The San Francisco Department of Elections is crunching through the signature-verifying and ballot-processing marathon leading to the March 5 Presidential Primary Election. Starting February 5, local voters' mailed-in choices started getting the once-over, checking if John Hancocks matched up with what's on the books.

Got a ballot at home? You'd better send it in quick. These guys aren't wasting any time. From February 12, the Department's staff will begin the nitty-gritty of ripping those envelopes open and counting votes. All this jazz is done in the public eye, with a live stream for those who like their civics with a side of voyeurism.

The tedious task of ballot processing is done meticulously at the Department of Elections. Director John Arntz commented in a recent announcement, "Our personnel process all returned vote-by-mail ballots very methodically." Tight security, check. More than one Joe on the job, check. And your secret ballot's safe for all nervous Nellies out there. These folks have got rules up the wazoo to make sure it stays that way.

Election geeks can get their fix monitoring ballot status updates quicker than you can say "democracy" through the Department's Voter Portal. And for those sticklers for detail or doubting Thomases, take a gander at the ballot processing in person at the City Hall if you've got questions or just want to see government at work.

Any San Franciscan who needs the lowdown on the upcoming election or needs to numb their brain with more election procedures can hit the Department of Elections. Give them a ring at (415) 554-4375, email [email protected], or drop by City Hall Room 48 and see where the magic happens.