A. Ballots may be returned by regular, certified or registered United States mail, overnight commercial carrier, in person, or in any other manner authorized by the California Elections Code. Ballots returned in person may be returned to the official drop-off centers and shall be deemed received by the registrar of voters on the date and at the time of return to an official drop-off center. The elections official may include a notice to voters specifying the permitted means by which to return the voted ballot.

B. All ballots shall be delivered in a manner authorized by the California Elections Code by the voter or other authorized person to the official ballot drop-off centers no later than eight p.m. on the date of the special election. Any ballot received by the elections official by mail or at the official ballot drop-off centers after eight p.m. on the date of the special election shall not be accepted or counted. However, if at the time of the announcement that the poll is closed there are any voters inside the official ballot drop-off centers who have not been able to deposit their official ballot envelope with the election officials there, the election officials shall continue to accept envelopes from such voters until all have had the opportunity to deliver their ballots.

C. Any ballot returned in person shall be returned by the voter who was authorized to cast the ballot or by a person designated and authorized by the voter, in accordance with the California Elections Code, in the appropriate place provided by the elections official on the outside of the return envelope.

D. The elections official shall establish appropriate procedures for verifying the signature and residence address of each voter casting a mailed ballot. Upon receipt at the elections official’s office, the elections official or a deputy elections official shall compare the signature on each envelope with that appearing on the affidavit of registration of such voter and, if determined to be the same, deposit the ballot, still in the official return envelope, in a ballot container in the elections official’s office. If the ballot is rejected on the basis of such comparison, the envelope shall not be opened and the ballot shall not be counted, and the cause of rejection shall be noted on the face of the envelope. A variance between the signatures caused by the substitution of initials for the first or middle name, or both, shall not invalidate the ballot. No ballot shall be removed from its envelope until the time for processing. No ballot shall be rejected on the basis of this subsection after the envelope has been opened. (Ord. 1563 § 3, 2011; Ord. 1559 § 6, 2011)