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Sacramento County’s unopened ballots

February 18, 2013

voteThe Sacramento County Elections office announced Thursday that a staffer found 407 uncounted ballots cast in the Nov. 6 election sitting unopened in a sealed bag on a shelf. [SacramentoBee]

The employee found the ballots while going through red supply bags in preparation for the next election.

Nevertheless, after reviewing the newly discovered ballots Jill LaVine, registrar of voters for Sacramento County, said had they been counted in November it would not have changed the outcome of any contests in the 92 affected precincts.

“Upon discovery, after my stomach dropped, we called County Counsel, I called the Secretary of State legal counsel, I alerted the board (of supervisors) and then we went through the ballots and put them in precincts” to determine if any could alter a close race, LaVine said.

 


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Your tax dollars at work.


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It is enough that the people know there was an election.


The people who cast the votes decide nothing. The people who count the votes decide everything.


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You should all be less concerned about whether she misplaced a few votes than you should about the fact that in 2008, due to problems with scanners used in the precincts, she ordered all the ballots in Sacramento County to be counted at the central office where the equipment passed the tests. This means that there were no tabulations at the individual precincts to compare to the totals that were reported by the tabulation server at the county office.


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It sure seems like it is easy to criticize this woman quoted in the story; all of you slamming her must all do your jobs absolutely perfect, each and every time, each and every day. Sheesh. It certainly looks like she tried her hardest to make sure that every known procedure was followed once the discovery of the sealed ballots was made; I for one am glad that she didn’t just throw them in the trash or recycle them without opening and counting them. I think this article shows that the Sacramento Registrar of Voters was as transparent and open about the foul-up as possible, did everything possible to make sure that nothing was left undone or covered up.


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While I do feel like there’s often a “thumb on the scale” in elections, nation wide, I do not fault any one person, especially if it was an actual error, which does sometimes happen.


If she was crooked, she never would have found the votes, right? I mean, government officials know how to shred documents as well as anyone else.


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Perhaps all of us refusing to pay our taxes to the State wouldn’t impact Jill LaVine’s paycheck either?


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Nice to always hear that every vote counts!


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Does anybody not think that our election process is probably rampant with incompetence, if not outright fraud?


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I am almost positive it is. From the local level all the way up to the national level.


I have a theory that, starting with Clinton, the real “powers that be” had bets or dared each other that they could get a worse candidate elected president. I mean, Clinton is an amicable guy, sure, but he really is not presidential. So the next round, these “powers that be” were like, “Oh yeah, you think Clinton’s not fit for office, I’ll get Bush’s kid! -The one in Florida? -No, the other one!” and so it went, until we’re finally left with the ultimate in empty suits, Obama. I even think the choices for VP were part of it, too. I mean, Gore? Chenny? Biden? Joe F-You Biden?! Come on. These “choices” we’re given HAVE to be someone’s joke on us, right? Or at least some twisted “Trading Places” type bet somewhere. :/


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I always thought that VPs were chosen as “life insurance”, if you make the alternative so much worse no one will take you out.


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Not surprised in the least..

How much is the annual salary of said elections registrar Jill LaVine? Obviously not doing her job…


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