Right on Track for June 22nd

June 15, 2010 - We are right on schedule to complete our certification of the June Statewide Primary Election. We were the first of counties over 100,000 in population to finish precinct reporting on Election Night and our plans to certify on June 22nd are proceeding as planned. We will finish the majority of the canvas period by Thursday and will use the weekend to complete the final statement of votes (a document thousands of pages long, which includes specific precinct results). Our ballots will also end up organized by precinct for the required 22 month storage period.

Moving Quickly to Finish

June 9, 2010 - We are working quickly to finalize the counting of ballots cast in yesterday´s Primary Election. While turnout statewide was sluggish turnout in Orange County outpaced both previous June primaries (statewide primaries moved from March to June in 2006). We had nearly 60,000 vote-by-mail ballots dropped off at poll sites throughout the County, which added to the strong volume we received in the final days leading up to the election.

We will be scanning ballots during extended shifts each day in addition to working on provisional ballots and post-election audits. We will post updated results every weekday at 5:00 p.m.

You can track ballots that we have left to count by clicking here.

49 Left Out of 1,104

June 5, 2010 - Over the last few days we have delivered nearly 1,100 election supply boxes to poll workers. Our first event took place at the OC Fairgrounds on Thursday and today we operated 13 pick-up locations throughout the County. Our poll site Inspectors (those in charge of poll sites) now have their supplies for Tuesday. This includes everything from flags, signs, pens, rosters, and more. The supply box doubles as a ballot box, which poll workers use throughout Election Day. There are 49 boxes left, which will mainly be delivered tomorrow and Monday. We deliver the voting booths separately (and will continue this process through Election Day).

Public Notice of Random Draw

June 4, 2010 - Pursuant to California Election Code 15360 (d) this serves as public notice that we will be conducting a random draw of 1% of our precincts to be used in a manual tally of votes cast. This manual tally is used to verify the electronic tally of our voting system and the vote-by-mail tally system. The random draw will occur on Wednesday, June 9, 2010 at 10:00 a.m. The manual tallies will follow the random draw and will take place until complete. Both processes are open to the public. Our office is located at 1300 South Grand Avenue, Building C, Santa Ana, California.

Improving Voting For Overseas Voters

June 1, 2010 - As we continue to work on our new military voter web portal we are also working on one for our overseas citizens. Thousands of Orange County voters live and work in other countries - some temporarily and some who are permanent. These voters maintain their residence in Orange County and therefore are eligible to vote on many issues that are also before their former neighbors here in the County. If a voter is listed as permanently living overseas they are eligible to vote only on federal contests.

Either way we want to improve their interaction with our office, including providing the ability to verify their registration, request ballots, download, print and vote ballots and print out return envelopes (as an example).

Look for this new portal coming soon with our military portal.

Proof, Proof and More Proofing

May 31, 2010 - Producing quality elections is a part of our mission - and something we take very seriously. In order to do this we have implemented a multi-layer proofing process. Because we are sending out hundreds of thousands of documents to poll workers and millions of ballots to voters - we have to proof constantly. Of course mistakes can occur, but with our "six layer" proofing system in place we have reduced incidents of error substantially.

This type of proofing was not present as early as 2004 but has grown steadily ever since. For example, we now proof election supplies for poll workers close to two dozen times, when you factor in each step along the way. We also run our ballots through six layers, working to catch even the slightest error (such as an errant comma). Seems excessive? Absolutely not - citizens demand this level of performance and we strive to make sure we deliver.

So even though errors can occur anywhere - in any organization - we are working hard to mitigate potential issues.

Minute-by-Minute Updates For June Election

May 31, 2010 - With the June Primary Election just one week away all of our planning efforts are coming together. And the best way to track all of the Election Day activities? Follow us on Twitter. We use Twitter on Election Day to provide you short, timely messages on all of Orange County´s Election Day operations. You´ll get live updates from the field as we work to process voters throughout the County. Information such as turnout, issues we might be responding to (and/or solved), unique stories, operational progress, voter insights and more. Whether you are a member of the media, a candidate or simply an interested voter - check out our constant Election Day Twitter updates.

Click here to join our growing list of Twitter followers.

Assembling Voter Rosters Today

May 29, 2010 - Today we are in the process of assembling the voter rosters that will be used on Election Day (June 8th). These rosters are the first thing voters will encounter when the enter the poll site and they are greeted by our poll workers.

The rosters are assembled from large paper stock we have been printing for the past few days. Over 100,000 sheets of paper are printed on both sides, which contain the names and addresses of the voters. We then assemble all of the pieces of the roster into precinct specific packages and bind them using eight binding machines (as shown in the accompanying photo).

So what is in a roster? They contain many parts but here is a quick rundown on the major categories:

1. Cover - this contains the ballot statement which is used to track the number of ballots issued throughout the day

2. Oath and Payroll - this is where poll workers take the oath for service and their stipend is tracked

3. Assisted Voter List - if a voter needs assistance voting their ballot it is documented here

4. Active Roster List - this contains the names of the registered voters in the precinct and is the section poll workers will use most

5. Inactive Voter List - if a voter has not voted recently or moved and has not contacted our office they still can vote but must sign this roster to be reactivated

While there are other sections this gives a good rundown of what the roster contains. We´ll continue throughout the weekend assembling 1,104 rosters.

Good Start On First Day of Ballot Opening

May 28, 2010 - Today we began to open and process the vote-by-mail ballots we have received to date for the June Primary Election. We have currently received 105,578 ballots in the mail, which includes today´s delivery.

We opened and prepared for scanning nearly 27,000 ballots. We will pick up mail tomorrow and continue processing ballots throughout the day. We should be able to increase our processing rate of about 5,700 per hour in the coming days. Our scanning process will be right behind the opening process - these ballots will be the first reported on Election Night at 8:05 p.m.

Your Vote-by-Mail Ballot Delivery

May 27, 2010 - We have mailed nearly 650,000 vote-by-mail ballots to voters in Orange County, out-of-state and overseas. The vast majority have received their ballots and our low call volume and ballot returns verify this information. However, as is the case with all mail, there may be occasions where the post office has not delivered the ballot yet or it has been lost. This is an easy problem to solve. This is because we use sophisticated ballot tracking and imaging software. For example, if a voter calls to ask where their ballot is we can pull an image up of the envelope, with postage attached, as it was delivered to the post office. Further, we can often track their ballot through the postal system to the individual zip code station and then into the carrier´s hands.

We implemented this system to provide accountability of delivery of this critical mail and to help voters locate their ballots. In order to make sure voters can vote in time we will, if necessary, cancel the first ballot and issue a second ballot to the voter (which does require their signature).

Voters who need assistance are encouraged to contact one of our customer service agents by calling 714-567-7600 and hitting option "0", which will take them directly to a live operator.

OC Fair Pick Up In One Week

May 26, 2010 - Next Thursday, June 3rd, we will be operating the largest election supply pick-up event in the history of Orange County elections. This event, which is scheduled to take place at the OC Fairgrounds, will allow our poll site Inspectors to pick up their election supplies on Thursday instead of Saturday. Normally Inspectors pick up their supplies at one of 12 distribution sites throughout the County on the Saturday before an election.

Now they can save their weekend and pick up their supplies from one of 13 lanes in an area the size of several football fields. The event will take place from 2 p.m. to 8 p.m. and additional details can be found by clicking here or visiting www.ocvote.com/ocfair

On The Move

May 25, 2010 - We are on the "move" in a big way, just in time for the June 8th Primary Election. Starting with this election we will be transitioning to a motorized moving conveyor system to sort election supplies. It appears we will be the only election jurisdiction in the country to employ the use of a moving conveyor system. Why are we doing this? The answer is simple - efficiency and cost savings.

For decades we have used a manual conveyor system to move election supply boxes along a small track. This means that we only have the time to pull large items out of the boxes, which leaves the "heavy lifting" for 5 or more days following the election. Now, using shipping style technology, we will "sort and pick" all supplies on Election Night as they move along 150 feet of moving conveyors, which are three feet wide. This will eliminate all of the labor needed to sort post election and will make our certification process much more efficient. More on this to come.

Opening Vote-by-Mail Ballots Friday

May 25, 2010 - In just a few days, on Friday, we will begin the process of opening and processing vote-by-mail ballots for the June 8th Primary Election. We will spend the days leading up to the election working to sort the ballots, prepare them for scanning and actually scanning them. While we will do all of this "pre tally" work we will not actually tally the votes until 8 p.m. on Election Night. All of the ballots mailed into us prior to Election Day will be included in our first update on Election Night at 8:05 p.m. As of this evening we have received 79,012 ballots.

Almost One Student For Every Poll Site

May 23, 2010 - We have surpassed our record for a June Primary when it comes to student poll workers. With a little over 1,000 poll sites we have enough student poll workers to match our poll sites. While we cannot place a student in every poll sites many will be working at sites throughout the County. These 1,000 students will benefit from learning about the election process, participating by helping voters and seeing what it takes to make elections possible. Students can participate by being at least 16 years of age, have a 2.5 GPA or greater and have the permission of their parents and high school.

Why Do Candidate Names Rotate?

May 22, 2010 - When you run for office ballot placement can be an important issue. This is why California law prescribes that a random draw be conducted to determine the order that candidate names will appear on the ballot. After the draw is conducted many candidates think that their name will stay in the same position on every ballot.

This is not the case if the contest is Countywide (such as judicial, County offices, etc.). In this case the candidate names rotate up and down the ballot as they cross Assembly districts. Here is how it works - the name appearing first in the last preceding Assembly district shall be placed last in the next Assembly district (and the order of the other names remain unchanged).

For example, if there are three candidates in a contest and the random draw had a fictitious candidate named Smith first, then Smith would be at the top of the ballot on all ballots located in the lowest numbered Assembly district. Because we have nine Assembly districts in Orange County, Smith would be on top three times in three separate Assembly districts.

Sounds complicated? It is - California has one of the most complex rotation laws in the country. But it is important and has been designed to make the process as fair as possible to all of the candidates.

Important Voter Registration Information

May 19, 2010 - As we move closer to the June 8th Primary Election questions begin to surface about the rules for voter registration. A critical item to point out is that voter registration is governed entirely by federal and state law. The basic requirements to register to vote are:

1. Be a citizen of the United States;

2. Be a resident of California;

3. Be at least 18 years of age as of the day of the next election;

4. Not be in prison or on parole for the conviction of a felony;and

5. Not be deemed by an appropriate court to be mentally incompetent.

California Elections Code section 2111 permits a person to prove they are a citizen who is eligible to register to vote by signing the affidavit of registration under penalty of perjury. In addition, persons interested in registering to vote may obtain a form from our office (in person or downloaded online); through the Secretary of State´s office, or at other government offices, such as DMV.

The deadline to register to vote for the June Election is this coming Monday, May 24th. Our office will be open until 8 p.m. on Monday to accommodate any last minute registrations.

Interns Contributing to June Election

May 18, 2010 - We currently have eight unpaid college students working as Community Outreach Interns at our office. These students attend various colleges around Orange County and California, including Chapman University, Cal State Fullerton, Cypress College, and UC Santa Barbara. These interns are a valuable asset to our Community Outreach team, and allow us to maximize our efforts at outreach events. Interns help with the planning and implementation of community events, and have been integral in talking to more than 3,200 people about voter registration and poll worker opportunities. This has resulted in recruiting new volunteers to serve as poll workers in the upcoming June 8th Primary Election.

The interns have completed more than 350 hours of work since our internship program began in early March 2010. Our interns endless energy and enthusiasm for the election process is what has made them a valuable part of the Registrar of Voters Community Outreach team.

For more information about the Registrar of Voters internship program, or to apply, please click here.

20,000 Daily Ballots Mailed Today

May 17, 2010 - Today we mailed a little over 20,000 vote-by-mail ballots to voters who have requested them for this election only. Most of these requests come in through the application on sample ballots or through our online application. Voters who apply for a one-time ballot can expect to receive them within 48 hours (depending on when they make the request). We have been keeping up with the application process but the volume is steady and rising as we move closer to the election.

You can view the number of ballots we have mailed and received by clicking here.

Sprint Sponsorship Deal Announced

May 17, 2010 - Today we announced a new addition to our election sponsorship program - Sprint / Nextel. Sprint joins our program, unique among California election offices, along with Wells Fargo - who joined in 2008. Sprint will provide employees to work in Orange County poll sites in addition to technical support for the election. Our sponsorship program was designed as a way to increase election volunteerism among Orange County employers. Companies cannot promote their products or services in poll sites but can promote their association through other channels (such as media, websites, trade publications, etc.). In addition, no money exchanges hands. The program is designed this way to keep the election itself clear of private sector promotion.

You can view our detailed press kit regarding Sprint´s association with our office by clicking here.

Mail Only Ballots On Their Way

May 14, 2010 - Are you a voter who normally must vote-by-mail in Orange County? If so then you should know your mail ballot is on its way and should arrive today or tomorrow. These ballots affect a handful of voters in Orange County. Why? Because state law says that any precinct which has 250 or fewer voters must be a mail only precinct. We currently have about 200 of these precincts Countywide and they occur due to the placement of them (in other words, next to rural areas, or near industrial areas, or in populated areas with boundaries requiring smaller precinct sizes).

We prepare and mail these immediately following our large permanent vote-by-mail preparation because it requires a change to our mail inserting equipment.

June Unusually Popular for Student Poll Workers

May 13, 2010 - Generally June is a less popular month for student poll workers to work elections. Many are focused on Summer activities, or are preparing for final exams and graduation. But this election is unusual compared to other June Primary elections. We currently have nearly 800 student applications pending and we have placed 683 students so far to work in Orange County poll sites. Between our MyBallot student program and our outreach to high schools, our program continues to grow as students want to experience the election process. Students must have a 2.5 GPA, permission of their parents and school, and be 16 years of age or older.

8,000 And Counting

May 13, 2010 - As of this evening we have received just short of 8,000 requests for one-time vote-by-mail ballots for the June 8th Primary Election. We process these requests quickly and generally have ballots in route within 48 hours or less. About 4,800 requests have come in via applications found on voters sample ballots, while 3,000 have come in through our online application. Some individuals who request vote-by-mail ballots online are not registered voters, which prevents a ballot from being issued. However, the majority are registered and enjoy the convenience of the online application.

Vote-by-Mail Ballots in the Mail

May 11, 2010 - Just a few moments ago we delivered nearly 500,000 permanent vote-by-mail ballots to the Santa Ana postal facility. These ballots, which contain ballots for the June 2010 Primary Election, will be delivered to voters throughout Orange County over the next few days. Tomorrow we will finish inserting vote-by-mail ballots and will move on to mail ballot only precincts (those precincts with 250 voters or less) and ballots requested in our supported languages.

As a reminder these ballots must arrive in our office by 8 p.m. on Election Night (June 8, 2010) - postmarks are not allowed.

Voting Begins

May 10, 2010 - Today voting opens for the June 2010 Statewide Primary Election (for those casting vote-by-mail ballots). Voters will begin receiving their vote-by-mail ballots this week (this includes those who have requested permanent vote-by-mail status or have completed a one-time application). Ballots can be returned via mail at anytime prior to Election Day but must arrive in our office by 8 p.m. on June 8, 2010 (postmarks cannot be accepted). We recommend that you mail your ballot no later than June 5, 2010 but if you are unsure if it will arrive in time you can hand deliver it to us (1300 South Grand Ave., Building C, Santa Ana) or to any poll site in Orange County on Election Day.

If you would like to apply for a vote-by-mail ballot visit our website at www.ocvote.com/mail

Repaired And Back In Business

May 3, 2010 - As we have noted in many posts - we use complex, high-speed equipment to insert thousands of ballots per hour as we prepare them for mailing to voters. Without going into extreme detail this equipment requires multiple operators and has hundreds of moving parts - using hydraulic fluid, belts and gears. On Friday a pump, used to push ink into a print head and onto voter envelopes, failed. We worked with our vendors to receive an emergency shipment of parts, which arrived today. Our equipment was up and running mid morning.

Fortunately, we operate a second unit (unlike any other jurisdiction) - and this redundancy kept our production in operation. As of this evening we have inserted 116,097 ballots (on our way to an initial run of 550,000 permanent vote-by-mail ballots).

Approaching 50 Percent Mailed

May 1, 2010 - Today we made excellent progress on our sample ballot mailing schedule. Earlier this evening we delivered another 135,000 sample ballots to the post office for delivery to Orange County voters. As of yesterday we had mailed 507,000 so this brings the total to 642,000 mailed. We will continue labeling through the weekend and drop a large quantity again on Monday. Our public phone bank operations will go live Monday morning at 8:00 a.m. since many voters will have received their sample ballots from Friday through today. We should hit 50 percent mailed by Monday.

New Community Engagement Website

May 1, 2010 - Orange County elections continues its focus on innovation by launching our new Community Engagement website. This website showcases our new approach to community outreach - unlike any election office in the country.

We´re reaching out in a big way to citizens in Orange County - making sure they know how to vote, have an opportunity to register to vote, and recruiting people to work elections. You might see us at one of our hundreds of events around OC at our booth - or we´re on the street with one of our "street teams".

From LiveNation concerts at Verizon Wireless in Irvine to the U.S. Open of Pro Surfing in Huntington Beach - we´ll be in your neighborhood soon!

Check out this all new website by clicking here (or visiting www.ocvote.com/engagement) today!

Modified Closed Primary

April 30, 2010 - Now that we have sample ballots out in the mail (we have reports of them arriving at voters homes this evening) - we thought it would be a good time to remind voters that California uses a modified closed primary system. So what does this mean for voters?

This primary system requires voters to cast a ballot of the qualified political party they chose to affiliate with when they registered to vote. Voters who chose not to affiliate with a party when they registered to vote will receive a non-partisan ballot, or they may request a Democratic or Republican ballot (which can be done at their poll site or by choosing this when they request a vote-by-mail ballot).

Voters still have the option of changing their party affiliation and voting another party´s ballot by re-registering and selecting another party by May 24th.

You can check your registration status by clicking here.

Sample Ballots At Post Office

April 29, 2010 - Right on schedule we delivered nearly 300,000 sample ballots to the Anaheim postal distribution facility this evening. These will drop at various locations throughout the County starting tomorrow. We will continue to deliver sample ballots to the post office each day until we have completed the entire mailing (nearly 1.7 million). Voters should look for our sample ballot, which has an orange cover, because it contains everything they will need to know in order to vote in the June Primary election. More to come including information on how to look up your sample ballot on our website.

Sample Ballot Labeling Update

April 28, 2010 - As of early this afternoon we have applied a little over 250,000 names and addresses on our completed sample ballots. We will begin mailing these sample ballots starting tomorrow - a process that will extend into early next week. These will be mailed in very large batches and voters should expect to see their sample ballots start to arrive in the next several days. We will continue throughout the evening to apply names and addresses as we move towards completing nearly 1.7 million (which includes language samples) pieces.

The Challenge of Translations

April 27, 2010 - Federal law requires that we provide election materials in multiple languages (as defined by the Voting Rights Act, Section 203). We support Chinese, Korean, Spanish and Vietnamese. Once the ballot is set then the process of translation begins. It is a complex process - imagine a single ballot that you may vote on in your neighborhood - there will be contests for Governor, State propositions, Countywide races, and local measures. Each of these items contains multiple lines of text (some lengthy - such as the ballot text in State propositions). All of this must be translated by our court certified translators then proofed by our language specialists (with the exception of State contests, which are provided by the State of California).

That single ballot can go through half a dozen or more iterations, just to have a locked ballot ready for mailing. We have been in that process now for several weeks and we are closing in on finalizing all language ballots (the first of which will be locked tomorrow).

Ballot Inserting Underway

April 26, 2010 - Today we began the process of inserting nearly 500,000 vote-by-mail ballots. We started with a single run to begin the testing process (we are ahead of schedule by two days). This testing phase is important to make sure our inserting equipment is operating properly and at maximum efficiency. The initial tests went well and we will make small adjustments tomorrow as we ramp up for a full inserting schedule. Once we are at full speed we should average about 50,000 inserted per day. Stay tuned to this newsfeed and we will keep you posted (and let you know the day we mail the ballots).

Poll Worker Newsletter Sent to 10,000 Plus

April 24, 2010 - We have found through extensive surveys of our poll workers that they receive a "great deal of their information" from our poll workers newsletters. These newsletters, normally published once per month, will be heading to our poll workers twice per month between now and the June Primary Election. Yesterday we sent our newsletter to over 10,000 of our volunteers. The newsletters contain valuable information about topics specific to the upcoming election, including our new Poll Worker PASS program. If you are interested in signing up to receive these newsletters click here.

Or you can view the newsletters (and past issues) by clicking here.

Walking Precincts for Volunteers

April 24, 2010 - Starting next week we will begin to walk some precincts in certain parts of Orange County in order to recruit volunteers to work the June election. Some areas of the County are particularly hard to recruit in. In addition, in order to meet language requirements in certain precincts, as mandated by federal law, it is critical that we make sure we have adequate coverage in these precincts. Although it is more typical for campaign workers to walk precincts seeking votes this is a new approach we are taking in order to gain a face-to-face relationship with potential volunteers. We will evaluate this method closely and expand or contract our efforts depending on the results.

Vote-by-Mail Voters and Sample Ballot

April 22, 2010 - As we move closer to mailing the sample ballot for the June Primary Election we thought we would let voters know about permanent vote-by-mail voters and their sample ballots. If a voter is an individual who has signed up to receive a mail ballot every election (known as a "permanent" vote-by-mail voter) then they do not need to return an application for a ballot. Because it costs much less to produce a single cover we do not have a special cover for these voters. So this means that they will see an application on the back of their sample ballot for a mail ballot.

What we will be doing, however, is printing a message on the name and signature portion of the application that says "Please note: Do not sign. Permanent vote-by-mail voters will receive ballots shortly".

Military Portal to Launch in May

April 21, 2010 - In another first Orange County will be the first election jurisdiction in the country to provide an exclusive web portal for military personnel. This portal will allow voters serving in the military (both domestically and overseas) to easily access everything they will need in order to vote here in Orange County. Many military voters register with us using the federal voter registration form. But we want to take the process one step further for these men and women. Our portal will allow them to submit a secure email address in order to receive their ballot (without exposing their email address), check their registration to make sure we received their federal form. In addition they will be able to track the status of their ballot (from the battlefield in many cases directly to our office in Santa Ana).

In addition there will be information about the federal laws that assist them in voting and more. We will work with the Federal Voting Assistance Program (a branch of the Pentagon) to promote this new feature for military personnel (as well as our citizens living and working overseas).

Overseas Balloting Update

April 21, 2010 - We begin to mail overseas ballots to voters at 60 days prior to the election. With the June election less than 60 days away we have been in the process of sending ballot to these individuals. They fall into three basic categories - military voters, temporary overseas citizens (such as for leisure or work) and permanent overseas citizens (who still maintain residence here in Orange California but have no immediate plans to move back).

As of today we have completed the following mailings to these individuals:

Temporary overseas ballots mailed - 1,030

Military overseas ballots mailed - 542

Permanent overseas ballots mailed - 141

In addition we have mailed 1,025 ballots to Orange County citizens in the military but stationed domestically.

Community Engagement Expanding in May

April 20, 2010 - Our new Community Engagement program will be expanding on May 1, 2010 - with our new "street teams" we´ll be tripling the number of community events we are involved in. While at events look for our teams, which are engaging the public in order to recruit poll workers. We´ll be using event photo marketing - allowing potential poll workers to have their photo taken, which they can download free online. While online we´ll capture information from them in order to recruit them to work in an election. Plus, these framed photos are branded for our department, which can be shared among friends. Our new engagement website will be launching May 1st as well -look for more details coming soon!

Approaching One Million

April 20, 2010 - As of tonight we have printed 900,000 sample ballot booklets for the June Primary Election. We have also bound 50,000 (a process we just started today). Our sample ballot booklets contain approximately 24 pages (depending on the precinct and the items on the ballot). We need to print 1.6 million and complete the binding process. Once this is complete we will move to the addressing phase - where we will inkjet voter names and addresses in preparation for mailing. Voters should expect to see these sample ballots begin to arrive after April 29th. Stay tuned to these newsfeeds for information as we we move closer to mailing.

Early Voting Options for June Election

April 19, 2010 - Due to cost considerations we will not be offering early voting at offsite locations for the upcoming June 8, 2010 June Statewide Primary Election.

Despite this there are a number of options for voters that wish to vote early. Voters can request a vote-by-mail ballot now by visiting www.ocvote.com/mail. These ballots will be mailed starting on May 10th. Returning a ballot is easy but must be received in our office no later than 8 p.m. on Election Day (June 8, 2010). If a voter will be out-of-town on Election Day but they do not want a ballot mailed they can come into our office and vote a vote-by-mail ballot in our office (after May 10th), without having to mail the ballot through the postal system.

In addition, if a voter forgets to request a vote-by-mail ballot during the request period (May 10th through June 1st) they can still request a late vote-by-mail ballot by visiting our office anytime between June 2nd and June 8th.

MyBallot Program Growing

April 15, 2010 - Our popular MyBallot student program continues to grow in popularity. Introduced in 2008, and unique among election offices nationwide, this 3-step program teaches high school students about the history and importance of voting. They then visit our offices and learn, hands-on, how to build ballots using our complex ballot building software. They build ballots that will be voted on by students in their high schools. The last step is when we visit their high school campus and conduct their ASB elections.

To date three high schools have participating, involving thousands of students - these include Segerstrom High School in Santa Ana, Anaheim High School and Corona Del Mar High School.

MyBallot continues for our 2010 elections and today we will be at Fountain Valley High School conducting their elections and then Friday at Costa Mesa High School. Just around the corner will be BackBay High School. Schools, teachers and students love this program - which teaches students math, graphic design, logistics, and vote tabulation. Want more info on the program? Click here!.

Our Election Academy Almost Half Full

April 14, 2010 - We launched our unique Orange County Election Academy just a few short weeks ago. We have received applications since that time and are approaching an almost half full program. Although the first session does not begin until September 8, 2010 our application process is open now and will continue to remain open until the sessions are full.

The Election Academy is an 8-week long academic program designed to leave a lasting impact on those who participate in the program. The program will be conducted at the Registrar of Voters office in Santa Ana. The curriculum will encompass all election management functions including candidate filing, campaign finance, ballot creation, communications and more.

Now is the time to learn more or apply today before our 2010 Academy class is full. Click here to begin!.

Sample Ballot Covers Printed

April 14, 2010 - In preparation for our upcoming sample ballot mailing to nearly 1.6 million Orange County voters - we have finished the process of printing the covers for each sample ballot cover. There are two types of covers - one for non-partisan voters, or Decline-to-State (DTS) and one for those affiliated with a political party. What is the difference? The DTS cover instructs voters that they have the option of selecting either a Democratic or Republican ballot if they vote-by-mail or in their poll site. The party affiliated cover does not have this instruction or option. All of our sample ballots contain every party sample ballot in one publication.

The color we have chosen for the June Primary Election is orange. We will begin mailing these ballots on or after April 29th.

Titles on June Ballot

April 13, 2010 - We receive many questions about what titles will precede each local measure and state proposition. So here is the rundown and what you will see on the ballot in June:

LOCAL
Measure A (Garden Grove)
Garden Grove USD Safety and Repair Measure

Measure B (Buena Park)
Buena Park Neighborhood Schools Sustainability Initiative

Measure C (Costa Mesa)
General Plan Designation of Orange County Fair and Event Center

Measure D (Mission Viejo)
Mission Viejo Right-to-Vote Amendment

STATE
Proposition 13
Limits on Property Tax Assessment. Seismic Retrofitting of Existing Buildings. Legislative Constitutional Amendment

Proposition 14
Elections. Increases Right to Participate in Primary Elections

Proposition 15
California Fair Elections Act

Proposition 16
Imposes New Two-Thirds Voter Approval Requirement for Local Public Electricity Providers. Initiative Constitutional Amendment

Proposition 17
Allows Auto Insurance Companies to Base Their Prices in Part On A Driver's History of Insurance Coverage. Initiative Statute

Take a Virtual Tour of Our Operations

March 31, 2010 - Now with our new Election 360 tool you can take virtual tours of our operations. Why would you want to look inside? For several reasons - the most important being our mission of operating in a completely transparent environment. With a few clicks you can view up to 360 degree images of many of the areas within our department. For example, check out where the votes are tallied, visit our vote-by-mail processing area, or look inside of our mobile outreach vehicles. Plus, you can click on items in the images that may be of interest and receive more information on those topics or pieces of equipment. New features will be added soon so remember to check back often. Click here to get started.

Election Day Field Supervisors Meet

March 27, 2010 - Yesterday nearly 50 of our Election Day field supervisors (or coordinators) met at our office for a debrief of the 72nd Assembly District Election. in addition, they were provided a preview of several of our new initiatives for 2010 (such as our paperless Poll Worker PASS program, new poll worker training video, new supply box materials, June´s OC Fair election supply distribution event and the Orange County Election Academy). We received valuable feedback from these dedicated "volunteers". These men and women are stationed throughout the County and respond to Election Day calls for service. Most are dispatched using our radio communication system and work in tandem with our one-of-a-kind Rapid Deployment Team members (RDTs). All of those who came to our office yesterday have volunteered already for June´s election.

Introducing the Orange County Election Academy

March 26, 2010 - We have just launched the Orange County Election Academy. This unique election program is designed to do two things - provide unique insight into what it takes to process candidates, build ballots and count votes - and - provide interested citizens the opportunity to experience first-hand all of the elements that go into running a transparent election operation.

The Election Academy is an 8-week long academic program designed to leave a lasting impact on those who participate in the program. The program will be conducted at the Registrar of Voters´ office in Santa Ana. The curriculum will encompass all election management functions including candidate filing, campaign finance, ballot creation, communications and more.

Our first session begins September 8, 2010 but we are accepting applications now. Full details can be found by clicking here.

Our New OC Register Ad Campaign

March 24, 2010 - Beginning tomorrow morning you will begin to see advertisements in the OC Register from our department. This campaign, scheduled to run for four weeks, focuses on our need for poll workers to serve in the June Primary Election. These advertisements, designed and produced in-house, are a part of a large marketing plan for 2010. Our marketing mix includes direct mail, print media, "street team" events, community engagement, telephone outreach, and more. June elections are the most difficult to recruit for - due to weddings, graduations, and vacations.

Look for our OC Register advertisements on the front page main news, front page local news and online. We track in detail where our marketing efforts are most effective and use the data to adjust our plan.

What Can Decline-to-State Voters Do?

March 23, 2010 - The question pertains to decline-to-state (DTS) voters and their options for voting in the June 2010 Primary Election. But first - it might be helpful to define what "DTS" means. Voters have the option of not affiliating with a qualified party, such as Democrats or Republicans, when they register or re-register to vote. This does not mean that they do not identify with a particular party, they just choose to remain private about their political beliefs. Others may simply be independent and prefer to make their decisions based on information from a variety of sources.

This is where the California modified open primary system comes into play. During each primary parties can "opt in" DTS voters -allowing them to vote in their primary elections. For June, both the Democrats and Republicans will allow DTS voters to vote their ballots. Permanent DTS voters have been mailed a postcard (pink in color) asking them to select one of these party ballots or a nonpartisan ballot. In addition, DTS voters who apply for a one-time vote-by-mail ballot will have the option to make the same selection, or can do so at their poll site.

If you do not request a party ballot, you will be given a nonpartisan ballot, containing only the names of all candidates for nonpartisan offices and measures to be voted upon at the primary election.

Options for June Poll Worker Training

March 22, 2010 - We are offering more learning options to our poll workers to fit their busy schedules - while at the same time enhancing our training. For the 2010 June Primary Election poll workers will have several options available to them (depending on their experience level). If a poll worker Clerk (those other than the poll site Inspector) has worked in any election (since and including the 2008 Presidential Election) they are eligible for our new comprehensive online training program. This program will offer a detailed online package, complete with tutorials, detailed graphics, videos and enhanced learning tools.

If they would prefer to attend an in-class training that feature is also available to them. In-class training is mandatory for our poll site Inspectors (those in charge of a poll site) and for those Clerks without the required experience. In addition, any of our poll workers will be able to take advantage of our numerous Poll Worker Practice Sessions (more on those to come). Training starts in early May 2010.

Public Review of Rebuttal Argument Begins

March 22, 2010 - There are four measures on the June ballot (click here for a previous posting on those measures and their assigned ballot letters).

Today was the deadline for the submittal of Rebuttal Arguments to be filed with our office against the measures. One argument was field - the argument filed was against Measure B (Buena Park School District Parcel Tax Measure). Tomorrow the public review period begins for this Rebuttal Argument and closes on April 1, 2010.

Only the Rebuttal Arguments are subject to legal action during this public review period.

Court Cases and Ballot Materials

March 20, 2010 - We are currently in the public review period of ballot materials. During this 10-day public examination period, any voter in Orange County may seek a writ of mandate requiring any or all of the material in candidate statements or ballot designations to be amended or deleted. These must be filed prior to the close of the public review period (March 22nd at 5:00 p.m., or March 26th at 5:00 p.m. in the case of the County Treasurer contest).

So how does it work? Registrar of Voters, Neal Kelley, is named in these cases as the Respondent. This is because we cannot make a change to the ballot materials once candidate filing ends without an order of the Court. Our only interest in these cases is to advise the Court of the various deadlines we must comply with in order to ensure that the June Primary Election may occur without interference. The real disputes are between those who might file a case (also known as Petitioners) and their opponent (known as the Real Party in Interest).

These matters are heard quickly by the Courts due to the urgency of the cases. What does it take for the Court to make a change? According to the law there must be "clear and convincing proof" that the material in question is "false, misleading, or inconsistent with the requirements" of the Election Code.

Random Draw Took Place Today - Candidate Log Done

March 18, 2010 - The Secretary of State conducted their random draw of letters today, which determines the order of names on the ballot. We also conducted our own random draw today. You might ask why? When we have cross-over districts (those we share with other counties) the law says that we conduct our own random draw to determine the order of those candidates as they will appear on Orange County ballots. Today we also finalized our candidate log - now if you look at the log (in electronic or printable format) the names appear as they will appear on the ballot (with the exception of those that will rotate by Assembly district).

Click here to view the Secretary of State random draw.

Click here to view our random draw.

Click here to view our e-candidate log.

Letters Assigned to Measures

March 18, 2010 - There will be four local measures on the June ballot. Recently Registrar of Voters, Neal Kelley, assigned letters to the measures, which will be used in June. There are several rules associated with the letters but in this case it was fairly easy - this is because there were no measures used in any election this year so we start at the beginning of the alphabet and move down (with school district measures first). So here are the measures and associated letters (which will appear on the ballot next to the measure titles):

A - Garden Grove Unified School District Bond Measure

B - Buena Park School District Parcel Tax Measure

C - City of Costa Mesa Orange County Fair and Event Center

D - City of Mission Viejo Right-to-Vote Amendment Measure

Election Supply Event at OC Fair

March 17, 2010 - Our office has several new improvements to our operations for the 2010 election cycle. This includes what could be the biggest single election supply distribution event - possibly in the country - at the OC Fairgrounds on Thursday, June 3, 2010. Typically our poll site Inspectors must pick up their supplies the Saturday before an election. Now they will have the option to pick them up on Thursday instead in the OC Fair parking lot (at Gate A off of Fair Drive) from 2:00 p.m. to 8:00 p.m. Over 13 lanes, 15 semi-trucks, full customer service support - combined with military style precision - will allow poll workers to pick up their supplies in just minutes - saving their weekend. More to come on this topic soon.

Looks Like A Long Ballot for June

March 17, 2010 - Now that candidate filing is over and all of the measures are in, we completed an internal process of verifying what would be on the ballot versus not on the ballot (in other words, those who did not qualify). There will be dozens of Central Committee contests on the ballot in June. Central Committees are elected bodies of qualified parties. For example, there will be American Independent, Democratic and Republican Central Committee races (these races are based on Assembly districts). So what does this have to do with the length of the ballot? As an example, one single contest will have 17 candidates on the ballot. As a result we know that we will have a 14" ballot, which could push to three pages in some areas.

Time is Running Out for Treasurer Race

March 17, 2010 - Although candidate filing closed last Friday evening, the incumbent did not return for the County Treasurer-Tax Collector´s position. This meant that by law the contest filing was extended to today at 5:00 p.m. So far, six individuals have pulled papers indicating their interest in running for this seat. However, as of this morning, only one candidate has completed and qualified for the ballot.

According to the California Government Code, there are one of five qualifications that must be met in order to make one eligible to run for Treasurer-Tax Collector. These can be found in Government Code section 27000.7. The hard deadline to qualify for the ballot, for this race, is 5 p.m. tonight.

FPPC Workshop Tonight at Registrar of Voters

March 16, 2010 - Although there is very limited space still available, we will be hosting a California Fair Political Practices Commission (FPPC) workshop for candidates and treasurers tonight, March 16th at 7:00 p.m. Attendees will learn the rules of campaign disclosure, which will be conducted by the Technical Assistance Division of the FPPC.

The seminar is geared to local campaign committees that will raise over $1,000. However, all candidates are welcome and encouraged to attend. Reservations are required and can be made by calling 1-866-275-3772.

Public Review of Ballot Materials Underway

March 15, 2010 - Candidate filing for the June 2010 Primary Election closed Friday evening. This means that the ballot designations and candidate statements filed with our office are open to public review through March 22, 2010 at 5:00 p.m. This is the time that members of the public, which include all candidates, can "challenge" the designation or statement of any candidate. The rules for filing a challenge can be found in the California Elections Code (under section 13307). Any challenge must be filed with the Superior Court (jurisdictions change, depending on the type of race) before the 5:00 p.m. deadline. If a challenge is successful, the court will direct our office to print new language (or make minor modifications).

Introducing Our New 2010 Stay Connected Pages

March 15, 2010 - After a detailed re-design we are proud to launch our new Stay Connected web pages. These unique web pages reveal behind-the-scenes details into our election operations. Included in this new section of our website are features such as a pressroom (press kits, images for the media, press releases, press release library, fact sheets and more); video feeds (with newly embedded videos); expanded podcasts and new newsletters. Plus, visitors can easily search our newsfeeds (displayed in a new, easy-to-view format) and access our social networking sites.

All of this content is available for email delivery right to your desktop. Our office is one of the largest users of the e-gov delivery system - keeping thousands of Orange County citizens informed. Click here to access this new site!

When Will the Sample Ballot Print?

March 13, 2010 - We shoot for mailing our sample ballot to voters by the 40th day prior to an election (the first allowable date). But this date floats for a variety of reasons. For example, when measures are filed at the last minute there must be enough time allowed for the public to file arguments for or against the measure. In addition, there may be legal challenges to ballot designations or statements that must be adjudicated. Then you must factor in language translations, required by federal law, and all of this adds up to unavoidable delays in our final printing schedule. Stay tuned to our newsfeeds for up-to-the-minute details on our printing and mailing schedules.

New Stay Connected Website to Launch Monday

March 13, 2010 - We have spent months redesigning our unique Stay Connected pages for the 2010 election cycle. These new pages will offer many new features - such as:

- A pressroom, giving the media a one-stop location for press releases, images for use in their publications, media kits (detailed information, images, and fact sheets on topics of interest), easy-to-use press release search features and more.

- Newly enhanced video feeds - providing embedded videos and timely topics related to our election operations

- Expansion of our O.C. Election Radio (our feature podcasts) covering a variety of topics. These are ideal for poll workers and the media looking for insight to specific operational aspects of our Department

- New election newsletter, poll worker newsletter and our latest addition - our outreach newsletter

Bookmark this new Stay Connected page once we launch it for the most complete "inside" election information available in California.

How Will Fourth District Supervisor Race Work?

March 13, 2010 - We receive many questions from members of the public, media and candidates as to how the 4th District race for Orange County Supervisor will work given that there is a vacancy.

In January then Supervisor Chris Norby won the 72nd Assembly District Special Election. The seat was vacated by former Assemblyman Mike Duvall in 2009. This meant Mr. Norby vacated his 4th District seat early (his term ran through January 2011).

Under the rules of the County Charter there will be a special vacancy election (although it will be consolidated with the June Primary Election on June 8, 2010). If no candidate receives 50% + 1 vote then there will be a runoff between the top two candidates who received the most votes. Meanwhile, the candidate who received the most votes would fill out the remainder of the term (even through the runoff).

However, if a candidate receives 50% + 1 of the votes cast in June that individual would be seated to fill out the remainder of the term (through January) and then would be sworn in as the new Supervisor for the new four year term.

Candidate Filing Closes While Qualifying Continues

March 13, 2010 - Last evening candidate filing closed for the June 2010 Primary Election. We had about 10 people in line when the door was closed and locked with the assistance of the Orange County Sheriff´s Department at 5:00 p.m. Yes, some people can be very passionate about being let in after the deadline so we use a Sheriff´s Deputy to keep the peace.

As of last night we had qualified nearly 185 candidates in just under 160 contests. We will continue to qualify candidates (proof their documents, make sure they have enough nomination signatures, etc.) today. Our electronic candidate log will be updated later today to reflect the final candidates in each contest.