As ballots arrive in mailboxes around the county this week, Placer County election officials continue to ready themselves for Election Day.
The
Placer County Civil Grand Jury released a readiness report of the Placer County
Elections Office, and the results were “outstanding.”
“It’s
certainly timely and smart of the grand jury to look at this upcoming
election,” said Ryan Ronco, Placer County Clerk-Recorder-Registrar of Voters.
“They dove in with both feet and tried to look at everything in detail to
utilize their ability as the eyes and ears of the residents of Placer County.
We are gratified they took the care necessary to look at the processes, ask
questions and come back with a report.”
To
ensure all residents could vote safely this year, legislators passed Assembly
Bill 860 and Senate Bill 423, making California a vote-by-mail state. The grand
jury looked into the Placer County Election Office and its readiness to conduct
a vote-by-mail election and highlighted the changes being made to ensure a
successful election.
“The
Placer County Grand Jury spent considerable time and effort to provide
fact-based information to the citizens of this county,” said Walter Moore,
Foreperson of this year’s grand jury. “With all the confusion and
misperceptions surround the 2020 general election, the jury believed that this
investigation was timely and of the utmost importance to the voters of Placer
County.”
While
vote-by-mail ballots are being mailed to every registered voter in Placer
County, the process does not take away the opportunity to vote in person, Ronco
stressed. Typically, Placer County has approximated 15 percent of voters who
prefer to vote in person.
“If
they want, they can bring their ballot into a voter center and get the
opportunity to vote in person," Ronco said. "It might not look the
same.”
Voting
in person will look a little different, as the process is a bit different, too,
which the grand jury report highlights. Instead of running 230 neighborhood
polling places, the county will host 28 voting centers this election. A voter
may vote in person or return a mail-in ballot to any voting center; they are
not assigned to a particular one.
If
a voter wishes to vote in person, they will go to a voter center, which will be
open four days leading up to the election, and check in with election workers
who will check their eligibility to vote in live time using a new cradle-point
cellular connection.
Once
the voter has the green light, they are directed to another newer technology, a
touch screen stand-alone, off-line system that will guide the voter electronically
through each race and then print a paper ballot of results, which will go into
an envelope that will need to be signed and sealed before going into the ballot
box.
“It’s
important to know that in November, every voter in Placer County will cast a
paper ballot,” Ronco said.
Voters
will also be able to vote as soon as they receive their ballot in the mail.
Voting in person is available at the Auburn and Rocklin Election Offices from 8
a.m.-5 p.m. Monday through Friday. The offices will also be open the last two
weekends leading up to Election Day from 9 a.m-4 p.m.
Vote-by-mail
ballots can also be returned at one of
the county’s drop box locations. Ballots can be mailed and will be accepted up
to 17 days after Election Day as long as they are postmarked by Election Day.
The
report also looked into the possibility of voter fraud.
“The
Placer County Elections Office staff takes every possible precaution to avoid
voter fraud,” the report stated. “In the past 20 years there have been no
identified cases of voter fraud within Placer County.”
The
Elections Office credits its lack of fraud to its signature validation process.
And for residents worried about their signature being rejected for an incorrect
match, the county has a multi-step system that will reach out to the voter
ultimately if there is an issue with the signature.
The
grand jury report revealed that in the March primary election, there were
114,434 envelopes returned. Of those, 97% (111,003) were classified as “Good”
and the ballot was counted. Three percent were challenged for a number of
reasons. There were 2,139 (2 percent) envelopes that were “cured,” meaning the
issue with the envelope was resolved and the ballot was counted. Of the 1,292
envelopes (1 percent) not counted in the final tally, 89% were due to the fact
there was no ballot in the envelope or there was no signature.
“The
grand jury found that the Placer Elections Office management and staff are
doing an outstanding job planning and preparing for the upcoming general election,”
the report stated. “While there are unique challenges for the upcoming
election, the department is very proactive and working hard to foresee any
issues that could arise.”
To
download and read a copy of the grand jury report, visit www.placer.courts.ca.gov/general-grandjury-reports.shtml.
Gold
Country Media
Auburn Journal
Traci Newell
October 06, 2020
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