County elections officials brief supervisors on ballot security, mail deadlines and polling‑place protections

County elections officials told the Santa Barbara County Board of Supervisors on May 5 that ballots for the June primary began mailing to roughly 250,000 registered voters and reiterated that ballots postmarked by election day and received within seven days will be counted.

The briefing by Chief Deputy Registrar Martin Kovs was intended to calm community concerns about ballot security and the safety of polling places. Kovs described the county’s signature‑verification process — each vote‑by‑mail envelope is scanned and the signature compared against registration records — and said staff contact a voter by letter, email and telephone if a signature appears to mismatch. "We train staff in protocols for checking signatures and we look at every single signature that comes into this office," Kovs said.

Kovs urged voters to cast ballots early: the elections division has 18 secure ballot drop boxes across the county, 61 polling places on election day and a voter information guide mailed to all registered voters with detailed instructions. He also warned that because of recent changes in postal processing, voters who must rely on the U.S. Postal Service on election day should request a hand‑postmark at the post office to ensure their ballots meet the postmark requirement.

Sheriff Brown and the sheriff’s command staff briefed supervisors on law‑enforcement coordination with elections. Brown said deputies will escort ballot transport after polls close and a lieutenant will staff the election command center. "If there is any disturbance of any kind, we will respond," he said, adding that federal agencies have indicated they will not be identifiable at polling places and that election observers are permitted to watch the process.

Supervisors pressed staff about two recurring concerns: voter fraud claims amplified in national media and fear among immigrant communities that federal agents might intimidate voters. Kovs said that in his more than 20 years administering elections he had not observed voter fraud and described California’s real‑time systems that prevent double voting: once a vote is recorded in one county, a voter cannot vote again in another county. On immigrant community fears, Kovs and Sheriff Brown recommended reporting suspicious behavior to the elections office and local law enforcement; Brown added that local agencies have been coordinating with federal partners and anticipate no enforcement activity at polling locations beyond statutory exceptions.

Members of the public told the board they remain worried about potential intimidation and urged the elections office to follow state attorney general guidance that constrains law enforcement and to provide clearer public assurances. The board received and filed the elections report and encouraged expanded outreach, translated materials and visible contact information for voters with questions.

What’s next: The elections division will continue outreach, post‑election reviews and coordinate messaging through county communications channels. Voters who use drop boxes must deposit ballots by 8 p.m. on election day for immediate collection; ballots mailed should be postmarked by election day and received within seven days to be counted.