Orange County Registrar of Voters Bob Page encouraged early voting this week, citing efforts to speed the tallying of ballots on election night for Irvine residents and other county voters. Drop boxes for mail-in ballots will be unlocked starting Friday, in preparation for ballots expected to arrive by the following Monday, according to Page.
Page stated in a conference call with reporters Wednesday that "People who vote early, their vote is counted first." He added that a higher volume of early ballots contributes to more results being available on election night.
Vote centers across Orange County will operate with new hours of 10 a.m. to 6 p.m. daily leading up to the November 3 election day. On election day itself, November 3, vote centers will extend their hours, opening from 7 a.m. to 8 p.m.
The most recent primary election saw a record 268,000 ballots received on or after election day. Page noted that 94% of early vote-by-mail ballots were included in the first election results posted at 8 p.m. on election night during that primary. This marks an improvement from the 2022 primary, where approximately 77% of early vote-by-mail ballots were included in the initial results. The Registrar's Office counted 96.6% of ballots on election night and in the week following the primary, significantly faster than the 2018 primary, which took two weeks to count 95% of votes.
Page attributed the need for improved capacity to an uptick in vote-by-mails. In the primary, 43.2% of vote-by-mail ballots were deposited in drop boxes, 40.2% were sent via mail, and over 16% were returned at vote centers.
To support these improvements, Orange County invested $4.1 million in vote-by-mail ballot processing equipment in 2023. The state allocated $34 million to counties to expedite ballot counting and promote early voting, with Orange County receiving $3.2 million of these funds. The county has spent $2.7 million to expand space at the Registrar’s offices in Santa Ana, acquire new software, and hire additional staff. An additional $477,000 will be allocated for voter education and outreach efforts. Page emphasized the importance of ballot counting speed, stating that "people want to see results as fast as possible."
Since 2020, Orange County has reduced the time required for counting ballots by half, according to Page. New software is expected to further decrease the staff time dedicated to checking signatures on ballots. Page indicated that at least one-third of signatures should be readily confirmable by the software, allowing staff to focus on double-checking the remaining ballots.
Page also addressed election security, stating that the Registrar's office takes its "obligation to keep our elections secure" seriously. Drop boxes are secured by being bolted to their concrete bases, and at least two staffers are always present when ballots are collected for transport to the counting offices. Vote machines are not connected to the internet, preventing hacking. Staff members receive training to identify irregularities in voter signatures, and voters are given an opportunity to resolve any issues raised concerning their ballots.
Voter rolls are continually updated through multiple steps. Often, a change-of-address alert from the post office informs election officials when a voter has moved out of state. Staffers then contact these voters to verify the change.
The earliest date Page can certify the election results is 22 days after election day, which will be the day before Thanksgiving.