Board directs staff to support, oppose and monitor multiple election bills and to update county legislative platform

The Kern County Board of Supervisors on May 20 voted 4–1 to take positions on a package of federal and state bills dealing with voter identification, citizenship verification and election administration and to amend the county’s legislative platform to "support comprehensive election integrity measures that enhance the accuracy, security, and accessibility of the voter registration and candidate qualification process."

Thomas Brown of the county administrative office briefed the board on legislation at the state and federal level and on the board’s earlier referral to the Legislative Program Committee. Brown summarized local steps taken to create a standalone registrar of voters (ROV) — an enabling change the board’s lobbyists advanced in Senate Bill 858 — and reviewed several measures under consideration, including federal bills HR 22 and HR 2499 and Senate bills S 128 and S 1240, plus state bill AB 1116 on signature uploads. Brown said some proposed California bills requiring citizenship verification or voter ID had failed to advance in committee and that AB 1116 remained on the Appropriations suspense file pending fiscal review.

After staff remarks and public comment, Supervisor Couch moved that the board support HR 22 (the Save Act), S 128, and HR 2499; oppose S 1240 and AB 1116; and amend the county legislative platform as proposed. Supervisor Peters seconded. The motion passed 4–1, with Chair Leticia Perez recorded as opposed. Supervisor Parlier said he would refrain from fully endorsing the motion earlier in the discussion but the final vote recorded four ayes.

Members of the public addressed the board during the hearing. Janine Adams urged supervisors to oppose proposed Medicaid cuts and asked whether board advocacy matched constituent priorities; she also urged monitoring S 1240 to limit federal agencies’ access to state voter registration data. Karen Bissard, a county employee, asked the board to review administrative classification and compensation tied to a 2021 memorandum of understanding affecting administrative coordinators. Auditor‑controller and elections staff were present during the presentation, Brown said, and were available to answer technical questions.

Board members stressed the need for staff and elections experts to vet any legislation before the county takes positions, and several supervisors said a standalone ROV would be positioned to recommend future legislative fixes.

The board instructed staff to proceed consistent with the motion: take positions on the specified bills, monitor others, and incorporate the proposed language into the county legislative platform to enable faster responses to future election legislation. Brown said the county will circulate any position letters for board review per existing processes and will bring technical items to the full board as appropriate for further consideration.