Sacramento elections official says ballot envelope holes aid accessibility and ballot-checking, not vote exposure

Jana Haines, public information manager for Sacramento County Voter Registration and Elections, addressed concerns that the small holes in mail ballot envelopes could reveal how a person voted and explained why the openings are part of accessibility and ballot-handling procedures.

Haines said the holes serve two functions: they mark the signature line so people who are visually impaired can find the start and end of the line, and a hole on the back of the envelope lets election workers see that the envelope is empty when a ballot is pulled out so “we're counting every vote.”

“The reason these holes are here is twofold,” Haines said. “This is the signature line and for people who are visually impaired, these holes give them the start and end of that line. So it's incredibly important for accessibility that these holes are there. The hole on the back is there so that when we pull the ballot out, you can see that the envelope is empty and that we're counting every vote.”

Haines acknowledged some voters worry that choices might be visible through the holes when only one contest appears on the ballot. She said voters can fold the ballot so a blank page faces the holes to prevent any markings from being visible. She also referred to “vote centers” and the November election in a concluding remark; the transcript of that final sentence was unclear.

The transcript provided did not specify whether Haines's remarks occurred during an agenda item or during the meeting's public comment period. Her statements in the record focused on the physical design of the mailed envelope and on simple steps voters can take to avoid any perceived visibility of selections when a ballot contains only a single contest.

No formal actions, motions or legal citations were recorded in the supplied transcript excerpts.