Registration & Elections Division, San Mateo County

What Registration & Elections Division, San Mateo County does

The Registration & Elections Division is one of three divisions of the San Mateo County Assessor-County Clerk-Recorder & Elections (ACRE) department, a county government office headquartered at 555 County Center in Redwood City, California. The division administers voter registration, election operations, ballot processing, vote center management, and election results reporting for all residents of San Mateo County. Service delivery combines in-person operations (vote centers and drop-off locations), online self-service portals (ballot tracking, voter lookup, registration), and accessibility programs for voters with disabilities and language-minority communities (English, Spanish, Chinese, Filipino).

The division's underlying technology comprises standard digital government platforms including a ballot tracking system ("Where's My Ballot"), an online voter registration portal, and webcast capabilities for remote election viewing. Election security relies on a 1% manual tally verification process for accuracy assurance. The broader ACRE agency unifies Assessor functions (property valuation and tax assessment), County Clerk-Recorder functions (vital records, fictitious business name filings, notaries, civil marriage ceremonies, document recording), and Elections functions under the leadership of Mark Church, who serves as Assessor-County Clerk-Recorder & Chief Elections Officer.

As a public government entity, ACRE is publicly funded through county budget appropriations and supplemented by transaction-based fees including recording fees, marriage license fees ($78), civil ceremony fees ($65), optional webcast service fees ($50), FBN filing fees, notary services, and assessment data access fees. The organization serves property owners, registered voters, vital records requesters, business entities, and notaries within the single-county jurisdiction, with no parent company or private ownership structure.

Name

Registration & Elections Division, San Mateo County

Legal name

County of San Mateo

Website

https://smcacre.org

Company type

Private

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

1–10 employees

Short description

The Registration & Elections Division of San Mateo County ACRE administers voter registration, ballot processing, vote center operations, and election results reporting for county residents. It complements Assessor and County Clerk-Recorder divisions as a unified government agency serving property owners, voters, and businesses.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Headquarters

HQ city

Redwood City

HQ country

United States

HQ region

North America

Offices1 record

Markets served

GTM type

B2C

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Personnel, Operations, Technology or R&D, Infrastructure, Others

Revenue model

1. Recording Fees: Fees for recording documents including property transfers, mortgages, and other official records
2. Marriage License and Ceremony Fees: Fees for marriage licenses ($78), civil wedding ceremonies ($65), and optional webcast services ($50)
3. Fictitious Business Name Filing Fees: Fees for filing, renewing, and processing FBN statements
4. Notary Services: Fees for notary oath and bond filing and signature verification services
5. Assessment Data Fees: Fees for accessing property assessment data and reports
6. Property Tax Related Services: Tax-related services facilitated through the Tax Collector partner organization

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels3 records

Marketing channels5 records

Core offering

The Registration & Elections Division, operating under the unified ACRE (Assessor-County Clerk-Recorder & Elections) brand of San Mateo County, administers three core service lines: property valuation and tax assessment, vital records and official document recording (including marriage licenses, civil ceremonies, birth/death certificates, fictitious business name filings, and notary services), and voter registration and election administration (including ballot processing, vote centers, and election results reporting). All services are delivered through a hybrid model combining in-person office access, vote centers, ballot drop boxes, and digital self-service portals (eFBN, ballot tracking, parcel lookup, appointment booking).

Product overview

San Mateo County ACRE operates as a unified government agency combining three divisions: the Assessor Division (property valuation and taxation), County Clerk-Recorder Division (vital records, business filings, ceremonies), and Elections Division (voter registration and election administration). The organization offers a portfolio of web-based self-service portals including the Assessor portal for property information and tax lookup, the Fictitious Business Name online portal for business filings, the Marriage Ceremony scheduling system with Wed on the Web webcast capability, and the Elections portal providing voter registration, ballot tracking, and election results services. These products operate as integrated web applications under the ACRE brand, serving the public through both online self-service and in-person vote center/office locations.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• Assessor Division Services Property valuation, assessment appeals, tax-saving programs (Homeowners' Exemption, Disabled Veterans' Exemption, Calamity Relief, Decline in Market Value, Postponement, Builder's Exclusion), property tax lookup, and business personal property assessment for residential, commercial, and business personal property in San Mateo County.
• County Clerk-Recorder Division Services Vital records (birth and death certificates), marriage licenses and civil wedding ceremonies, fictitious business name (FBN) filings, document recording, notary oath and bond filing, passport applications (temporarily inactive), apostille authentication, and environmental impact reports for San Mateo County residents and businesses.
• Elections Division Services Voter registration, ballot processing and tracking, vote center operations, vote-by-mail and drop box services, conditional (same-day) voter registration, election results reporting, and election security (including 1% manual tally verification) for San Mateo County voters.
• Fictitious Business Name (FBN) Online Portal Web-based portal allowing local businesses, sole proprietors, and partnerships to file, search, renew, abandon, and modify fictitious business name (DBA) statements online in San Mateo County.
• Ballot Tracking (Where's My Ballot?) Online service that allows San Mateo County voters to monitor the status and location of their vote-by-mail ballot throughout the mail ballot process.
• Marriage Ceremony Scheduling with Wed on the Web Online calendar-based scheduling for civil wedding ceremonies in the County Chapel, with an optional Wed on the Web live webcast ($50) that allows remote guests worldwide to view the ceremony via a secure link. Marriage license fee $78; ceremony fee $65.
• Grantee-Grantor Database Search Public online search tool providing access to recorded property transaction records, including grantor-grantee information, for San Mateo County.
• Online Appointment Booking Web-based scheduling system allowing residents to book appointments for ACRE services such as civil wedding ceremonies and in-person assistance (walk-ins also welcome).

Named customers2 records

Segments5 records

Ideal customer profiles5 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Feature4 records

Partnerships

Five partnerships are on record, tiered core and minor.

• San Mateo County Tax CollectorcoreOthersPartner organization for property tax payment processing. Provides link to sanmateocountytaxcollector.org for property tax payments as an integrated service offering.
• Assessment Appeals BoardcoreOthersCounty board that handles property assessment appeals. Linked as partner resource for property owners disputing assessments.
• California Secretary of StatecoreOthersState government partner providing oversight and standards for elections administration and business filings.
• City/Town Halls in San Mateo CountyminorOthersPartner locations throughout the county providing localized access to government services and information.
• Bay Area Partner OrganizationsminorOthersRegional partner organizations in the Bay Area providing business resources and community connections.

Scale indicators2 records

Recent moves5 records

Expansion highlights4 records

Direct peers

• San Francisco Department of Elections: City-and-county elections department running municipal and state-federal elections with vote-by-mail, ballot tracking, and conditional registration offerings directly comparable to ACRE's Elections Division.
• Los Angeles County Registrar-Recorder/County Clerk: Combined Registrar-Recorder/County Clerk office for LA County performing identical core functions — vital records, marriage licenses, fictitious business names, document recording, and election administration — making it the closest scale and functional peer to ACRE.
• Alameda County Registrar of Voters: Bay Area county elections and registrar office sharing the same statutory structure (vote-by-mail, ballot tracking, vote centers) and serving a similarly diverse Northern California population.
• Orange County Registrar of Voters: Large California county registrar that administers vote-by-mail elections, vote centers, and election-results reporting under the same state-mandated Voter's Choice Act framework that ACRE operates within.
• Santa Clara County Registrar of Voters: Neighboring Bay Area county elections office with comparable voter-services scope (ballot tracking, vote centers, conditional registration) and similar demographic/technology profile to San Mateo County.
• San Diego County Registrar of Voters: Another large California county registrar running vote centers, ballot tracking, and voter-registration services under an analogous statutory framework to San Mateo County ACRE's Elections Division.
• Cook County Clerk's Office (IL): Combined county clerk office in another major U.S. metro that handles vital records, marriage licenses, business filings, and election administration — functionally parallel to ACRE's three-division structure.
• Maricopa County Elections Department (AZ): Large county-level elections office with vote centers, ballot tracking, and high-volume mail-ballot processing — a strong direct functional peer outside California.

Others

• Tyler Technologies: Major government-software vendor providing appraisal, recording, and election-administration platforms used by counties; adjacent/ecosystem participant rather than a direct competitor, but a relevant reference for the digital infrastructure ACRE has built.

Broad incumbents

• California Secretary of State: State-level incumbent that sets statewide election standards, business-filing rules, and notary policy that ACRE operates under — comparable in regulatory scope but at a much broader, statewide jurisdiction.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat3 records

Key risks5 records

Key highlights7 records

Customer concentration

• Xx.com/smcacre
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/speier-jackie-congresswoman

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles1 record

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

M&A

Investments

M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

Frequently asked questions about Registration & Elections Division, San Mateo County