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A Portola Valley voter told this news organization that he experienced voter interference when he was turned away from the polling location at Portola Valley Town Center at 765 Portola Road. Mike Grant and his wife both experienced difficulties with submitting their ballots on Nov. 5 after a vote center volunteer claimed their signatures did not match the ones on file. The county elections office investigated the incident, but found no wrongdoing on the part of the poll workers at the site.
“It made me feel like my vote wouldn’t count,” said Mike, who said his experience was discouraging.
Mike’s wife, who went to vote in person at 8:30 a.m., had her signature questioned by the same poll worker until she was able to submit a signature that passed the worker’s standards.
Mike went to vote in-person at 3:30 p.m. and after facing difficulties with his signature he decided to drop off his mail-in ballot instead, hoping that the signature on his envelope sufficed.
Residents were discussing the incidents on PV Forum, the town’s private social media platform, on Tuesday evening.
On PV Forum, Portola Valley Town Council candidate Helen Wolter advised voters to call San Mateo County if they encounter any problems while voting. Voters can call the Election Protection Hotline at 866-OUR-VOTE or the county at 650-312-5222.
The polling center supervisor declined to comment on the incidents.
San Mateo County District 5 Supervisor Ray Mueller said that he’s received complaints from residents and has made a report to the county. He reported the incident to the county elections office, which held an investigation the situation.
According to Assessor-County Clerk-Recorder and Chief Elections Officer Mark Church, the elections office has determined that “the allegation is unfounded and without basis. No voter has ever been turned away.”
Church stated that one of the vote center trainers present at Portola Valley Town Center and other vote center representatives confirmed that no such incident occurred.
When a voter’s signature does not match the one on file after multiple attempts, they are offered a conditional ballot and an opportunity to update their signature within the county’s system, according to Church.
He adds that there was one case in which a voter’s signature did not match on two attempt but before the voter was presented with other options, they decided to leave and retrieve their mail in ballot from home.
“All Vote Center representatives are trained to ensure that no voter is ever turned away. Conditional voting is always an option, allowing the individual to cast their vote while their eligibility is verified,” Church said.
