[Yolo County] Elections Office follow-up

In a separate report also released Wednesday [June 6], the grand jury found that Yolo County Elections Office has sufficiently addressed issues identified in a 2016-17 grand jury investigation.

“Given the appointment of the new elections officer in 2016 and the confirmed improvement of Elections Office operational practices, the grand jury has only two further recommendations to make,” the new report states.

Those recommendations are:

* Because of the critical need for ongoing training in all areas, the Elections Office should maintain documentation of all training classes and individual instruction that includes, at minimum, signatures of individuals attending with date and topic covered.

* Given that elected officials are accountable only to the voters every four years, the Department of Financial Services should conduct a full audit of the Elections Office annually.

In its report last year, “Yolo County Elections Office Indiscretions and Culpability,” the 2016-17 grand jury identified a range of issues within the Elections Office including misuse of public funds, conflicts of interest and undue influence.

Additionally, last year’s grand jury found that inadequate training was provided to the Elections Office leadership and staff.

The follow-up report by the current grand jury examined the implementation and effectiveness of a corrective action plan developed by the Assessor/Clerk-Recorder/Registrar of Voters Office in response to the earlier issues.

June 6, 2018

The Davis Enterprise

By Special to The Enterprise