IN PHOTOS: Here’s how vote-by-mail ballots are counted in Orange County
Vote-by-Mail ballots collected from drop boxes are securely transported by two-person teams and logged in at the Registrar of Voters (ROV) headquarters receiving prior to processing. Photo by Kathy Rafferty / el Don
For the past two weeks, el Don has been going to the Orange County Registrar of Voters Headquarters in Santa Ana to learn about secure voting and how local vote-by-mail ballots are received and processed firsthand.
Many meticulous steps are involved in receiving and processing the ballots, including verifying signatures, scanning, sorting and storing the ballots on secure hard drives. Below are exclusive behind-the-scenes looks as staff prepare for the historic election on Nov. 5.
After Vote-by-Mail ballot envelopes are received from ballot drop boxes, the Post Office, or Vote Centers they are scanned and sorted by precinct. Photo by Kathy Rafferty / el Don
ROV staff review the ballot envelope images and verify signatures against voter registration records. Those that don’t match are flagged for further review. Photo by Kathy Rafferty / el Don
Ballot envelopes pass through an extractor device that slices open the envelope so the ballot can be manually removed. Overhead monitors display the activity at each extraction station. Photo by Kathy Rafferty / el Don
To be counted, Vote-by-Mail ballots must be scanned, reviewed and stored on secure drives until after 8 p.m. election night. The scanners are not connected to any outside network or the internet. Photo by Kathy Rafferty / el Don
Ballots that are damaged or not properly marked go through an additional process. The original ballot is labeled “ORIGINAL” and duplicate ballots, marked by hand or electronically, are stamped “DUPLICATE”. They are then reviewed and scanned. Photo by Kathy Rafferty / el Don
Monitors allow members of the public to observe the signature verification and ballot duplication processes up close without affecting staff. Election Observers must sign in and are allowed to take notes and watch all procedures as long as they don’t interfere with voting or the election process. Photo by Kathy Rafferty / el Don
It has finally happened. The day Angels fans and Orange County residents have awaited for years has come; Arte Moreno has sold the Angels. The County Project, an Orange County-based group devoted
It is easy to see why Nick the Greek, located at 1313 West 17th Street. across from Santa Ana College, stands out among a crowded local food scene. The appeal is obvious,
Santiago Canyon College is seeking a $4 million credit line from the district’s reserves to rectify a budget deficit for paying part-time professors. Acting SCC officials said the school did not account
Sofia Chavez is one of two new ethnic studies professors this semester at Santa Ana College. She brings education and experience from Bryn Mawr College, the University of California, Berkeley and Dartmouth
It’s been six weeks since the start of fall semester and the campus is sprinkled with students unwinding between classes, preparing before lectures, making their way to labs, and checking out student
Kathy Rafferty
