The Santa Clara County Registrar of Voters has mailed 168 ballots to military and overseas Campbell voters. These are the first ballots mailed out for the April 25 special election regarding the dispensing, cultivation and delivery of medical marijuana within the city.

The Registrar also began mailing out voter information guides on March 17.

The last day to register to vote in the election is April 10, with April 18 being the last day to request a vote-by-mail ballot. At press time the Registrar’s office said there are 22,566 registered voters in Campbell– 5,962 polling place voters and 16,431 permanent vote-by-mail voters.

According to the Registrar, military and overseas ballots are mailed out roughly 45 to 60 days before the election and local ballots are mailed out 29 days before an election. Local ballots will be mailed out March 27.

For mailed ballots to be counted for the special election, they must be postmarked on or before Election Day and received by April 28. Ballots can be dropped off beginning March 27 at the Campbell Library, Campbell City Hall and at the Santa Clara County Government Office in San Jose.

Early voting will begin March 27 at the Registrar’s office, 1555 Berger Drive, Building 2 in San Jose, Monday through Friday from 8 a.m. to 5 p.m. and on April 15 and 22 from 9 a.m. to 3 p.m.

Campbell voters will see three measures on the special election ballot. Two measures focus on different rules for allowing medical marijuana dispensaries, cultivation and delivery within the city.

Another measure asks voters if a gross receipts tax should be placed on medical marijuana dispensaries if they were allowed in the city.

Measures A and C are from the city of Campbell. Measure A asks voters to allow the city to implement a business license tax on marijuana businesses at an initial rate of 7 percent with a maximum of 15 percent of gross receipts, which the city estimates will generate $130,000 to $260,000 annually. Money from the tax would fund city services such as police, fire and code enforcement.

Measure C asks voters to decide if the city should be given time to study traffic, neighborhood and safety issues before choosing to allow medical marijuana dispensaries. If passed, the measure would put a moratorium on dispensaries until April 1, 2019, and would give the city discretion to allow medical marijuana dispensaries after the April date. If the city does allow dispensaries, they would be required to be at least 100 feet from residential properties and 600 feet from childcare facilities, schools, parks, community centers and other dispensaries.

Measure B is a citizen’s initiative by Keep Campbell Green, the group that called for the special election through petition.

If Measure B were passed, it would allow the city to license up to three medical marijuana dispensaries within manufacturing and planned development zones. It asks voters to allow the delivery of medical marijuana to patients throughout the city, although the city has amended an ordinance to allow for delivery from licensed businesses from other cities.

Measure B would allow patients to cultivate up to 100 square feet of marijuana, and caregivers could cultivate up to 500 square feet of marijuana without a license.

Campbell does not prohibit the use of medical marijuana.

Only voters registered in Campbell are eligible to vote in the special election..

For more information on voter registration or the ballot measures, visit bit.ly/SpecialElectionApril25