San Benito County responds to reports of people watching over voters casting ballots

HOLLISTER, Calif. (KION-TV)- Ballot drop-off boxes are open for early votes across San Benito County.

County officials say they have received complaints of people watching voters drop off their ballots.

According to reports, these people were not directly hovering over these ballot boxes and not showing any concealed weapons.

They were, however, about 30 feet away from the boxes keeping an eye out on voters and their ballots. On top of that, they were recording on their phones.

If the voter was in a car, they would record their vehicle information as they drove away.

After getting these reports, the county immediately took action. Assistant County Clerk-Recorder Francisco Diaz explained how the county adjusted to the reports.

“So what we did is we notified everyone of the situation,” Diaz said. “We’re also trying to reassure the voters that they can drop off their ballot here in our office. In addition, we’re also closely monitoring the video surveillance, and we’re also doing additional patrols at each of our drop boxes to ensure the voters feel comfortable and secure using those drop boxes.”

People who live here are not happy about this. One woman who didn’t want to be shown on camera expressed her concerns.

“They’re wrong in doing that,” The citizen said. “Let people vote. Let people make their own choices. Without pressure from people who may disagree with you.”

“We are monitoring the situation and that we do have 24/7 surveillance at all our drop boxes,” Diaz said. “If they want to report any incident or perhaps any action that makes them feel uncomfortable, they can call our office, or they can come directly and drop off their mail ballot here in our office.”

Diaz also mentioned that if people are still hesitant about the process, they can call the elections office and schedule a tour to learn more about it.