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Registrar of Voters proposes temporary move to Dana Drive warehouse for more visible, camera‑recorded vote processing; board balks at price
Summary
Registrar of Voters Clint Curtis proposed a short lease of a Dana Drive warehouse and new equipment to centralize ballot printing, tabulation and camera‑recorded observation; the board raised major budget and timing concerns and did not approve funding.
Registrar of Voters Clerk Clint Curtis asked the Board of Supervisors on Aug. 12 to fund a short‑term lease and equipment to move election operations into a Dana Drive warehouse (former Joanne Fabrics). Curtis said the building’s open floor plan, large parking area and existing fiber connection would allow tabulation, secure storage and streamed camera observation of ballot processing in a way the current Market Street facility does not.
Curtis asked the board to authorize space, tabulators, a dedicated printer and streaming cameras and to budget tenant improvements and IT infrastructure. He said the arrangement would allow batches of ballots to be sealed, filmed and tabulated in public view and that printing ballots in‑house could save per‑election costs long term. Curtis described the proposed workflow as: receive and batch ballots, secure them in sealed containers, and run tabulators in pods while streaming video of the process.
Board members and staff pressed Curtis for cost details, timeline and funding sources. Deputy CEO Anne Bertain told the board the county has no designated discretionary fund for the request and that, if approved, initial funding likely would come from capital funds currently earmarked for a future correctional facility project. Supervisors expressed several concerns: the proposal's headline cost (staff estimated several hundred thousand to several million dollars depending on scope and amortization of tenant improvements), whether the move could be done in time for upcoming elections, and whether a short‑term lease would create sunk costs.
Supervisors proposed alternatives: a short, limited lease and rental of cameras and equipment rather than large tenant improvements; incremental purchase of additional tabulators; or testing the approach in a shorter pilot so the ROV can demonstrate speed and transparency gains before a larger commitment. Several supervisors and public speakers said the county’s immediate priority should remain public safety and alternatives to incarceration and opposed diverting those funds.
The board did not approve the full request on Aug. 12. Supervisor Kellstrom moved to lease the building for a short period and purchase equipment; his motion was discussed but not adopted by the board as presented. Board and staff asked the registrar to provide a more limited, cost‑detailed proposal showing: (1) a short‑term lease quote and landlord participation on tenant work; (2) a camera rental cost and test plan; (3) a realistic timeline for deployment and certification for any new ballot printers; and (4) funding options that do not draw down alternative custody or other public‑safety reserves.
