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Public comments urge county action on uncounted ballots and raise concerns about bird-flu impacts on food supply
Summary
During public comment the board heard from residents about 2,946 uncounted ballots from the November 2024 election and concerns about avian influenza’s possible local effect on the food supply chain; speakers asked for follow-up from county staff and engagement with agricultural stakeholders.
At the Jan. 7, 2025 Sacramento County Board of Supervisors meeting, public comment speakers raised two substantive concerns: uncounted ballots from the November 2024 election and potential local impacts from spread of avian influenza.
Barbara Ram, who identified herself as a District 1 resident and an election volunteer, told the board “2,946 ballots remain uncounted from the November 2024 election.” She described a specific example in which a voter with multiple sclerosis required caregiver assistance to mark a ballot and said county voter staff told her that ballot should not have required verification; she asked how signature-curing and verification will be handled in the future and requested updates on next steps and regulatory changes.
Gabriel Ingram flagged concerns about avian influenza outbreaks in agriculture and potential downstream effects on county food supply and local producers, noting closures and euthanasia of flocks in other counties and urging the board to engage with agricultural producers and departments to plan for supply-chain consequences if the spread continues.
The board asked staff to follow up: the clerk was directed to have relevant staff leave business cards with a speaker who requested follow-up, and supervisors asked staff to coordinate responses to constituent concerns raised during public comment.
