Not Quite a Blog

San Mateo. 'Nuff said.

s San Mateo County using new media?

Starting today, the San Mateo County Elections Office is using Twitter, a microblogging application, to try to educate first-time voters about the voting process, what to expect at the polls and to share general information about election events, in almost real time. ?We are offering snippets of election information tailored to this generation, many of whom will be voting for the very first time,? said Slocum. ?Simple 160 character message updates that offer vital bits of information to the new voter - snippets that can be subscribed to, even on a cell phone.?

Slocum has also produced a video invitation to Election Central and has posted that on You Tube (). More videos will be produced in the next few days. Topics will include what to expect at the polls, common election myths, questions and answers and instructional material for poll workers.

ortant part of Web 2.0 is blogging. In 2007, the Elections Office started a blog () ? the first elections office blog in California to introduce visitors to the election office preparations underway for the historic Presidential Election cycle. Updated nearly everyday, Inside Elections: The blog behind the San Mateo County Vote, invites readers into the Elections Office to see what?s going on. A recent post shares information with visitors on voting by mail and how to track ballots online.

ns Office My Space page () was designed to attract student poll workers, impart information and build community. It was set-up and shared among those student poll workers who signed up to work in the February 2008 Presidential Primary and kept in place for the November Presidential General.

ision also plays a part in this overall educational strategy. Anatomy of Election ?08, a special election night broadcast, will air never before seen footage of an election as it is being conducted ? from the preparatory stages to the culmination of the election on election night ? from inside the secured access walls of the elections center. And in the ?Ask the Registrar? portion of the broadcast, voters can email their questions directly to the Registrar and get them answered on air. The email address is: asktheregistrar@smcare.org . For voters that want to watch the broadcast online while they check for results, they can see the simulcast at: