County elections office briefs supervisors on ballot mailings, signature checks and security plans

Elections staff briefed the Board of Supervisors on preparations for the upcoming election, saying 250,000 voter guides were mailed and 18 ballot drop‑box locations are available across the county. The division urged voters to decide early and either return ballots by mail, deposit them at a drop box or vote in person on election day.

The county’s elections administrator, identified in the report packet as Markin, described the signature‑verification workflow used for mailed ballots: each returned ballot is scanned, an image of the voter’s signature is compared against signatures on file, and trained staff follow up when a signature does not match by mail, email or phone. Staff emphasized that California’s process treats the first valid ballot as controlling and said provisional ballots are used when a voter’s eligibility requires later review.

Sheriff Brown described the department’s role coordinating security at polling sites. He said the sheriff’s office has assigned a lieutenant and on‑site officers to election day centers and will work with elections staff if voters report intimidation or unauthorized federal agents at polling locations. “If there is any disruption or intimidation, local law enforcement will respond and the elections office will work with us to resolve it,” Sheriff Brown said.

Board members pressed election staff on how the office handles common voter questions: whether a voter who mailed a ballot can still vote in person, timelines for ballot returns, and how signature mismatches are resolved. Elections staff reiterated that the county’s systems flag duplicate voting and that a voter who returns a mailed ballot and then attempts to vote in person may cast a provisional ballot; the county processes such ballots according to state rules.

Speakers also noted outreach and communications efforts. The division said it has published guidance on the county website, produced a voter‑information video for broadcast on the county’s channel, and distributed printed materials and digital outreach in multiple languages. Staff encouraged early ballot submission and emphasized that ballots stamped by the postal service on election day are counted if received within the state deadline.

Community advocates said they still hear anxiety among immigrant and Latino voters about law‑enforcement presence and asked the board to expand culturally specific outreach. Multiple community commenters urged following guidance from the State Attorney General on avoiding practices that could intimidate voters at polling places. Elections staff and the sheriff said they will continue coordination and referral processes for any reported incidents.

The board accepted the elections report and directed staff to continue multilingual outreach and public education efforts ahead of the election.