How Sierra County Counts the Vote

November 7, 2024


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Sierra County election workers count ballots on election day

Sierra County election workers count ballots on election day

DOWNIEVILLE — Sierra County traditionally has one of the highest voter turnouts of any county in California, and this election was no exception, with nearly 76% of registered voters (1688 of 2225) casting their vote in 2024 compared to the statewide average turnout of 44% (according to the California Secretary of State). On Tuesday, the Sierra County Clerk-Recorder and her team of professionals demonstrated the system of checks and balances helping ensure a fair election.

First, when a ballot arrives by mail or is dropped off at the Courthouse, the officials scan the bar code on the back of the envelope to check it in as received. The scan pulls up an electronic signature on file from when the voter registered to compare to the signature on the ballot visually. Then, the ballots are separated according to one of the 19 voting precincts that align with one of the five supervisorial districts in the county, arranged alphabetically, put in separate boxes, and sealed. Two election officials then go through the ballots and compare names against the registration database as a second check to ensure they are eligible voters. The name is also checked against a statewide database to ensure that the individual did not cast a vote in another county.

The ballot envelopes are then opened and processed one precinct at a time. As they pull the ballots out, they ensure no marks or ink exist that the election scanner might misinterpret. As it turns out, one of the only real problems is when people use white-out, which cannot be read. In that case, officials duplicate that ballot to ensure the voter’s intent is carried out. The ballots return to a box, which is sealed and carried to the vote scanner machine.

The scanner machine is connected to three servers that do not connect to the internet to safeguard against remote hacking. Fortunately for election officials, a new scanner was used for this election, which can scan roughly 100-ballot batches in a minute each. The old system could only process seven ballots at a time. Ballots are provided a batch number that voters can use to verify their vote was counted. In some cases, there may be an “undervote” or “overvote.” An undervote means no vote was cast for a particular contest. An “overvote” occurs when someone may have marked more than one option or, as more often happens, someone marks one choice and then crosses it out to make another choice. This process of correcting these is called “adjudication.” The election official will flag and look closely at the ballot to ensure voter intent is carried out. If it is unclear, the contest in question is not counted, but every other contest on the ballot is still counted.

Once the ballots are scanned and accounted for, the Clerk-Recorder prints out a report, which is then uploaded to the Sierra County website. Results are also entered into another statewide system operated by the California Secretary of State’s Office.

California polls close at 8 PM PST, and no results could be published until that time. At 8 PM, the Clerk-Recorder posted all results available, then waited for the ballot drop box from Loyalton to be delivered by the Sheriff’s Office, which arrived under guard around 9:15 PM. There were a large number of election day voters, which lengthened the process, especially considering a separate ballot had to be processed for the Eastern Plumas Healthcare District election, which only affected the eastern part of Sierra County. Scanned ballots were then put back into boxes, sealed, and stored securely in case they needed to be hand tabulated. Federal election rules dictate that ballots must be kept for 22 months.

This year’s election team included Clerk-Recorder Heather Foster, Melissa Kinneer, Sean Ames, Sierra Folsom, Crystal Rust, and Kristy Folsom, who worked tirelessly throughout the night counting votes. As we approach future elections, Foster reminded us that one vote can make a difference in this small county, where a single vote has determined past local races.