Extra

Alarmed readers report that the envelope that Alameda Count absentee ballots came in says on the front, right above the address, that Election Day is November 5.

WRONG: Election Day is the first Tuesday in November, just like always, and that’s NOVEMBER 4! The 5th is a Wednesday.

Says indignant reader Chris Adams: 

Today's mail brought a supplemental ballot pamphlet from the State Secretary of State with background info and arguments about Prop 1 which were completely missing from the first pamphlet, with no explanation whatever as to why this was missing from the first pamphlet with argument for all other proposition. And it brought cards from the Alameda County Registrar of Voters correcting a notice on our Vote by Mail envelopes that gave the election day as Nov. 5. (The correct day is November 4, and since absentee ballots must be returned by the end of election day, this is not a trivial mistake.) The correction notice was printed on oversize postcards that required first class letter postage, presumably paid for with county general funds. 

We don't vote for a city council member this election cycle; the only only city office we are voting for is auditor where Anne-Marie Hogan is running unopposed. There is plenty of space on the second card for this race, but instead it is printed all by itself on a third card which adds enough weight that the return postage is 91 cents? Maybe there is some bureaucratic reason though none is apparent. 

These are not huge issues, but they make me wonder what is going on in the world of election officials? The Secretary of State has a few other jobs, but the Registrar of Voters has only one task and one would think he could do it right.