Electronic voting safe, secure and monitored

By: BARBARA DUNMORE - Commentary | Saturday, November 4, 2006 7:22 PM PST ∞

Election Day is the culmination of year-round planning and preparation by the registrar of voters' office to ensure the security of every ballot cast and the accuracy of every vote counted. A peek behind the scenes reveals the magnitude of the task of conducting a countywide election and the painstaking efforts to make sure every vote is counted correctly.

Riverside County has 755,000 registered voters. For the gubernatorial election, 605 polling places have been reserved and readied and over 2,400 poll workers have been trained to serve voters Election Day. Every volunteer and staff member takes the oath of allegiance to faithfully defend the electoral process through the conscientious execution of duties entrusted to them.

Prior to Election Day, 315 different ballot types were designed to capture 133 contests and 412 candidates across different political subdivisions across the county. These ballots must be printed for absentee voters and programmed into polling place voting units. Nearly 200,000 ballots are mailed out before Election Day to permanent absentee voters, mail ballot precincts, and military and overseas voters. About 50 percent of the remaining voters will go to polling places or early voting sites to cast their ballots.

Voters arriving at their polling places Election Day will encounter familiar touch-screen voting units used in Riverside County since November 2000. These units have been certified by the secretary of state's office for use in California and have been extensively tested and certified for accuracy by both federal and state agencies.

The voting system undergoes additional tests prior to each election to confirm the accuracy of ballot tabulating and reporting software and to ensure the voting units record every vote accurately. Riverside County's voting system proved 100 percent accurate in two state audits performed to test the system under actual voting conditions in 2004 and 2005.

Since January 2006, voters have been able to review a paper record copy of their ballots. The paper record, known as the "voter verified paper audit trail" stays with the voting unit as a check against the votes cast. After every election a visual inspection and manual count of at least 1 percent of the ballots cast is undertaken to verify computer-tallied results. Voters may also do their own independent verification by comparing the results posted outside each precinct (with the exception of schools and residences) with the results posted on the registrar of voters' Web site.

Elections demand seemingly dual objectives of speed and accuracy of ballot counting ---- however, both are actually delivered. Speed is achieved on election night when preliminary results are compiled from ballots cast at voting precincts and absentee ballots counted earlier in the day. Ballots from the desert and eastern Riverside County are transmitted over a secure county network from Indio to ensure those ballots are included in the preliminary results.

Accuracy is achieved is in the weeks following the election with a meticulous review and reconciliation of all votes cast. Typically, 10 to 20 percent of ballots cast remain to be counted after Election Day.

These include absentee ballots that were not received until Election Day and must be pre-processed before tabulation, including signature verification, prior to opening and counting the ballots; provisional ballots that require a voter's eligibility be researched and confirmation that the voter did not previously cast a ballot in the election; and write-in ballots that must be individually reviewed to determine whether or not the vote was cast for a qualified write-in candidate.

California law permits 28 days to complete the final official results.

The registrar of voters recognizes the importance of an open and transparent process. Members of the public, political parties, civic groups and the media are invited to observe all of the publicly conducted election processes. To make observation easier, the vote tabulation server was moved into the publicly viewable ballot-counting room. In addition, overhead cameras are being installed to improve pubic viewing of staff handling official election materials.

Managing a successful election is a major undertaking that requires skill, integrity, and nonpartisan commitment to public service. Through careful analysis, thorough testing of systems and continual training the registrar of voters' office consistently delivers seamless elections with assurance to voters that whether their vote is cast on paper or electronically, it remains secure and is counted as cast.

Barbara Dunmore is Riverside County's registrar of voters.

OUR VIEW: The people who occupy these local seats have as much or more impact on our lives as those in Sacramento and Washington.

Over the last few years, most of the city councils and school boards in Southwest County have shifted their elections from odd-numbered years to even, hoping to increase an ever-dwindling voter turnout.

Tuesday marks the first time in more than a decade that the bulk of these local races will be decided at the same time voters choose who will lead us in the state Capitol, governor's mansion and Congress.

While the change should result in more people deciding who will be leading these important local agencies, some election watchers also fear voter "overload" ---- ballots with so many races and propositions on them that voters simply tune out and skip the bottom part.

Saturday, we recapped our recommendations on the state ballot propositions. Today, we recap our endorsements in key local races. But whether you follow our recommendations or not, we urge you to vote. The people who occupy these local seats have as much or more impact on our lives as those in Sacramento and Washington.

Murrieta City Council: Whoever wins, with only one of three incumbents seeking re-election, the council will take on a new personality, but this is no time for inexperience. We recommend re-electing Rick Gibbs, who has been a solid leader in his first 18 months in office, and adding Randon Lane and Gary Thomasian to the council. While their philosophies do not align perfectly, both men have demonstrated a strong history of community involvement and deep commitment to Murrieta.

Temecula City Council: In what is probably the quietest election in the city's relatively short history, there seems little reason to change course now. Longtime incumbents Ron Roberts and Jeff Comerchero have helped make the city what it is, and while she is new to the council, Maryann Edwards has served the community well as a tireless volunteer, school board member and councilwoman. She deserves to be elected to a full term.

Lake Elsinore City Council: For the first time in a long time, Lake Elsinore is headed in the right direction, and incumbents Thomas Buckley and Daryl Hickman deserve a lot of the credit. Both men should be given a second term to help make sure the city stays on course.

Temecula Valley Unified School District: A tumultuous couple of years have tarnished the image of this otherwise strong district, but the recent settlement of longstanding union battles and hiring of a new superintendent have quieted things substantially. The board needs to be a little better about communicating with parents and teachers, but the blame for recent breakdowns is hardly theirs alone. Incumbent trustees Bob Brown and Rick Shafer bring a good mix of experience and leadership to bear, and should be re-elected. With her history of involvement in schools and connection to parents, longtime PTA leader and school volunteer Susan Elliott makes an ideal addition to the board.

Lake Elsinore Unified School District: Lake Elsinore schools have some issues to work out, but some new programs designed to boost the district's more challenging students and a popular new superintendent have it moving in a positive direction. Both incumbents, Sonja Wilson and Tom Thomas, have long and distinctive histories of community involvement and should be re-elected. Chamber of Commerce President Kim Joseph Cousins is just as committed to bettering the schools and can help strengthen ties between the schools and the business community to the betterment of all.

Menifee Union School District: Growth and "unification" ---- the merger of the elementary district with the area's high school district ---- are on this district's front burners, but the board can't lose sight of the reason they exist, either. The two incumbents have served the community well and should be re-elected. A straight-shooter, Rita Peters has some rough edges, but she's the best advocate around for kids, especially those most in danger of falling through the cracks. Bob O'Donnell brings decades of experience and understanding of bureaucratic process to the board and can help the district navigate the complex and necessary unification process.