Yolanda Corey, chief deputy recorder for the Santa Cruz County Recorder's Office, described the office's role in maintaining voter registration and recording property documents and gave dates for the Congressional District 7 special primary that will fill the seat of Rep. Raul Grijalva, who died during his term.

Corey said the recorder's office processes voter registration forms submitted by paper and maintains local voter profiles; residents also can use the state Secretary of State's resources to register online. "Every vote does count," Corey said, adding that the office tries to keep voter rolls accurate so voters can cast ballots without delays.

The office was accepting updates and processing early voting for the special primary. Corey said the deadline to register or update registrations for that election was June 18; early voting began Wednesday, June 18. She said the last day for in-person early voting would be Friday, July 11, with polls open until 7 p.m.; election day would be Tuesday, July 15. Corey cautioned that those dates applied to the special primary she discussed and that candidate filing and some other election functions are handled by the county elections department and the Secretary of State, not the recorder's office.

Corey also described the recorder office's daily work: indexing, perfecting and recording documents from 8 a.m. to 5 p.m., handling walk-in customers, phone inquiries, and working with title companies and attorneys on property transactions. "My role at the recorder's office is chief deputy. And I basically manage everything that happens within the office and staff and keep everybody doing their jobs, staying on task," she said.

She identified time management and staying current with the law as ongoing challenges. The recorder's office coordinates with the county assessor and treasurer when processing property-related records, she said. On outreach, Corey encouraged residents to contact the recorder's office by phone, email or by visiting in person for election or recording questions and to return misdirected election mail so the office can update records. She noted that families should notify the office of a death so a voter can be removed from the rolls and the list remains accurate.

Corey said she believed there were multiple candidates on the ballot for the special primary — "I believe there are 3 Republicans ... and a handful on the Democratic ballot," — but prefaced that remark as a recollection and not an official candidate list.

The information Corey provided related to the special primary and office operations; she emphasized that candidate filing and ballot certification are managed by elections staff and the Secretary of State, and that voters should check official county or state election pages for final candidate lists and any changes to schedules.