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Residents demand audits and Registrar’s ouster amid election-count claims
Summary
Multiple public commenters at the Orange County Board of Supervisors’ Dec. 17 meeting alleged large discrepancies in voter rolls and ballot counts, urged a forensic audit, and called for the dismissal of Registrar of Voters Bob Page.
David Ball, a member of the public, told the Orange County Board of Supervisors Dec. 17 that the county’s election administration showed "a monumental failure," alleging that "more than 325,000 ballots were issued than there were registered voters" and demanding the immediate removal of Registrar Bob Page and an independent investigation.
The comments, given during the meeting’s public-comment period, were echoed by several other residents who raised overlapping concerns: apparent mismatches between Registrar of Voters (ROV) daily numbers and the certified results, questions about signature verification in school-district recalls, and assertions that large numbers of ballots or registrants appeared after initial counts. Speakers repeatedly urged a forensic audit and changes to the county’s use of mailed ballots and voting technology.
Why it matters: Callers tied the county’s ability to certify accurate elections to public trust and asked supervisors to use their oversight role to demand answers. Several commenters proposed policy changes—most commonly eliminating the Voter’s Choice Act and returning to single-day, hand-counted, in-person voting—arguing that different procedures would reduce opportunities for error or manipulation.
What was said: Ball asked the board to identify who received extra ballots, how many ballots were voided and what safeguards failed. Another commenter told the board she had reviewed ROV records and press reports and questioned whether the board had properly attested under the National Voter Registration Act that voter rolls were accurate and publicly available 30 days before early voting. A separate commenter urged independent cybersecurity and forensic testing of poll pads, ballot-marking devices, scanners and tabulators by organizations not selected by the ROV.
Board response and next steps: No formal actions were taken at the meeting; supervisors acknowledged the public concerns and some said they would pursue follow-up (for example, asking staff to provide information or inviting the ROV to meet with the board). County staff and the ROV did not present a response in the public-comment segment recorded here. The board’s next regular meeting is Jan. 14, 2025.
Claims noted in the meeting were presented by members of the public and attributed in this report exactly as stated; the board did not make findings or take votes on these allegations during the session.
