Election Day is almost here, and federal threats to the election are multiplying, especially accusations directed at the election workers who count our votes. With that in mind Indivisible Ojai Valley hosted a talk in August by Michelle Ascencion, Ventura County Clerk-Recorder, to give her a chance to educate our members and clear the air on questions of voter fraud and vote manipulation. In her talk Michelle reviewed her office’s systematic vote-counting process, and highlighted its rigorous security and verification measures. Election deniers may make false claims about elections so they can raise doubts about the results, but Michelle presented a clear picture of the true integrity and professionalism of the county’s election office.
Security measures are embedded in the vote-counting process. Long before the election all electronic equipment is pretested, including the ballot-marking touch screens that record votes and then produce paper ballots. Any attempts at voter fraud are investigated, and any cases that cannot be resolved are referred to the district attorney’s office as potential felonies.
Her office’s calendar for the general election:
- Oct. 5 — secure ballot drop boxes opened
- Oct. 24 — early voting began at a first group of vote centers
- Oct. 31 — all 53 vote centers open
- Nov. 3 — Election Day
- Mid-November — manual vote tally audits confirm the machine counts
We owe a debt of gratitude to Michelle Ascencion and the civil servants she works with, who are sometimes targeted with mistrust and threats even as they faithfully serve the public.
Watch her full talk. Her key dates, a summary of what she covered, and the full transcript are on How Ventura County Counts Your Vote.
A version of this letter by Bill Haff ran in the Ojai Valley News on Sept. 4.