Monterey County County Administrative Office*

department. It is impossible to have up-to-date information if the other 49 states do not share vital information regarding changes of address, death's, ets. The state of California could lead the charge to ask for increased collaboration between the states. Response F1: The Board of Supervisors agree with this finding. The California Secretary of State, who serves as the state's Chief Elections Officer, is an active member of the National Association of the Secretaries of State. As such, the office of the Secretary of State is the appropriate agent to address F1. The Monterey County Civil Grand Jury found no evidence of "rigging" or "Hacking" during

the 2016 election process. Security measures by the MCED preclude the possibility of such a manipulation of the election results. Given the information determined during the investigation, the MCCGJ finds any assertions that "rigging" or "hacking" could or has occurred, to be unsupported by the facts and, therefore, false. Response F2: The Board of Supervisors agree with this finding The MCCGJ did learn that the DREs, purchased in 1998, are very outdated and expensive to

maintain. Replacement parts are almost impossible to locate or non-existent. Response F3: The Board of Supervisors agree with this finding and offers clarification. In 1998, a small number of DREs were purchased to assist with early vote centers. MCED expanded use of the DREs in 2005 with the purchase of the additional units. MCED does an excellent job in handling the ballots, securing the equipment and effectively

tabulating the ballots. However, voter experiences at polling locations differ. Some have short waits, others much longer. The number of staffers in some locations is adequate and those staff members are well trained and welcoming. In other locations, the wait to vote is much longer. Response F4: The Board of Supervisors partially agrees with this finding. A rigorous security system, including chain of custody for ballots and equipment, is in place. There were no reports of staffing shortages or excessive wait times during the November 2016 Election. MCED is in need of modern electronic voting machines, with up-to-date and secure software,

and state of the art ballot tabulation modules. Response F5: The Board of Supervisors agree with this finding MCED election-day process would benefit from polling place feedback from the voters,

clerks, and inspectors. Feedback would improve the voting experience by illuminating issues such as long lines, any inadequately trained polling place staff, parking and accessibility issues. Response F6: The Board of Supervisors agree with this finding. Voters and poll workers have a mechanism for feedback including the general email address and voter hotline and the voter hotline at the office of the Secretary of State. All contact information is published in voting material, at polling places, and on the MCED website. In addition, MCED periodically conducts surveys of voters at polling places and of poll workers at training. The MCCGJ found all the interviewed employees of the Monterey County Elections

Department to be transparent with their answers and very knowledgeable concerning their duties and responsibilities. Response F7: The Board of Supervisors agree with this finding The MCCGJ recognizes the outstanding job performed by the MCED and the valuable

service they provide to the voters of our county. Response F8: The Board of Supervisors agree with this finding REPORT TITLE: A Top to Bottom Review of Monterey County Elections Department (MCED) RESPONSE BY: Monterey County Board of Supervisors