Orange County registrar briefs Mission Viejo council on upcoming primary: 1.9M ballots, new timelines

Bob Page, Orange County Registrar of Voters, briefed the Mission Viejo City Council on election administration for the upcoming primary and described logistics, security measures and deadlines.

"The United States Postal Service will be picking up our 1,900,000 ballots to be delivered next week to all of the active voters in the county," Page told the council. He said the county will make four primary return options available: return by mail (postage paid), 128 countywide ballot drop boxes (each individually keyed and bolted to concrete), vote centers that open for in‑person voting, and routine in‑office services. Page said the county will operate 191 vote centers for the election and that in‑person voting opens May 23; the earliest the county can complete the canvas is June 26.

Page outlined multiple security and accuracy measures used in Orange County: paper ballots for every vote cast, electronic voter rosters in vote centers to prevent double voting, more than 125 security and accuracy checks for statewide elections, and collaboration with the Sheriff's Department and the District Attorney on investigations and on‑site staffing during active voting. He also directed Mission Viejo residents to ocvote.gov for a city‑specific drop‑box map and added that Mission Viejo has four drop boxes, including a newly added site at Saddleback College.

Why it matters: the presentation provided concrete dates and operational procedures residents and community groups will use during the election period and gave councilmembers a chance to confirm local drop‑box locations and early‑voting resources.