Report 2017-107 Recommendation 11 Responses

Report 2017-107: Santa Clara County Registrar of Voters: Insufficient Policies and Procedures Have Led to Errors That May Have Reduced Voters' Confidence in the Registrar's Office (Release Date: October 2017)

Recommendation #11 To: Secretary of State, Office of the

The Secretary of State should adopt regulations establishing clear criteria for mistakes in election-related materials that constitute reportable errors and require counties to report these errors to it after each election.

Annual Follow-Up Agency Response From September 2023

The Secretary of State continues to provide ongoing guidance to county elections officials through weekly meetings, guidance documents, and memorandums to minimize the potential for errors in election-related materials. The Secretary of State also continues to request that counties timely report to our office any significant errors in election materials such as typographical, missing information, incorrect information, translations, mailing related, and technical errors. When errors are brought to our attention, we immediately work with the county elections official to mitigate the issue and minimize any potential impact to voters. The Secretary of State continues to research the authority to develop regulations to establish criteria for mistakes in election-related materials that constitute reportable errors.

California State Auditor's Assessment of Annual Follow-Up Status: Pending

Annual Follow-Up Agency Response From October 2022

The Secretary of State is in the process of researching the development of regulations to establish criteria for mistakes in election-related materials that constitute reportable errors after the completion of the November General Election canvass in early December 2022. The Secretary of State continues to request that counties report to our office any substantive errors in election-related materials provided to voters so that we may assist in mitigating those errors as they occur and track them. If an issue occurs, we share with the reporting county what other counties have done to mitigate similar issues.

California State Auditor's Assessment of Annual Follow-Up Status: Pending

Annual Follow-Up Agency Response From October 2021

Due to the unexpected statewide gubernatorial recall election, we will begin developing regulations to establish criteria for mistakes in election-related materials that constitute reportable errors after the completion of the gubernatorial recall election canvass in late October 2021. For the 2021 recall election, the Secretary of State again requested that counties report to our office any substantive errors in election-related materials provided to voters so that we may assist in mitigating those errors as they occur and track them, as we did in 2018 and 2020.

California State Auditor's Assessment of Annual Follow-Up Status: Pending

Annual Follow-Up Agency Response From October 2020

As previously reported, we will begin developing regulations to establish criteria for mistakes in election-related materials that constitute reportable errors after the completion of the 2020 election cycle. For the 2020 election cycle, the Secretary of State again requested that counties report to our office any substantive errors in election-related materials provided to voters so that we may assist in mitigating those errors as they occur and track them, as we did in 2018.

California State Auditor's Assessment of Annual Follow-Up Status: Pending

Annual Follow-Up Agency Response From October 2019

The Secretary of State is currently in the process of developing and promulgating three sets of statutorily required regulations related to the administration of elections that must be in place before the 2020 election cycle. We will begin developing regulations to establish criteria for mistakes in election-related materials that constitute reportable errors after the completion of the 2020 election cycle. For the 2020 election cycle, the Secretary of State will again request that counties report to our office any substantive errors in election-related materials provided to voters so that we may assist in mitigating those errors as they occur and track them, as we did in 2018.

California State Auditor's Assessment of Annual Follow-Up Status: Pending

1-Year Agency Response

The Secretary of State does not currently have the resources to develop and promulgate regulations during the 2018 election cycle, which is in progress; however, we plan to do so in the next non-statewide election year, 2019. For the 2018 election cycle, the Secretary of State has asked counties to report to our office any substantive errors in election-related materials provided to voters so that we may assist in mitigating those errors as they occur. In addition, we will use any reported errors to develop best practices to share with all county elections officials to assist them in the preparation of their election related materials.

California State Auditor's Assessment of 1-Year Status: Pending

6-Month Agency Response

The Secretary of State does not currently have the resources to develop and promulgate regulations during the 2018 election cycle, which has already begun; however, we plan to do so in the next non-statewide election year, 2019. For the 2018 election cycle, the Secretary of State has asked counties report to our office any substantive errors in election-related materials provided to voters so that we may assist in mitigating those errors as they occur. In addition, we will use any reported errors to develop best practices to share with all county elections officials to assist them in the preparation of their election-related materials.

California State Auditor's Assessment of 6-Month Status: Pending

60-Day Agency Response

The Secretary of State does not currently have the resources to develop and promulgate regulations during the 2018 election cycle, which has already begun; however, we plan to do so in the next non-statewide election year, 2019. For the 2018 election cycle, the Secretary of State will request counties report to our office any substantive errors in election-related materials provided to voters so that we may assist in mitigating those errors as they occur. In addition, we will use any reported errors to develop best practices to share with all county elections officials to assist them in the preparation of their election-related materials.

California State Auditor's Assessment of 60-Day Status: Pending

All Recommendations in 2017-107

Agency responses received are posted verbatim.