Revisiting Monterey County Civil Grand Jury recommendations for Elections Department

SALINAS, Calif. (KION)

The 2018-2019 Monterey County Civil Grand Jury report on the Monterey County Elections Department had plenty of positive things to say - they conclude the local elections process is "cost-effective" and "efficient," and the staff is "genuinely interested in conducting a reliable election process."

But there were still a lot of recommended changes for future elections - so days before the 2020 Presidential Election, we wanted to take a look back and see where things stand now.

The Grand Jury called for an election process that is less dependent on volunteers. Speaking with Monterey County Assistant Registrar of Voters Gina Martinez, two years from the non-binding 2022 deadline, we learn volunteers are still crucial.

The good news - the attention on the election, and the process, brings in a flood of help that wasn't there before, especially with volunteers often being older.

"We have received messages from our younger voters who are saying 'it is time for me to step up because I know the traditional poll worker is susceptible to this virus that is going around'," Martinez tells KION.

Martinez says they can't move away from a volunteer-dependent system at this time because that system would be a move to more internet-based or mobile voting - another request from the grand jury that simply cannot happen yet.

California Law says no part of a voting system shall "be connected to the internet at any time," "electronically receive or transmit election data through an exterior communication network," or "receive or transmit wireless communications or wireless data transfers"

Dr. David Anderson is a Senior Lecturer in the Department of National Security Affairs at Monterey's Naval Postgraduate School.

"As appealing as the technology might be in the abstract, in reality the technology simply isn't strong enough, isn't secure enough, and people aren't familiar enough with it to know how to do it," Anderson says.

Iowa Democrats tried an app for their February caucuses during the 2020 Presidential Primaries. Issues sending the results led to delay, and then massive uncertainty among the residents and even candidates.

The good news, we are seeing local improvements. The Grand Jury mentions Monterey County's Direct Recording Electronic equipment, used by handicapped voters, needing to be replaced.

That system was replaced ahead of the 2020 elections. People with visual impairment can have their ballot read to them and "quadriplegics can put their sip and puff machines to the system and mark their ballot," Martinez says. A big difference - "this system prints out the ballot to be tabulated with the other ballots."

2018 had the issue in Gonzales - about 2,000 mail-in ballots didn't arrive on time. The election's office said their printing vendor did not print the mail-in ballots.

The grand jury said there needs to be better oversight. The election's office says they have a new series of checks and balances.

"With the USPS, we added communication steps with the postmasters across the county to ensure that everyone has received their material," Martinez says.

The report also recommended a process for replacing aging equipment and evaluating equipment needed in the future.

The elections office insists they are getting the funding they need from the state and federal government. The county's 2020 budget shows a jump in funding from 5.4 to 7 million dollars. But, there is still work to be done.

"We are seeking the opportunity to have a fund within the general fund to help keep up with the changes in voting technology," Martinez tells KION.