The Elections Office must continue to take proactive measures to communicate information to voters and make the candidate process as easy to understand as possible. By improving upon the information provided to voters and candidates, we can further increase engagement and make the elections process more accessible.

Informing Voters and Candidates on the Process. Working for the Elections Office, I redesigned our voter information guides and candidate guides, so they are easier to read, process, and understand. Moving forward, I will examine ways to redesign our website to be more instructive, such as illustrating step-by-step procedures to help voters and candidates access the elections process.

Improving Voter Turnout. I believe our office must always look for new ways to encourage residents to turn out for elections and expand upon their civic engagement. Such engagement should span the spectrum of political affiliations, gender, age, and socio-economics. While increasing voter turnout is tied to people’s faith in the ability to work together to effect positive change, it is also dependent upon being well informed.  As County Registrar, I would strive to have my office always viewed as a reliable source for voter and candidate information.

Transparency and outreach are key to building confidence in our elections process. By communicating more with the public about the steps we take to protect our democratic processes, we can help further enhance public confidence in the security of our election and the accuracy of the ballot count. And with transparency, we can combat misinformation and better resolve election disputes.

Broadcasting Ballot Verification. We currently conduct post-election ballot audits to ensure the accuracy of Humboldt’s election results. We do this through a manual tally of the election and even go beyond any other county in California by working with the Election Transparency Project, an outside nonprofit that conducts a complete independent count of the ballots and makes its work fully available to the public. As Liaison to The Election Transparency Project, I understand the importance of this work.  As your Registrar, I will ensure that this review process continues.

Maintaining Elections Security. We actively secure our elections process in the Elections Office. I have played a key role in expanding voter security in Humboldt County. I’ve developed and implemented chain-of-custody protocols for voting systems that let our office know who was responsible for each piece of equipment throughout its deployment. When the Elections Office received new voting equipment in 2020, I led the effort to configure the software and conduct logic and accuracy tests live on TV/Livestream before each election. Election security will continue to be a priority.

1. I will institute a method of surveying residents about their experiences interacting with our services.
2. I will pursue best practices in seeking stakeholder input before implementing new tools and processes.
3. I will work with staff to maintain public communications as we change our systems to better serve the County.

We must support and advance the employees in the Clerk, Recorder & Registrar of Voters’ office while cultivating creativity and ingenuity to improve the efficiency and accessibility of our operations.

Fair and Professional Administrative Processes. Adhering to a fair and consistent process designed for the needs of our residents is paramount to providing meaningful access to our services. I will consult with a broad array of stakeholders to inform a fair and equitable administrative process. I will leverage my Public Administration education and experience to ensure that we implement up-to-date best practices within the department.

Fiscal Stewardship & Efficient Administration of Our Operations. Recognizing that the implementation of modern government resources within Humboldt County is constrained by the financial limitations common among rural governments, we are made to do more with less. For this reason, efficiencies must be programmed into our administrative operations, reducing the time and energy required in one place so that we may give more elsewhere.

Fairly Treated Employees Create Effective Organizations. I have a strong belief that treating our employees fairly will result in a more efficient and effectively run organization. It is good to have an experienced staff that sticks around. I am currently a union steward for our Humboldt County employees, and while the Clerk, Recorder & Registrar of Voters is not a union-represented employee, my experience in working with union relations will help me in creating a fair and productive work environment.

If our office isn’t keeping up with the newly enacted laws in California, our policies and processes become non-compliant, doing a disservice to our residents. To make sure that new laws work for Humboldt, we need to take a proactive approach to legislation and regulation, rather than reactively scurrying to comply with the latest law. It is better to engage in decision-making processes before decisions are made rather than afterward. 

Updating Policies and Processes to Comply with State Law. During the last decade, an average of more than 20 bills effecting the administration of elections were enacted each year in California – and most directly affected Humboldt’s election process, causing the Elections Office to update policies and how it administers elections. The rate at which elections law changes creates challenges that Humboldt’s next Clerk, Recorder & Registrar of Voters must address to comply with state law and provide a smooth elections process for Humboldt.

I have the necessary experience to ensure that the offices of the Clerk, Recorder & Registrar of Voters keep current with legal requirements. I demonstrated such experience working with Access Humboldt by offering compliance training to District Boards for a new law enacted to increase public access to Special Districts in our county. I would be diligent in ensuring legal compliance in all areas of responsibility.

Proactively Engaging in Legislative Matters. The Clerk, Recorder & Registrar of Voters must voice an informed opinion on legislative proposals that may impact our residents’ ability to provide the best services. This is as true for the regulations and policies that come before the Humboldt County Board of Supervisors as it is for bills introduced in California’s General Assembly. I will make it a standing practice of mine to track and analyze proposed legislation and to respond and advocate on behalf of the interests of Humboldt County residents and voters.

Change for the sake of change is not the same as bringing progress to Humboldt communities. As new tools become available to the offices of the Clerk, Recorder & Registrar of Voters, we must be diligent in determining how well they work for our residents and businesses. Appropriately implemented, innovative technology can provide a richer user experience and free up staff time to efficiently serve you.

Proactive Engagement and Transparency for Modern Humboldt. When it comes to public engagement and transparency, satisfying our minimum legal requirements is not enough. For example, simply posting certain documents online can satisfy our basic legal requirements – like when the Office of the Clerk posts CEQA environmental notices to our webpage or when the Elections Office makes copies of campaign finance statements available online. However, to be proactive, we need to make public information available so that you can easily find and understand it. I am committed to doing just that.

Interdepartmental Development of Modern Systems. Implementing the latest and most appropriate technology is a more difficult proposition in our county where we face the financial constraints, and subsequently staffing constraints, common among rural counties. To overcome these constraints, it will take an interdepartmental effort to accomplish this task and implement those select systems that work best for our residents. While working for Humboldt County, I’ve built strong connections with leadership across county departments and I know how to navigate the various bureaucratic processes to obtain the resources necessary to achieve an efficient Office of the Clerk/Recorder and Registrar of Voters.

Adopting Modern Tools that Work for You. While the California legislature has been hesitant to fully fund up-to-date technology systems in clerk and recorder offices across the state, recent legislative changes now allow for e-recording, enabling people to record certain documents remotely with our office. Our current Clerk and Recorder, Kelly Sanders, has worked hard bringing to the fore new e-recording tools, which are currently undergoing implementation. I am committed to surveying users about their experience using our new tools and fine-tuning our processes to best suit them going forward.