Registrar of Voters staff gave the board a post‑election update for the Nov. 2025 special statewide election, reporting 188,443 ballots cast — a turnout of about 46.6 percent. Of those, the Registrar said 161,144 voters used vote‑by‑mail; 92,204 vote‑by‑mail ballots were returned through the U.S. Postal Service, 44,893 through official drop boxes, and 24,047 were hand‑delivered to polling places.

The office noted it operated 128 polling precincts on election day and that 25 drop boxes had continuous live streaming; staff disclosed a short lapse in camera coverage at two drop‑box locations (Lodi Grape and Lorena Market) due to battery issues and documented the incident with the vendor and in incident reports. The Sheriff’s Office escorted final drop‑box pickups that night and provided security for ballot transfers to receiving centers.

Staff described process improvements the office deployed: automated duplicate ballot duplication software and automated signature verification (used in the special election) have digitized previously manual steps and reduced errors and overtime. The Registrar said automated tools still maintain human audit trails and that the office is modernizing poll worker training and asset inventory software ahead of the 2026 cycle. The Registrar also noted that new legislation will allow certification by the 23rd day after election in many cases, helping speed results where appropriate.

Board members asked about costs and staffing (the Registrar said state funding covered this special election’s costs and the office is fully staffed); one supervisor urged the office to evaluate drop‑box placement and costs relative to usage. The presentation was received as informational.