Coastsiders can vote now, if they like

The county elections office has set up a universal polling place at Lesley Gardens, 701 Arnold Way in downtown Half Moon Bay [Google map]. Any resident of San Mateo County can vote at the site Mon to Weds noon to 8:00pm;  Thurs to Fri 7:00am to 5:00pm;  Sat 10:00am to 5:00pm, until June 5. The polling place will be closed Sunday and Memorial Day. The system is designed to accommodate the needs of handicapped voters, but any voter can use the system, according to Warren Slocum, the county’s chief election officer:

With the complexities of this year’s election, we have developed a plan that works to meet the requirements of the new Help America Vote Act. While the law requires that there must be an accessible voting device in each polling place, San Mateo County is not able to obtain 500+ accessible voting devices for the June Primary. We will open nine Universal Voting Centers with accessible devices in locations throughout the county to accommodate voters with disabilities.

The universal voting center uses the Hart eSlate (pictured) an electronic voting system that the county elections office says, "allows the voter to see and review a printed paper record of the votes they are casting or to confirm their choices by way of an audio playback."  (FAQ).