Title
Receive a presentation from staff regarding the administration of the November 5, 2024, Presidential General Election.
Report
RECOMMENDATION:
It is recommended that the Board of Supervisors:
Receive a presentation from staff regarding the administration of the November 5, 2024, Presidential General Election.
SUMMARY/DISCUSSION:
At the request of Supervisor Alejo, the Monterey County Elections Department will provide an overview of the administration of the November 5, 2024, Presidential General Election.
Background
Elections are administered according to state and federal laws and regulations. These laws impact every aspect of elections including security and accessibility. Some of these laws will have been in place for decades and some will have been chaptered with urgency just months before an election. Regardless of duration, these laws provide the framework within which an election official shall administer the election and will have an immediate impact on our community.
On September 22, 2024, Assembly Bill (AB) 3184 (Chapter 437, Statutes of 2024) was signed into law as an urgency bill. Among other items, this bill required that any county with outstanding signature challenges (mail ballots and/or provisional ballots without a signature or with a signature that does not match a signature on file) would have to wait until December 3, 2024 to certify final results allowing for a uniform deadline for voters across the state to return signature cures to have their ballot counted.
Elections continues to see the impact of changes in legislation related to registration, this includes the partnership between the State and the Department of Motor Vehicles to promote seamless voter registration. To that end, for the final report of registration, Monterey County had a record 214,883 registered voters. Voter turnout reached 69.3%, with 88.4% participation categorized as vote by mail (domestic vote by mail voters and military/overseas voters) and 11.6% categorized as polling place (early vote, elections office, satellite office, and polls). Ultimately, 148,916 ballots were counted in the final tally, this is the second highest report of ballots cast in the County’s history.
Over 56,000 ballots (vote by mail and provisional) were returned on Election Day to be processed in the postelection period. This number reflects over 48,000 vote by mail ballots and over 8,300 provisional ballots. Significant returns of this type are not uncommon, vote by mail Election Day returns are generally in the tens of thousands. The number of provisional ballots is generally higher in counties with paper rosters due to the inability to resolve issues with voters who are unable to surrender their vote by mail ballots. This provisional count is high due in part to the higher than usual in-person turnout at polling places and the use of paper rosters. In addition, the County experienced an increase in same-day conditional voter registration provisional voting. By law, these ballots require additional research and handling to process to ensure the integrity of the vote while facilitating the vote count.
This election highlighted a number of important points to address with the public. First, with the second highest ballot tally in the County’s history, and record turnout in several areas of the County, Monterey County voters showed up and voted. Second, the Department demonstrated several operational efficiencies in addressing election challenges.
Key Successes:
- Election Facility: The facility's design allows for multiple election activities to take place at the same time and facilitates operations to be scaled as needed simultaneously. The Department moves quickly through the ballot processing without sacrificing accuracy. Public observation is encouraged.
- Public Engagement: The Department continues to prioritize outreach and education, especially during the voting period. The Books and Ballots early voting program was expanded to include a candidate filing program for rural areas of the County. Early voting at Books and Ballots events saw an increase in participation with over 1,000 more voters than in any previous general election and increased family engagement with the addition of the kid’s ballot.
- Technological Enhancements: The vote by mail sorting system allows for efficient processing of vote by mail ballots reducing several days of processing to one; the County’s voting system allowed for an escalated manual tally via digital ballot image for close contests allowing for additional public review with minimal budgetary impact; in the interest of continuity of operations, electronic poll books were introduced at select polling places.
Challenges:
- Paper Rosters: The use of paper rosters at polling places had demonstrative longer check-in times than polling places with electronic poll books. These locations also increased the number of calls to the Elections Office, increased the number of provisional ballots issued at the polls, and increased processing time during the canvass period.
- Overall Growth: The Department’s operations and areas of growth are being reviewed to determine how the facility’s configuration can be changed to support operational growth.
- Staffing: Recruiting and retaining poll workers is an ongoing nationwide challenge. Offering competitive wages for seasonal employees is a significant challenge. Permanent staffing will have to continue to evolve as the county grows and voting and ancillary systems become more complex.
Looking ahead, the Department plans to expand the use of technology by implementing electronic poll books at polling places. Further, the Department continues to review all areas for cost efficiencies to offset the cost of potential stipend/wage increases for essential poll workers and seasonal employees. Additionally, permanent staffing needs are projected to include the addition of an Election Services Specialist and administrative support position within the next two to five years.
OTHER AGENCY INVOLVEMENT:
Monterey County Elections partners with various county departments, local non-profit organizations, schools, special districts, city offices and other jurisdictions in the administration of the election.
FINANCING:
There are no costs associated with the receipt of this presentation/report.
BOARD OF SUPERVISORS STRATEGIC INITIATIVES:
This item is in line with the Board’s vision for providing efficient service and cost neutral administration.
Check the related Board of Supervisors Strategic Initiatives:
__ Economic Development
X Administration
__ Health & Human Services
__ Infrastructure
__ Public Safety
Prepared by: Greta Arevalo, Deputy Registrar of Voters, Ext. 1495
Approved by: Gina Martinez, Registrar of Voters, Ext. 1499
Attachments:
November 5, 2024, Presidential General Election