Elections officials prep for upcoming contests

Though he said ballots cast during the 2016 presidential election were not compromised or changed, Church acknowledged the damage done by the intrusion into voter databases by nation-state criminals attempting to undermine the nation’s democratic institutions. With reports of instances in states other than California when voter registration databases were scanned and altered and evidence malicious actors disseminated misinformation on social media, public confidence in the nation’s electoral process was weakened during the 2016 general election, he noted.

Pegging the security of elections technology and voting facilities as well as confidence in the nation’s democratic institutions as among the primary areas of risk his office is monitoring, Church looked to the office’s practice of continuously reviewing and refining its policies to meet the challenges presented by one of the most complex elections environments in California’s history.

“We live in an age where the threat of sophisticated cyberattacks is very real,” he said in an email. “Both the public and private sectors are constantly under attack by malicious actors … . Despite these well-funded cyberattacks, San Mateo County voters can rest assured that their votes and voting systems are safe and secure.”

Though Church said an older voting system the Elections Office used to process more than 3.7 million votes since 2006 was extremely secure and accurate, he expected a new voting system San Mateo County officials purchased in July to provide the highest degree of election security and transparency. Featuring a closed system with no connection to the internet or county network, digital encryption to protect data and strict processes to document who is in possession of ballots, among others, the Dominion “Democracy Suite” meets all U.S. Election Assistance Commission security guidelines and is certified by the California Secretary of State, noted Church.

One of five counties to pilot changes under the Voter’s Choice Act, San Mateo County is positioned to efficiently administer elections under a model aimed at ushering in increased opportunities for voters to cast their ballots, such as the all-mailed ballot, added Church. The June 5, 2018, primary election and the Nov. 6, 2018, midterm election were the first two San Mateo County conducted under the Voter’s Choice Act. In the Nov. 6, 2018, midterm election, 39 vote centers where voters can cast their ballots available in the days leading up to Election Day opened in every city in the county and nearly 400,000 vote-by-mail ballots distributed to registered voters in San Mateo County.

Under the Voter’s Choice Act and rules set by the secretary of state’s office, all counties holding elections under the Voter’s Choice Act are required to move to a system using paper ballots, which are believed to be the most secure form of voting given their clear audit trail and custody procedures, said Church. Because it can be difficult for vote centers scattered throughout the county to connect to databases providing real-time voter registration data to poll workers, the Elections Office has worked with the San Mateo County Information Services Department to penetrate the county’s firewalls with secure virtual private network connections so the data may be transferred safely between the databases, county systems and vote centers, he said.

Church added his office works closely with several agencies to monitor and combat cyberattacks, including the U.S. Department of Homeland Security and the secretary of state’s Office of Elections Cybersecurity and Enterprise Risk Management, among others.

Church noted the changes the Elections Office has enacted under the Voter’s Choice Act has improved the office’s ability to enact operational changes required by other elections laws crafted to increase voter participation.

“Elections security and cyber defense is a continuous improvement process where both technological, operational and mechanical systems are constantly evaluated, tested and upgraded to meet the highest security standards,” he said. “We are continually reviewing and refining our department’s policies and procedures to deploy best practices and rigorous staff training standards.”

Though Church acknowledged his office was fortunate to receive five additional staff members during the county’s most recent budget cycle, he said recruiting new employees has been challenging given a limited labor market. He said the office is still in the process of filling those positions.

At 19 full-time staff members, the Elections Office is below the average staffing of comparable Bay Area counties, said Church, who added San Mateo County serves 20 cities and 50 jurisdictions. He noted San Mateo County serves more cities than Alameda or Santa Clara counties, but was confident his team is prepared for the next slate of elections.

“We have an extremely professional, passionate and dedicated elections team,” he said. “We are fully prepared to conduct the 2019 November [uniform district election] … and the upcoming 2020 presidential primary and general elections under our new voting model and voting systems.”

anna@smdailyjournal.com

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