SAN DIEGO COUNTY, California — Voters are worried that their vote won't count.
As part of our News 8 Count Me In commitment, we want to make sure your vote counts. We are dedicated to answering your questions and addressing your concerns. Here are questions viewers recently sent us – and answers from San Diego County Registrar Michael Vu.
Over the years, my signature has changed. How do I know what my voter registration signature looks like?
“There is a myth out there that it has to be an exact match to their registration form and I think that has individuals off-kilter,” Vu said, adding that signatures do not have to be an exact match to what they have on file.
In fact, for many voters, they actually have multiple signatures on file to use for comparison.
“We're looking at things like unique loops that they fill out, we're looking at the printed signature versus what they put on their registration form. We're looking at how they dotted their I's or crossed their T's and how they slant their signatures," Vu said. "Questionable signatures are reviewed by multiple people and if they determine the signature doesn't compare to the one on file - by law - the voter must be contacted to try and clear up the situation.
I'm supposed to sign the outside of the mail-in ballot envelope. What if it gets smudged in the mail or dirty?
“If the whole signature is smudged - let's say you used a marker to sign and it got wet a little bit and it's now all smudged and you can't really tell - we will be required to contact you so we can get a valid signature,” Vu said.
I received two ballots. I'm honest and won't vote twice, but what about people who are not honest?
“There are going to be situations where an individual may get a duplicate ballot," Vu said. "You only get one vote though because anything beyond that - if you try to vote twice - we'll catch it and you're going to be committing a federal crime.”
I'm homeless and have a P.O. Box. How can I vote?
“We have this situation all the time,” said Vu.
He said homeless residents need to include a mailing address for their ballot AND the closest cross-streets to where they actually live. That way they get the ballot with the correct candidates on it.
If I vote early, but then die before November 3rd - does my vote still count?
“It does! It does because once that ballot has been cast - now we have the ability to verify it and we have the ability to scan it into our tabulation system 29 days in advance of election day so once we have verified that ballot - yes that ballot will count," Vu said.
If you're concerned about the status of your ballot – remember, you can sign up online to track it - making sure it was received and counted.