During a primetime address to the nation Thursday, President Donald Trump claimed without evidence that voting by mail in California and other places is \u201cinherently corrupt.\u201d He also referenced the June 2 primary to cast doubt on the length of time it takes to certify an election here.<\/p>\n
Shawn Brom, San Diego County\u2019s Registrar of Voters, said unequivocally there\u2019s no significant voter fraud locally.<\/p>\n
\u201cI have the utmost confidence in the San Diego County Registrar of Voters procedures in place,\u201d he said. \u201cThat includes the vote-by-mail ballots and also in-person voting.\u201d<\/p>\n
Roughly 90% of ballots are cast via mail in San Diego County, according to Brom.<\/p>\n
He said election staff follow many steps to ensure votes are legitimate. For example, verifying the signature on a mail ballot and suspending a lost mail ballot when a voter requests a replacement.<\/p>\n
State law provides 30 days to certify elections. Brom said his office typically takes about a week to process ballots, then uses the remaining time to audit results and provide opportunities to add missing signatures to legitimate ballots.<\/p>\n
Kim Alexander, president of the nonprofit California Voter Foundation, said there\u2019s irony to claims of fraud stemming from the 30-day certification process.<\/p>\n
\u201cThe real reason why it takes us so long to get our results determined is because we are being careful and we are being secure with the voting process,\u201d she said.<\/p>\n
Still, Alexander said there are legitimate public policy reasons to speed up the count. Though it\u2019s \u201cnormal for California,\u201d she said the extended timeline allows for speculation and can be a letdown for people investing time in the process.<\/p>\n
\u201cIt\u2019s very disappointing for voters, candidates and people involved in campaigns to have a long wait after Election Day to find out the results. We ask voters to do a lot of homework to make their voting choices. Our ballots are long and complex. There\u2019s a lot of instructions,\u201d she said.<\/p>\n
Faith in California\u2019s system appears to skew heavily partisan, according to a March poll conducted by UC Berkeley and cosponsored by the Los Angeles Times<\/a>. The poll found 79% of registered Democratic voters were confident local election officials would conduct a fair election in June, compared to 42% of Republicans.<\/p>\n