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Orange County directs Registrar to notify unverified registrants, pursue animal‑license cross‑checks after disputed 'non‑human' registrations
Summary
After weeks of public concern and litigation over irregular registrations, the Board of Supervisors voted to direct the Registrar of Voters to send formal notices (including cancellation forms) to approximately 2,616 registrants whose identity or residency have not yet been verified, and to seek animal‑licensing records from contract and non‑contract cities to cross‑check for potential non‑human or fictitious registrations.
The Orange County Board of Supervisors voted Sept. 23 to direct the Registrar of Voters to take several steps aimed at strengthening the county’s voter‑registration roll ahead of an upcoming special election.
The motion, carried by the board after extended public comment, adopted the staff recommendations to make available public records for registrants determined to be non‑human and to pursue additional cross‑checks and notifications. The board amended the staff recommendation at the dais to remove the word "suspected" in the item that asked staff to make records public if they are determined to be non‑human, and directed that each of the approximately 2,616 registrants who have not provided proof of identity be sent a formal notice that includes a cancellation form.
"When people register, under federal law they are required to provide proof of identity and residence," Registrar Bob Page told the board. He said the county had already compared unincorporated animal licensing data and found no matches, had requested animal licensing files from contract cities and would seek access to non‑contract cities’ files through county counsel as permitted. The registrar said the county also uses third‑party sources such as Experian and death records to identify likely cancellations; he reported that more than 200 people flagged by Experian are being canceled prior to the upcoming election.
The directive follows an earlier prosecution in which a person pleaded guilty to submitting a fictitious registration that used a pet’s name; county leaders and the district attorney’s office have both been involved in subsequent referrals. Board members said the measures were intended to reinforce roll integrity without disenfranchising eligible voters.
The board’s motion also directed continued referrals of irregularities to the District Attorney for investigation and prosecution where appropriate. The item passed by roll call with four votes in favor and one abstention.
What the board did not do: it did not change state law governing voter ID at registration — the Registrar testified that state law requires only a signed affidavit and that federal law’s proof‑of‑identity requirement applies to federal elections only. Supervisors discussed whether to advocate for state‑level changes but took no such action at the meeting.
Next steps ordered by the board include county counsel assistance in obtaining animal licensing data from contract and non‑contract cities, additional notices to the unverified registrants (including a cancellation form), and continued cooperation with the District Attorney’s office.
