Secure Storage:

This area is where all Placer County voting equipment is stored and programmed. This area is also where all laptops used in vote centers are configured and secured before being deployed for the election. During the time when voting equipment is being programmed and logic and accuracy (L&A) testing is being completed (currently scheduled from September 30th to October 11th for the November election), you will see Placer County Elections Information Technology (IT) staff working in this area.

This area features security measures such as chain link fencing to secure the programmable voting equipment from the rest of the warehouse, badge access doors and gates, and an alarm zone that is separate from the rest of the building, allowing the area to be alarmed even when the rest of the building alarm is disarmed. Only select permanent Placer County Elections employees have access to this area.

If there is ever a need for someone other than Placer County Election staff to enter this area, such as building maintenance staff, temporary staff, etc., a permanent member of Election staff will escort them and stay with them for the duration of the time they are inside of the cage. This area has 24/7 surveillance.

Ballot Counting:

This secure room is where the Placer County vote tabulation servers are stored. All Placer County election database creation, ballot layout and vote by mail ballot tabulation occurs here. On Election Night, the upload of ballots tabulated at the vote centers will also occur here. There are no outside connections in this room. All ballot tabulation computers and servers are isolated and do not connect to the internet. There is no WIFI enabled on all the devices in this room and all devices are wired to each other in an isolated local area network (LAN) environment.

You will see permanent Placer County Election staff members counting vote by mail ballots in this room by loading ballots into scanners many days during the period we are legally allowed to count ballots (for the November election, this period is October 7th to December 3rd).  You will also see us performing a logic and accuracy test on the machinery before counting begins (currently scheduled from September 30th to October 11th).  This area has 24/7 surveillance.

Vote by Mail Ballot (VBM) Sorting:

This area is where all the returned vote by mail ballots are processed. The first step in processing is to run the ballots through the large sorting machine, which can be identified by the numerous sort pockets visible. The machine removes the portion of the envelope flap that protects voter signatures and takes a picture of that area on the envelope, which later allows Placer County Election staff to compare the envelope signature to the original signature(s) the Elections Office has on file.  The machine also reads the barcode on the outside of the ballot envelope to match the envelope to a specific voter in the voter file.  At this first step, the machine will also sort out ballots that are voided (due to cancellation or because the voter updated their voter registration information, which automatically voids the previous ballot issued) from ballots that move forward in the counting process.

After this first pass, the envelopes are placed in bins and set on shelves until Placer County Election staff complete signature verification on every envelope in that batch.  Signature verification is not a machine process.  Signature verification is performed by human eyes on every single incoming vote-by-mail ballot.  The comparison is made on a computer screen using the photograph of the signature from the vote-by-mail ballot envelope being shown alongside the signature(s) on file from the voter’s registration card(s) (or DMV signature(s) if the voter registered online or at the DMV). If a signature is deemed “Good,” it is marked as such in the system.  If the signature is determined not to match or if the signature is missing from the envelope, the record is marked as “Challenged.”  After signature checking is complete, the batches of envelopes are run through the sorting machine for a second pass, which will separate not only the challenged envelopes from the good envelopes, but also into a more distinct and granular sort scheme where challenged envelopes are sorted into challenge types (unmatched signature, unsigned, no signature) and good envelopes are sorted by supervisorial district.

Challenged envelopes will go through multiple review stages, including review by the County Registrar of Voters and his management staff. In accordance with state law, letters are sent to any challenged voters to give them not only the ability to “cure” the signature issue so that their ballot may be extracted and counted but also the ability to let the Elections Office know if vote fraud has occurred. In addition to mailing the letter, the Elections Office will call or email the voter if the Elections Office has that information in the voter file.

Envelopes deemed good are taken to one of two opening machines that are designed to more efficiently extract the ballot from the envelope. Once the ballot is separated from the envelope, there is no way to link the ballot back to the voter. Empty ballot envelopes are saved in case the election is challenged in court. Extracted ballots are then taken to tables in the sorting room and checked for any identifying marks, erroneous marks, or anything that could cause counting issues (such as stains from food and beverages or doodles that make the ballot card unique). The ballots are then counted into groups of 200 or fewer and placed into boxes. The boxes are sealed and the number of ballots in the box is notated on the outside of the box. The sealed boxes are placed onto a cart and will be taken into the Ballot Counting room next door for tabulation.

Ballots that are stained, damaged, or have personal identifying marks are duplicated to new ballots without these issues. That duplication is done in this room as well and follows a process where the original ballot can be linked back to the duplicated ballot in case of a recount or legal challenge.

This area has 24/7 surveillance.