Report 2017-107 Recommendation 11 Responses
Report 2017-107: Santa Clara County Registrar of Voters: Insufficient Policies and Procedures Have Led to Errors That May Have Reduced Voters' Confidence in the Registrar's Office (Release Date: October 2017)
Recommendation #11 To: Secretary of State, Office of the
The Secretary of State should adopt regulations establishing clear criteria for mistakes in election-related materials that constitute reportable errors and require counties to report these errors to it after each election.
Annual Follow-Up Agency Response From October 2022
The Secretary of State is in the process of researching the development of regulations to establish criteria for mistakes in election-related materials that constitute reportable errors after the completion of the November General Election canvass in early December 2022. The Secretary of State continues to request that counties report to our office any substantive errors in election-related materials provided to voters so that we may assist in mitigating those errors as they occur and track them. If an issue occurs, we share with the reporting county what other counties have done to mitigate similar issues.
- Estimated Completion Date: 2024
California State Auditor's Assessment of Annual Follow-Up Status: Pending
Annual Follow-Up Agency Response From October 2021
Due to the unexpected statewide gubernatorial recall election, we will begin developing regulations to establish criteria for mistakes in election-related materials that constitute reportable errors after the completion of the gubernatorial recall election canvass in late October 2021. For the 2021 recall election, the Secretary of State again requested that counties report to our office any substantive errors in election-related materials provided to voters so that we may assist in mitigating those errors as they occur and track them, as we did in 2018 and 2020.
- Estimated Completion Date: December 2022
California State Auditor's Assessment of Annual Follow-Up Status: Pending
Annual Follow-Up Agency Response From October 2020
As previously reported, we will begin developing regulations to establish criteria for mistakes in election-related materials that constitute reportable errors after the completion of the 2020 election cycle. For the 2020 election cycle, the Secretary of State again requested that counties report to our office any substantive errors in election-related materials provided to voters so that we may assist in mitigating those errors as they occur and track them, as we did in 2018.
- Estimated Completion Date: December 2021
California State Auditor's Assessment of Annual Follow-Up Status: Pending
Annual Follow-Up Agency Response From October 2019
The Secretary of State is currently in the process of developing and promulgating three sets of statutorily required regulations related to the administration of elections that must be in place before the 2020 election cycle. We will begin developing regulations to establish criteria for mistakes in election-related materials that constitute reportable errors after the completion of the 2020 election cycle. For the 2020 election cycle, the Secretary of State will again request that counties report to our office any substantive errors in election-related materials provided to voters so that we may assist in mitigating those errors as they occur and track them, as we did in 2018.
- Estimated Completion Date: December 2021
California State Auditor's Assessment of Annual Follow-Up Status: Pending
1-Year Agency Response
The Secretary of State does not currently have the resources to develop and promulgate regulations during the 2018 election cycle, which is in progress; however, we plan to do so in the next non-statewide election year, 2019. For the 2018 election cycle, the Secretary of State has asked counties to report to our office any substantive errors in election-related materials provided to voters so that we may assist in mitigating those errors as they occur. In addition, we will use any reported errors to develop best practices to share with all county elections officials to assist them in the preparation of their election related materials.
- Estimated Completion Date: June 2019
- Response Date: October 2018
California State Auditor's Assessment of 1-Year Status: Pending
6-Month Agency Response
The Secretary of State does not currently have the resources to develop and promulgate regulations during the 2018 election cycle, which has already begun; however, we plan to do so in the next non-statewide election year, 2019. For the 2018 election cycle, the Secretary of State has asked counties report to our office any substantive errors in election-related materials provided to voters so that we may assist in mitigating those errors as they occur. In addition, we will use any reported errors to develop best practices to share with all county elections officials to assist them in the preparation of their election-related materials.
- Estimated Completion Date: June 2019
- Response Date: April 2018
California State Auditor's Assessment of 6-Month Status: Pending
60-Day Agency Response
The Secretary of State does not currently have the resources to develop and promulgate regulations during the 2018 election cycle, which has already begun; however, we plan to do so in the next non-statewide election year, 2019. For the 2018 election cycle, the Secretary of State will request counties report to our office any substantive errors in election-related materials provided to voters so that we may assist in mitigating those errors as they occur. In addition, we will use any reported errors to develop best practices to share with all county elections officials to assist them in the preparation of their election-related materials.
- Estimated Completion Date: June 2019
- Response Date: December 2017
California State Auditor's Assessment of 60-Day Status: Pending
All Recommendations in 2017-107
Agency responses received are posted verbatim.
