[Solano County] Grand jury impressed by Solano Elections Office during Covid times

FAIRFIELD — Despite a series of missteps in election materials and ballot addressing – not all the fault of the Registrar of Voters Office – the 2020-21 Solano County grand jury was generous in its praise of the Elections Office.

“This year’s (state) requirement that ballots be mailed to all voters did not present a challenge for the (Registrar of Voters),” the grand jury report released Wednesday stated.

“The civil grand jury members were impressed with the integrity and attention to detail that the ROV personnel displayed. The ROV staff demonstrated high regard for transparency, the individual’s right to vote, and the accuracy of the process,” the report stated.

John Gardner, the assistant registrar of voters, said there were a lot of grand jury members who participated in watching the election process.

“It was good to see the grand jury felt we were successful with the election, and we were able to overcome a lot of challenges,” Gardner said.

He also found most of the comments and suggestions by the grand jury to be reasonable.

The grand jury issued four findings, each with a recommendation. The Registrar of Voters Office has yet to file a formal response.

Volunteer Richard Vance inserts ballots into the ballot box at a drive-by voting location on Union Avenue, in downtown Fairfield, Monday, Nov. 2, 2020. (Robinson Kuntz/Daily Republic file)

The first of those findings addresses the upcoming redistricting of political boundaries, which requires mapping. The report states only one member of the Elections Office staff “has mapping experience.” The grand jury recommends hiring another experienced staffer.

Gardner said the grand jury is correct about staffing. He said the county is looking to hire a person with the necessary skills, but that person is likely to land in the Information Technology office, with the intent of using the employee to help with the mapping needs.

He said other county employees with related skills also will likely be used during redistricting.

The grand jury also recommends that the county “coordinate with the California Secretary of State to ensure state Voter Information Guides are delivered before the county mails ballots to voters,” a recommendation resulting from a finding that some voters cast ballots prior to receiving those guides.

The third finding noted that the Elections Office was “reluctant to terminate the employment of underperforming temporary workers with concerns that the time-consuming hiring process might result in not having sufficient staff to handle the workload.”

The grand jury recommends the office work with the county Department of Human Resources “to streamline the process of hiring temporary ROV workers.”

Gardner said it was less an issue of underperforming as it was to place the individuals to do the tasks they were best suited to accomplish. Finding individuals with the correct skills, he said, was made more difficult by Covid-19.

The final grand jury recommendation is for Solano County to work with other counties to “encourage” the state to join the Electronic Registration Information Center.

The center, often referred to as ERIC, is a nonprofit that assists counties in “improving the accuracy of voter rolls,” the grand jury report states.

The organization further states as a goal to “increase access to voter registration for all eligible citizens.” The nonprofit was formed in 2012 with the guidance of The Pew Charitable Trusts. It is governed and managed by member states.

Gardner said he thinks it is a good idea for the state to join ERIC because it would create an intra-state check for voters who move from one state to another. However, it would only be effective, he said, if California’s neighboring states, and other common states where people move, such as Texas, are part of the system, too.

Among the issues the Elections Office faced were printing errors that affected voter guides in Dixon, Benicia and Vallejo.

Some Dixon residents also claimed the county sent ballots for a water district issue to residents who did not live in the district, but the county said the addresses match up with the boundaries provided.

There were also ballots for certain City Council districts that were sent to Vacaville residents who live outside those districts.

The Elections Office confirmed there were issues that had to be resolved.

“A total of 58 voters received the incorrect ballot in November. Of the 58 voters, 22 of them possibly voted with the incorrect ballot for the Vacaville City Council District 3 contest; however, the contest was decided by a margin of 507 votes,” a staff report to the Board of Supervisors stated.

The problems prompted the Registrar of Voters Office to tighten its procedures and its checks and balances as it prepares for the redistricting requirements this fall. That work is well underway.

Solano County Daily Republic
By Todd R. Hansen
April 15, 2021