Contra Costa makes sure your vote counts
CONCORD, CA (Sept. 27, 2024) – There is a lot of misinformation circulating on social media that can lead residents to question whether their vote will be counted accurately in November’s election.
Democracy is reliant on voter participation, and misinformation weakens that. I want to ensure you have accurate information on how Contra Costa County Elections protects your vote.
First, Elections checks that you are eligible to vote. Only eligible people can register to vote, and they sign under penalty of perjury that they meet eligibility requirements. Registration is validated against DMV or Social Security records and if an applicant cannot be validated, they must provide a government-issued photo identification the first time they vote.
Second, Elections makes sure it is you when you vote. Election officials check every ballot return envelope to compare the signature to the voter’s signature on file before the ballot can be counted. If the signatures do not match or if the signature is missing, election officials contact the voter to “cure” their vote-by-mail ballot status. Once the voter’s signature is verified, then the ballot can be counted.
Third, Elections checks that you only vote once. A voter’s activity is logged in the voting history system when they submit their vote-by-mail ballot or vote in person. Safeguards are in place so only one ballot is accepted per voter, and only the first ballot received is counted.
Fourth, Elections checks that your ballot is read and properly counted. The county uses a paper-based, optical scan ballot system that is tested before and after every election to verify votes are counted and recorded properly. Any ballot that cannot be read by the scanners is manually reviewed by a team of two Elections’ staff.
After Election Day, officials perform a 1% manual hand tally (audit) of the votes to confirm that the voting system accurately tabulated and reported votes cast for all races.
Every vote counts
To summarize, before election results are finalized, election officials ensure that every eligible ballot is counted, that voters only voted once, that all proper procedures were followed, and that the vote tabulation system counted ballots properly. Your vote and identity are checked four times throughout the voting process.
In addition to the multiple system checks, the public can observe all election processes and procedures at the Elections Office and/or Election Operations Center, including the preparation of tabulating devices, vote-by-mail processes and central count. This ensures transparency every step of the way.
I hope this information gives you peace of mind about your vote.
This is just a brief overview and there are more ways Elections works to protect your vote. If you are interested in learning more about election security, please visit secure-election.org.
If you are interested in observing any election-associated activity, please visit www.contracostavote.gov/elections/candidates-campaigns-measures/observer-rules-and-regulations.
Ken Carlson is Contra Costa County District IV supervisor. Email questions or comments to SupervisorCarlson@bos.cccounty.us or call his office at 925-655-2350.