San Luis Obispo County Grand Jury
• 2023-2024
Investing in Election Accuracy Has Our Vote Introduction/purpose Prompted by the omission of two candidate statements
⚠️ Translation Notice: This content has been automatically translated. The original English text is the official version. Translation may contain errors.
⚠️ Este contenido ha sido traducido automáticamente. El texto original en inglés es la versión oficial. La traducción puede contener errores.
Findings and Recommendations 7 findings
F1
Due to a lack of written procedures for quality control, errors in printed election materials went undetected and were subsequently distributed to voters.
Related Recommendations (2)
R1
The County Clerk-Recorder’s Office should establish a written procedure for reviewing printed elections materials before distribution to the voting public.
R2
The County Clerk-Recorder’s Office should build additional time into the review process to allow for any errors introduced by the printing contractor during the printing process to ensure they are detected and corrected prior to distribution to the voters.
F2
The County Clerk-Recorder’s Office failed in their responsibility to provide timely and accurate election material to the County’s registered voters in two material matters during the 2022 General Election.
No recommendations for this finding
F3
Since the 2022 General Election, the County Clerk-Recorder’s Office has changed the quality control practices for their printed election materials to prevent similar errors.
No recommendations for this finding
F4
The lack of written procedures in the County Clerk-Recorder’s Office does not allow for adequate knowledge transfer during leadership changes.
No recommendations for this finding
F5
The County Clerk-Recorder’s Office has insufficient staff and is lacking the necessary specialized skills and appropriate job classifications needed to effectively manage all phases of the election process.
Related Recommendations (1)
R4
The County budget should include the necessary funds to cover the costs of staffing, space, and review time, to assure the accuracy and integrity of voting in San Luis Obispo County.
F6
The County Clerk-Recorder’s Office has insufficient office and storage space, especially during the election process when members of the public are present.
Related Recommendations (2)
R3
Adequate space should be provided to the County Clerk-Recorder’s Office for ballot counting, and the Office should be provided sufficient room to store and protect the ballots once counted.
R4
The County budget should include the necessary funds to cover the costs of staffing, space, and review time, to assure the accuracy and integrity of voting in San Luis Obispo County.
F7
The public has increasingly scrutinized the election process, resulting in additional ballot recounts and increased workload for the County Clerk-Recorder’s Office.
No recommendations for this finding
Conclusions 1
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CL1The Grand Jury found that the San Luis Obispo County Clerk-Recorder’s Office has taken appropriate actions to identify the immediate causes of the printed elections materials errors that occurred in the 2022 General Election and has taken appropriate action for prevention of future errors. More concerning to the Grand Jury are the systemic factors that are likely to have contributed to these errors. Given the increasing complexity and workload associated with election management, two issues need to be addressed: 1) the preparation of written procedures to enhance quality control and facilitate knowledge transfer; and 2) increases in staffing, especially at a supervisory level. Associated office and storage space requirements also warrant high priority.
Commendations 1
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CM1From the Grand Jury investigation, it is clear that the Clerk-Recorder and staff are extremely conscientious in their election responsibilities. They strive to be current on all election changes, in putting together a flawless product, and in carrying out election results in a fair manner. We applaud their service in carrying out this most vital service for our communities. Submitted June 12, 2023 10
No Responses Found 1
Government entities assigned to respond to this report. No response documents have been linked in our database.
San Luis Obispo County
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