The vast majority of votes in San Diego -- upwards of 85%, according to the Registrar of Voters -- are cast via mail ballots. Once those ballots are dropped or mailed, they all end up at the Registrar, which is the county's centralized counting location.
“I know our voters are sometimes curious when they return their mail ballot of what happens to it at that point,” said Registrar of Voters Cynthia Paes.
Step 1
The first step: signature verification. Equipment takes a picture of the signature. If it is not a high confidence match to the autograph in your voter registration file, election workers do a comparison.
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“That's the key security measure to ensure folks are not misusing that ballot return envelope,” said Paes. “The equipment cannot challenge a signature. Anything that isn't a high confidence match goes on for humanize to verify that signature.”
If there is an unreconcilable discrepancy, or if the voter forgot to sign their envelope, they receive a notification within 24 hours. The registrar's goal is not only to prevent fraud, but to ensure every valid voter's voice is heard.
Step 2
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Once the signature is verified, ballots more to the extraction room. The ballot is taken out of the envelope once and for all, ensuring secrecy from this step forward.
“If any of these are set aside to be remade, and that could be because they’re damaged, coffee spilled on them, if they’re filled out with glitter ink or things of that nature, they are set aside and go through the duplication process,” said Paes.
Step 3
If they do pass muster, they are transferred to tabulation. The tabulation room is highly secured, with limited access. It is not even connected to the internet. The machines are already kicked into high gear, counting early votes.
“I’m hoping viewing all of this builds trust. San Diego County has a long history of administering safe and secure elections. This election is no different,” said Paes.
