SLO County’s vote count could take another week — observers are keeping an eye on it
The San Luis Obispo County Clerk-Recorder’s Office on Tuesday resumed counting about 42,000 remaining ballots from last week’s primary election — under the watchful eye of a collection of observers.
In total, the county has an estimated 42,812 ballots left to process, including 42,498 mail-in ballots, 295 provisional ballots and 19 election night ballots, according to a report released Friday.
The office resumed ballot-counting at 9 a.m. Tuesday and planned to release another ballot-count update at about 5 p.m., County Clerk-Recorder Elaina said.
Cano said her office needs about seven more days to process the remaining ballots. They should count 6,000 to 7,000 ballots on Tuesday and will continue counting later in the week. If the office only has about 1,000 ballots ready to be counted on Wednesday, workers will wait until Thursday or Friday, when they have more ballots to resume the count.
Meanwhile, observers — including redistricting map creator Richard Patten and clerk-recorder candidate Stew Jenkins — are showing up to observe the ballot-counting process. On counting days, the Elections Office gets 10 to 15 observers, Cano said.
SLO County is on track for about 50% voter turnout this election, which is decent for a primary election, Cano said.
When it comes to counting ballots, her office prioritizes accuracy over speed, she said.
“I certainly understand that there are candidates and contestants out there that want these results quickly, and my job is to ensure the integrity and the accuracy of the canvass project,” Cano said.
Why does it take so long to count the ballots?
The elections office can process about 6,000 ballots a day, Cano said.
Two factors contribute to how long it takes to count the ballots this election.
First, each ballot contains two, double-sided cards, which take longer to process than a one-card ballot.
Also, most people voted by mail this election, and mail-in ballots take more time to process than ballots cast at the polls.
When a mail-in ballot arrives at the Elections Office, it’s scanned by a machine to check if the signature on the outside of the envelope matches the voter’s records. If the signature matches, the ballot is sent to another machine that slices the envelope open.
The ballot then heads to the processing board, which removes the ballots from their envelopes. Staff then check the ballots for damage or other identifying marks, such as coffee stains or someone’s initials in the margins, and to make sure the voter used blue or black ink.
“That all takes time, and that all takes resources and people,” Cano said. “We’re not about doing it too quickly, because that’s when mistakes are made.”
Ballots cast in person at the polls don’t go through these processes, so they’re able to be counted faster, Cano said.
Clean ballots are then counted and adjudicated. The machine flags ballots with write-in candidates, and staff check to see if they’re included on the secretary of state’s list of qualified write-in candidates. The machine also notifies staff if the bubble next to a candidate’s name doesn’t have enough ink — which can happen if people use check-marks to indicate their vote. Staff then adjudicate the ballot to decide the intent of the voter.
Cano said the county received more mail-in ballots within 24 hours of Election Day than the 28 days before the election, which was typical for most California counties this election.
“Everybody got dumped on the day of and the day after Election Day with vote by mails,” Cano said.
Observers watch ballot-counting process
Cano said it’s normal for people to observe the canvassing process. On days where the office isn’t counting, four to seven observers show up, but on counting days, 10 to 15 observers are typical.
On counting days, Cano asks party leadership to limit observers to one to two members.
“I wish we had a big enough space to have everyone come and watch,” Cano said.
Sheriff’s deputies visit the office every few hours, which is a standard procedure, Cano said. Observers generally keep to themselves and quietly watch the counting process, she said.
Cano said she’s glad they come to the office, so they can receive accurate information.
“I appreciate them being here,” Cano said. “I need them to see what this process is about, I need them to ask questions.”
Patten, who submitted the new district map to the Board of Supervisors, was among those observing the ballot count on Tuesday.
He said he’s observed the Elections Office about four to five times this election and will stay for a few hours. He said he’s noticed lots of voter joke write-in candidates, such as Donald Duck or Mickey Mouse.
“It creates a lot of extra work,” he said.
Stew Jenkins, a local attorney and candidate for county clerk-recorder, also observed the ballot-count on Tuesday. He said he watches for ways to improve the process and to learn how observers can get more involved.
Jenkins suggested that staff include observers in the adjudication process and allow observers to object to ballots that look suspicious.
For example, observers could help staff adjudicate a ballot where a voter accidentally marked two candidates for office, and crossed out one of the candidates out — indicating the actual candidate they wanted to vote for.
It’s critical to ensure “widespread confidence in how ballots are counted,” Jenkins said.
This story was originally published June 14, 2022 at 2:23 PM.
