assessment, SOS
- Rumor Control Pre-Election, CISA
- Voting System Standards, Testing, and Certification, NCSL
- Post-Election Audits, NCSL
- 52 U.S. Code § 21081
- ELEC Article 3 Inspection of Certified and Conditionally Approved Voting Systems
- California Elections Rumor Control, SOS
Election Myth:
Vote by mail is different than absentee voting.
Election Fact:
In the County of Santa Clara, vote by mail and absentee voting mean the same thing.
Local Voters Rights Act
Election Security Safeguards
How to Vote by Mail
How to Register to Vote
How to Vote for Military or Overseas Voters
How to Vote for Voters with Disabilities (RAVBM)
How to Vote in Person
Now Hiring 2022