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Orange County vows election transparency
Orange County election officials say multiple safeguards are in place to ensure the June 2 primary is safe and secure.
ORANGE COUNTY, Calif. - With the June 2 primary less than a week away, the Orange County Registrar of Voters is assuring the public the election will be safe and secure.
FOX 11 got a look inside the Orange County Election Center, where ballots are processed.
Election integrity remains a top concern for many voters.
"Fraud is very rare, and it’s stayed rare," said Bob Page, the Orange County registrar of voters.
Page explained that ballots go through a 125-step process to maintain integrity.
"If you cheat, we’re going to catch you. We’re going to catch you," said Orange County District Attorney Todd Spitzer.
Spitzer said his office works closely with the registrar whenever fraud is suspected.
"I’m fairly confident — I’m fairly confident with a high degree of certainty — that we have fraud-free elections here in Orange County," said Spitzer.
He said over the past eight years, his office has filed four voter fraud cases.
One of them was just last year, when a Costa Mesa woman was charged with registering her dog to vote. She also cast ballots in multiple elections.
She pleaded guilty earlier this year and will be sentenced in the fall.
The registrar also spoke about how allowing voters to cast their ballots at any vote center in the county has helped.
"I believe it does provide better access to voters, that they can go to any vote center in the county and vote safely and securely. I believe it has added security measures with the use of electronic poll books, so we can more sufficiently identify people that try to vote a second ballot," said Page.
The District Attorney’s Office has set up an election fraud hotline. That number is 714-721-7578. There is also an email address: elections@ocdistrictattorney.gov.