Public raises vendor oversight concerns as Citizens Advisory Commission on Elections presents annual work plan

At the June 24 meeting the Citizens Advisory Commission on Elections (presented by Craig Dunkerley) submitted its annual work plan and answered questions; members of the public used the opportunity and the earlier public-comment period to press the county about alleged vendor failures in the voting system contract.

The commission described its usual function—advising and consulting with the Registrar of Voters and monitoring election-related matters—and said the work plan did not alter its regular responsibilities. Craig Dunkerley, a commission representative, said the commission—s duties remain largely consistent from year to year.

Why it matters: election administration and vendor performance affect public confidence in election integrity. One member of the public, Brian Berticini, spoke both during the general public comment period and again during the commission presentation to allege security breaches in the 2022 elections, missing vendor paperwork, and the Registrar of Voters— reported statements that he characterized as inaccurate. Berticini asked the board to investigate the vendor and to seek recovery of contract funds.

Berticini said he observed what he described as a security breach in 2022 and blamed a vendor, Dominion Voting Systems, for failing to comply with contract obligations. He said personnel accessed election systems without completing required paperwork and that the county—s public report had included inaccurate content copied from the county website. "We have a rogue vendor that was not being supervised," he said during initial public comment, and later at the commission item he asked, "When are they gonna start working the plan? When are they gonna start working the plan?" He also criticized the commission for focusing on ranked-choice-voting recommendations while, he said, vendor oversight was neglected.

Craig Dunkerley said the commission had submitted its work plan earlier in writing and invited questions; he said the commission reviews Registrar of Voters policies and procedures and monitors election items but did not detail a separate vendor risk assessment.

The committee received the commission report. Supervisors asked staff to ensure public concerns are logged. There were no committee actions to direct an immediate investigation; the speaker asked the board to consider an off-agenda item to examine vendor compliance and potential remedies.