Bay Area county registrars prepare for uncertain November election
Feeling assured, but preparing for anything, Bay Area election officials are staffing up and making security plans for a safe and valid Nov. 5 general election.
"In Solano County, 90% of our voters are going to vote by mail," said John Gardner, assistant registrar of voters in Solano County. "Whether they put it in the mail or drop it off at one of our many dropoff locations or just dropping it off on election day."
According to data from the California Secretary of State, just 51.16% of ballots cast in the 2012 general election were mailed in, compared to 88.64% in 2022.
Santa Clara County has the largest number of registered voters at 1,010,759 and will have 104 polling stations. San Francisco will have 502 polling stations serving 49,619 registered voters.
Thirteen Northern California counties use hand-marked ballots that are scanned into vote-counting machines, which are considered the most reliable. According to Verified Voting, a nonprofit that promotes the responsible use of technology in elections, paper ballots marked by hand create a tangible, tamper-evident and auditable record of voter selections. They are used to count both mail-in ballots and those cast in person.
Out of the 13 counties in and near the Bay Area, San Joaquin County, Mendocino County, and Solano County are the only ones that use Dominion Voting Systems brand ballot scanners. While considered equally reliable to other makes, Dominion was singled out in conspiracy theories by former president Donald Trump, who lost the 2020 presidential election and is running again in 2024.
Trump and his supporters at Fox News falsely alleged that the Canadian company was part of an international cabal that stole the election by using the machines to transfer millions of votes from Trump to Biden. Fox News settled a defamation lawsuit with Dominion for $787.5 million in April 2023.
"We have had some people express concern to us as well as to the Board of Supervisors for using Dominion equipment. But not to levels we have seen in other counties," said Solano County Registrar Deva Proto.
Election workers in some counties are trained in de-escalation techniques and roleplay scenarios.
"While trust in Contra Costa County elections is high, we are facing a growing trend of mis- and disinformation that confuses voters and undermines the legitimacy of our elections," said Dawn Kruger, spokesperson for the county elections division.
Contra Costa County has launched a media campaign to increase trust that includes video, print and radio ads. They are also training nearly 100 volunteer election ambassadors who will carry election integrity messaging through social media channels and speaking engagements.
"We do have some challenges filling volunteer vacancies in west and east Contra Costa County. We would love to see more volunteers in the cities of Brentwood, Discovery Bay, Richmond, San Pablo, Hercules and Pinole," said Kruger.
"Since we implemented the Voter's Choice Act, we are no longer required to publish the names of election workers," said Marin County Registrar of Voters Lynda Roberts.
The California Voter's Choice Act of 2016 made elections in the state more flexible by allowing early voting, mail-in ballots, drop boxes, and other changes.
"People's identities are protected from the public," Roberts said. "I provide a list of voting centers and drop boxes to local law enforcement and ask that they drive by the locations while conducting regular patrols in the community."
Roberts said that prior to the March primary election, the registrar's office installed a new counter in their lobby that includes 18-inch-high security panels to buffer direct contact between staff and the public.
"We have emergency alarm buttons located throughout the office. The building security guard regularly walks past our office during election time, and our office is located above the court floor so security can come quickly if needed. Staff has gone through active shooter training, and we have an escape plan if needed."
"We work with our local law enforcement agencies and utilize our county resources to create a plan each election for our voting locations," said Santa Cruz County Clerk Tricia Webber. "As life is fluid, we continually are in discussions and making adjustments as needed."
Should the presidential election be challenged, Webber said they may adjust their current process as they get closer to the election and through the canvass to certification.
Most election officials believe transparency is the best path to security. Inviting all political parties to see the process and learn how elections are done helps every voter feel a sense of ownership in the democratic process.
"Back in 2016, we started to advertise to these groups that our doors are open, come down and watch. Here's ways you can get involved. You can be part of the process versus just complaining about it," said Gardner from Solano County. "Through that education process, we've really settled a lot of the misinformation that gets out there and it's kind of come to the point now where the groups kind of come to fact check."
"Republican and the Democratic parties, the American Independent, even the election integrity groups, all those people that typically are out there challenging election officials, we want them here every day so that they can challenge us to our face," he said. "We can explain the process, so we don't get challenged after the fact."
Like other counties, the Solano County security presence will be intentionally low-key.
"Not to intimidate or threaten anybody voting," he said. "It's kind of behind the scenes. We also have some election technicians roving around and supervisors that we have roving around, some legal people, some lawyers that are roving around. They're always making updates to us about any situation or hostility issues that voters might have. So, we're kind of in touch with all the places, but we're not necessarily obvious."