San Mateo County voters are casting ballots in a special election that could determine whether embattled Sheriff Christina Corpus remains in office.
More than 440,000 ballots have been mailed out with Measure A as the sole item. The measure asks whether the Board of Supervisors should have the authority to remove a sheriff for cause with a four-fifths vote. It must be passed by voters with a simple majority.
According to latest data from the county elections office, the county has received 61,909 vote-by-mail ballots and 64 vote center ballots, with processing ongoing.
Why a special election?
Corpus has faced mounting scrutiny over allegations of misconduct, corruption, and an inappropriate relationship with her former chief of staff, Victor Aenlle. Despite pressure from her own captains, union members, six San Mateo County cities, and congressional leaders, she has refused to step down.
In response, the San Mateo County Board of Supervisors pursued a county charter amendment to give themselves the power to temporarily remove a sheriff from office.
What if Measure A passes?
If Measure A is approved and the board votes to remove Corpus, Undersheriff Dan Perea would assume the role temporarily. However, according to the San Mateo County Attorney’s Office, he can only serve as interim sheriff until the board either appoints a replacement or calls for an election.
State law does not define what constitutes a “reasonable amount of time” for the board to act, leaving that decision up to the supervisors, according to the county attorney’s office.
What if the sheriff’s office becomes vacant?
If the sheriff’s office becomes vacant, the San Mateo County Board of Supervisors has several options. They can vote immediately to appoint a new sheriff to serve the remainder of Corpus’ term, conduct public interviews before selecting a candidate, or call for a special election.
If the board fails to act within 30 days, the county charter requires the elections officer to call an election. However, according to a county spokesperson, the board has not yet decided whether it prefers a direct appointment or to hold a special election.
How long would a new sheriff serve?
Whether appointed or elected, the new sheriff would serve the remainder of Corpus’ term, which runs until the end of 2028.
What if it fails?
If the measure fails, Corpus could still face other removal efforts, including a civil grand jury investigation or a direct recall election. Supervisors previously discussed these options as methods to remove her when they censured Corpus and called for her resignation in November 2024.
How to vote
Voters can return their ballots by mail or drop them off at 24/7 drop boxes across San Mateo County. In-person voting is available at multiple vote centers ahead of time as well, which are open from 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. daily until March 4.
On March 4, vote centers will be open from 7 a.m. to 8 p.m. Voters who are not registered can still do so at vote centers up to and including on the day of the election.
For more information, visit San Mateo County’s election website.
When will results be available?
The first vote count, which includes early vote-by-mail ballots, will be reported at 8:10 a.m. on Election Day, with updates every hour until polls close, according to Jim Irizarry, San Mateo County assistant chief elections officer.
Ballots that arrive late — but are postmarked by midnight on March 4 — will be counted and updated daily. The county elections office will accept and process postmarked ballots received up to March 11.
Officials estimate that about 60% of ballots will be received before March 4. There is also a 28-day curing period for voters to resolve issues with deficient or challenged ballots.
When will the election be certified?
Once voting concludes, the county has until April 3, 30 days after the special election, to certify the results. The final “Statement of the Vote” will be submitted to the Secretary of State upon certification.
Will Corpus step down?
So far, Corpus has rejected calls for her resignation and dismissed an investigation into her leadership by former judge LaDoris Cordell as biased and politically motivated.
She has not responded to inquiries from this news organization about what she plans to do if Measure A passes.
There is no provision in the county charter or state election code preventing Corpus from running again should she choose to.