Maintaining the integrity of elections isn’t a new thing. But in an era where claims of voter fraud, suppression and other acts that compromise the integrity of the democratic process has become commonplace, officials in Los Angeles County have a message for the public: Voting is safe and secure in L.A. County.
But if you see something suspicious, report it. And if you’re thinking about committing a bad act, don’t – you will get caught.
At least, that was the message that L.A. County Registrar-Recorder/County Clerk Dean Logan and County Sheriff Robert Luna shared during a joint press conference Tuesday, Oct. 29, at the L.A. County Ballot Processing Center, where they spoke about what their agencies are doing to safeguard the integrity of the Nov. 5 general election.
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“There’s a narrative around the country about the security of the elections process, and we want to be sure that voters have the confidence that we have a process that’s going to protect both them, our staff and also their ballots,” Logan said.
Luna said there has been no credible threat to polling locations or poll workers in L.A. County but that his department is monitoring the situation and is “prepared to respond swiftly” in the event of an incident.
“We will not tolerate any actions from individuals who seek to either intimidate or disrupt our democratic process,” Luna said, adding that interfering with the election process can result in a misdemeanor or even felony charge.
Tuesday’s press conference came amid heightened concerns about compromised elections.
On Monday, two ballot boxes – one in Washington, another in Oregon – were intentionally set on fire, authorities believe. Hundreds of ballots were destroyed in what one official described to the Associated Press as a “direct attack on democracy.”
Logan said the ballot boxes in L.A. County are designed to suppress fires. However, he acknowledged that he’s concerned ballots could get water damaged in the process of firefighters putting out a fire.
L.A. County has more than 5.6 million registered voters. It’s unknown how many of those voters will cast ballots this election, but as of Tuesday morning, the registrar’s office had received back more than 900,000 vote-by-mail ballots, Logan said.
And since opening 122 vote centers over the weekend for people to vote early in person, more than 40,000 people had been served at these centers as of Monday night, he said. (A few hundred more vote centers will open this weekend for a total of 648 vote centers throughout the county.)
During Tuesday’s news conference, Logan and Luna highlighted the partnership between their two agencies.
Personnel from the Sheriff’s Department transport the ballots from all 648 vote centers, via patrol cars or a helicopter, and drop them off at the county’s ballot processing center in the City of Industry on election night. The Sheriff’s Department’s K-9 units also inspect the ballots for suspicious substances.
The county first began processing ballots at their new, roughly 145,000-square-foot processing center during the March primary election. This November will be the first general election where the ballot processing will take place there.
Staff from the registrar’s office said they expect 700 to 800 election workers at the ballot processing center once it’s fully staffed up and about another 9,000 workers throughout the county to help with the elections.
Members of the public are welcome to come in person to observe the ballot counting – although they’ll have to fill out some forms and be escorted around the facility. The public can also watch the ballot processing unfold via a web stream.
Registrar officials say they do this to promote transparency in the election process.
Because this is a presidential election year and the ballot is especially long given the number of races and measures on the ballot, Logan offered one piece of advice to voters: do not put off voting.
Referring to the Los Angeles Dodgers’ commanding 3-0 lead in the World Series which all but assures they’ll be crowned world champions, Logan encouraged people to cast their ballots early.
“Let’s do it like Freddie Freeman and the Dodgers and get it done early,” he said, “and be sure that we have a good voter turnout.”
To locate ballot drop boxes or vote centers near you, visit plan.lavote.gov.
