Board receives ROV certification after public calls for election audit

Public speakers at the Riverside County Board of Supervisors meeting on Dec. 9 urged the board to delay certification of election results and to grant volunteers access to ballot statements and other tabulation materials so they could perform independent audits. Multiple members of the public, including Greg Langworthy and Veronica Langworthy, alleged discrepancies in past elections and said they had not received the documentation they needed to complete audits; specific figures were cited during public comments (e.g., claims of 33,888 and 2,015 excess votes in cited contests).

County counsel told the board that under applicable law the board’s role is ministerial when presented with the Registrar of Voters’ certification and that a court order would be required to stop the certification process. “The board has a ministerial duty to receive and file the certification done by the ROV,” counsel said. After counsel’s guidance, the chair and members indicated their support for the staff recommendation to receive and file the certification.

The transcript records multiple public allegations and requests for action (including requests that the board exercise governing powers or seek additional legal advice) and the counsel’s legal advice that litigation is the remedy to halt certification. The board proceeded to receive and file the certification as recommended in open session.