Monterey County grand jury finds voting procedures 'more than adequate'

By JIM JOHNSON, Herald Staff Writer -

Adequate oversight found at Elections Department

A civil grand jury has found that current voter registration, voter identity and vote tabulation procedures are "more than adequate" to safeguard against voter fraud and ensure the county elections department's integrity.

In one of two interim reports issued Friday, the Monterey County Civil Grand Jury argued that allegations of "rampant" voter fraud are not accurate and outlined the multiple layers of oversight in place to make sure voters are who they say they are. The 12-page report, titled "Election Integrity Upheld by Monterey County Elections Department," also includes a number of other findings and recommendations such as improved voter outreach, more user-friendly voting systems and a larger elections department office.

The civil grand jury also released a second report Friday titled "Interference by Marina City Council With City Staff Work/Marina Public Park At Risk," addressing issues surrounding the city's handling of the Marina Equestrian Center site.

Both county officials and Marina city officials have 90 days to deliver formal responses to the reports.

County Registrar of Voters Linda Tulett said she had read the report but declined comment on specific aspects of it, pointing out that a formal response will be prepared. But Tulett said she appreciated the grand jury's diligence in visiting the department and interviewing staff as part of the investigation.

In the first report, the grand jury indicated that it had decided to investigate the county elections department's procedures following reports that a deceased person had received a mailed ballot, and another person had received two ballots after changing her name when she was married. It also noted that about three dozen states, including California, had considered or proposed voter ID laws amid allegations of widespread voter fraud. The 2007 county civil grand jury had suggested the county had a lax voter registration procedure and an inadequate eligibility check.

However, the grand jury report indicated that local incidents such as the ones reported to, but not confirmed by, the grand jury likely involved a failure by the voter or their family to properly update their personal information, if they were accurate. In any event, the grand jury found allegations that people could easily obtain a ballot and cast a vote were "factually inaccurate."

And the report said the county elections department is much more professionally run now than it was five years ago.

The grand jury noted a number of safeguards in place to ensure voter integrity, beginning with the state requiring first-time voters to provide identification, such as a driver's license, state ID, or the last four digits of their Social Security number, in order to register to vote. The county and state then check the information provided by voters to corroborate their identity, then also use a variety of methods to determine if voters remain eligible, including checking death records to make sure they're still alive.

At the same time, the grand jury pointed out that nearly 7 percent of all voters fail to update their personal information, triggering the recommendation for additional voter education.

And, the report found that nearly 14 percent of all ballots cast in a recent election had been damaged and unreadable, and county officials should consider a simpler voting system. In fact, the report noted that the county had spent about $4 million in federal funds on electronic voting machines several years ago, and recommended working with the California Secretary of State to resolve the issues with the machines and put them into service as part of the effort to simplify the voting process.

The report also acknowledged that the city of Carmel, which is the only local city using a private contractor to conduct its elections, spent less than the county would have charged, but suggested including a full accounting of city staff costs in the overall expense.

Finally, the grand jury found that the county elections department needs a new facility at least 25,000 square feet larger, which could save the department more than $20,000 in leased storage space and staff time per year.

In its second report, the grand jury found that at least one elected Marina city official had inappropriately attempted to influence city staff in the administration of the Marina Equestrian Center site, and an ad hoc committee set up to oversee the site had violated the state's open meetings laws. In addition, the report found that the city had not used the site as a park, as required, since it was turned over by the federal government nearly two decades ago, and federal entities had indicated the city could be at risk of losing the property as a result.