There are Democrats, Republicans and Independents, however now Orange County officers are attempting to determine what number of canines and cats could also be registered to vote.
On Tuesday, the Orange County Board of Supervisors directed employees to cross-reference voter rolls with pet registration information within the county to be able to ensure that there are not any four-legged voters with names like Fido, Fifi, Spot, Sparky or Fortunate casting ballots within the subsequent particular election in November.
“How will we examine that canines and cats or no matter will not be on our (voter) rolls?” Supervisor Dan Wagner requested throughout the assembly Tuesday.
The measure, launched by Wagner and Supervisor Janet Nguyen, got here after a Costa Mesa girl was charged early this month with 5 felony counts after allegedly registering her canine to vote, after which casting ballots for the pet in two elections. The lady, Laura Lee Yourex, 62, had allegedly registered her canine, Maya Jean Yourex, to vote within the 2021 gubernatorial recall and the 2022 main.
Yourex — the proprietor, not the canine — was charged with felony counts of perjury, providing a false doc to be filed, two counts of casting a poll when not entitled to vote, and registering a nonexistent individual to vote, in accordance with the district lawyer’s workplace.
“The concept pets, or some other non-human, might be registered to vote and take part in election is each absurd and deeply alarming,” in accordance with the memo from the 2 supervisors. “The Board of Supervisors should act now to revive public confidence.”
Since information of the costs got here to mild, supervisors directed the Orange County Registrar of Voters to overview 1000’s of voter information to make sure that no different pets have been registered to vote within the county and, on Tuesday, directed the company to broaden that overview to 1000’s of extra pet registrations to make sure no different four-legged pets are casting votes.
The registrar lately checked pet registrations in all unincorporated communities within the county in opposition to voter information, and was directed Tuesday to attempt to broaden that overview to pet registrations in all integrated cities inside the county.
Wagner referred to as the information of a canine being registered to vote an indication of a bigger downside.
“They’re signs of an issue with our voting rolls,” he stated.
However not all supervisors expressed such concern with the voter roll, or that an incident of a canine being registered to vote was emblematic of an even bigger downside.
“The numbers you’re displaying us inform us there’s integrity within the voting system,” Supervisor Katrina Foley stated Tuesday.
Supervisor Vicente Sarmiento stated that, as a substitute of specializing in the potential of pets voting, the county must be centered on growing voter participation.
“I want we might be speaking about how will we encourage individuals to take part of their authorities, and following the regulation, guaranteeing that the voting is safe,” he stated. “That to me is a extra worthy dialog.”
Bob Web page, registrar of voters for the county, stated the company this month has cross-referenced almost 8,000 pet registration information in unincorporated areas within the county on the course of the board, and has discovered no indication of pets getting registered to vote in that overview.
The Registrar of Voters can be requesting the identical information from cities that contract with the county for animals providers to get entry to that information, Web page stated, and can overview these pet information in opposition to the county voter rolls. On Tuesday, Nguyen requested Web page to work with county attorneys to request pet information from cities in Orange County that present their very own animals providers or contract with nonprofits and different companies.
Web page added that the company can be greater than 2,600 extra registered voters whose identification the company has been unable to substantiate. These voters — roughly one-tenth of 1 p.c of the county’s registered voters — can be contacted to substantiate their identification, Web page stated.
In the event that they do forged ballots, he stated, the ballots are additionally put apart to be challenged and verified.
Earlier than the following election, the company can be reaching out to these voters one extra time to confirm their standing.
The registrar of voters always works to confirm, replace and ensure info on voter rolls, and Web page stated the company frequently updates the rolls for deaths or different modifications.
“If somebody is attempting to sport the system and I discover out, I’m going to refer it to the district lawyer for investigation and prosecution,” he stated. “And I’m going to do every part I can inside the regulation to keep up our voter rolls in as correct style as attainable.”
Just lately, Web page stated for example, the county obtained loss of life information from the credit score bureau Experian to assist replace voter rolls.
Web page stated present information suggests Orange County voter rolls are extra updated than federal voter rolls. Final 12 months, he stated, the undeliverable mail outcomes for the first election within the county was 1.6%, and 1.7% within the common election. Nationwide, nonetheless, he stated the undeliverable price for all first-class mail was 4.3%.
“So I really feel we do a extremely good job of day by day sustaining the rolls,” Web page stated.
The supervisors’ request to cross-reference voter rolls with pet information additionally comes as California heads right into a particular election in November with probably important political ramifications for the remainder of the nation. Voters then will determine on Prop. 50, which might waive the state’s impartial redistricting course of and approve a brand new partisan congressional map for the state that may favor Democrats.
The measure was launched in response to an effort in Texas to approve new redistricting maps which are seemingly to present the Republican celebration 5 extra seats within the Home of Representatives.
“I’m involved with the upcoming particular election,” Nguyen stated Tuesday, including that she needed to verify voters had confidence within the outcomes of the election.
“How can we have now a good election if somebody can stuff the poll field with canines,” Nguyen stated in an announcement after the measure was authorised. “I need to ensure that heading into the election that all of us trust in it.”
Wagner additionally pointed to a lawsuit filed by the Division of Justice in opposition to Orange County, asking for information for 17 people who have been ineligible to forged a poll however appeared on the county’s voter rolls.
The county has responded by sending info on the 17 people who self-reported or recognized as ineligible by the district lawyer’s workplace, together with names and addresses.
Every election, Web page stated his company has referred to prosecutors between 100 to 400 individuals who tried to vote twice in earlier elections — an incident that happens most frequently with people who despatched in mail-in ballots and in addition tried to vote in individual.
However since 2022, prosecutors haven’t filed prices in opposition to these voters, till the Costa Mesa girl was recognized registering her canine.
Final month, whereas discussing the swimsuit, Orange County Dist. Atty. Todd Spitzer advised supervisors there was no proof of widespread voter fraud within the county.
