⚠️ 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 6 findings
F1
– The Elections Department is required to accept new voter registrations and voter roll updates provided by the Secretary of State’s office even though the Elections Department is aware that some of these County voters may not have the required driver's license or SSN and/or may not be citizens. The Elections Department places the registration in a pending status until identification details are provided whether the registration is online or mailed in, ensuring that an identifying number is recorded for every voter. The County relies on information provided by the voter to determine their citizenship status.
Related Recommendations (1)
R1
– of the release of this report, the Board of Supervisors direct the Elections Department to license and use a more powerful voter registration database query and analytics software that will facilitate their ability to identify, research, and address any voter registration anomalies with reduced effort. Fiscal impact: approximately $20,000 per year.
F2
– The Elections Department is doing an excellent job staying current with deceased voters and incorporating information from Social Security records and other sources. This is not a significant problem for the County despite initial evidence to the contrary.
Related Recommendations (1)
R2
– of the release of this report, the Board of Supervisors direct the Elections Department to confirm whether place of birth is a required data field in a valid registration and request the State to either update Elections Code Section 2150(a)(6), or make the field required in online registration forms and resolve the inconsistency with Federal code.
F3
– There is inconsistency between Federal and State election codes regarding requirement for stating place of birth on a registration. State of California is not compliant with its own statutory requirement for a voter registration record to include the affiant’s place of birth, by making the place of birth optional in the online voter registration form. The County cannot determine this information independently, and it is left blank in a significant number of voter records. This conforms with Federal election mandates and requires no new action by the County.
Related Recommendations (1)
R3
– of the release of this report, the Board of Supervisors direct and enable the County Elections Department to implement a plan for increased drop box security and surveillance against physical attacks, including reimbursing the Sheriff’s Office for any required support they need to provide. Fiscal impact: approximately $80,000 per year.
F4
- The Elections Department regularly checks and identifies voter registrations that incorrectly list a post office box location as an actual residence. These checks are sporadic, and they had not identified all instances at the time of our analysis.
Related Recommendations (1)
R4
– of the release of this report, the Board of Supervisors direct the County Elections Department to address the small number of voter registrations with a single character first name and no middle name by requesting an update to their information or moving to remove them from the voter roll.
F5
– The Elections Department cannot update ex-patriated voter registrations even though they have not lived in the U.S. for many years. These voters have the right to participate in U.S. elections and use their last primary residence as a location to determine their ballot. This may allow voters to participate in local races for which they have no knowledge, interest or involvement. FINDINGS
No recommendations for this finding
F6
– Outdoor ballot drop boxes are vulnerable to physical attacks such as inserting an incendiary device that would cause a large loss of ballots. Fire retardants and increased patrols and video surveillance could alleviate concerns but would require additional funding and may not completely eliminate potential problems.
No recommendations for this finding
Agency Responses 5
Government agencies' official responses to this report's findings and recommendations. Click on a response to see the structured breakdown.