Elections director defends temporary staffing and ballot handling after public criticism; promises memo and outreach

The Board approved a statewide contract (not-to-exceed $8.96 million) to provide temporary staffing for the Elections Department and heard extended questions about ballot handling practices after several public commenters alleged improper early counting and image replacement.

Elections staff (addressed in the meeting as Nadine Williams) described the procedures used for advance-voting ballots: two couriers collect sealed ballots from poll managers and bring sealed containers to the Elections Hub; containers are counted only to confirm the physical count matches the daily tabulation totals (a reconciliation step) and are stored in a secured caged area. Where a discrepancy cannot be resolved, staff said, ballots are rescanned and the vote-review panel, along with candidate representatives, conducts the recanvas in public. Williams said the original ballot images are retained and the rescanning process is performed only to reconcile totals, not to replace official records.

Commissioners pressed on who performs the handling (temporary staff are supervised by permanent staff), whether two couriers are always present, whether poll watchers can observe warehouse intake, and what steps the department will take to combat misinformation. Elections staff said they will provide the board a detailed memo explaining the chain-of-custody, staffing roles, the difference between recanvassing and rescanning, the historical number of rescans, and the legal basis for the current practices; they also plan public-facing education material to reduce confusion.

Outcome: The contract for temporary staffing was approved (motion passed by vote; the item was part of the consent agenda). Elections staff committed to send the board a memo and to coordinate an education plan for voters and stakeholders describing reconciliation, rescans and storage procedures.

Note: Several public commenters asserted ballot-handling irregularities; elections staff disputed those accounts and said the processes are legal and audited. Commissioners emphasized transparency and public education to reduce misinformation.