For Los Angeles County Registrar of Voters Dean Logan, this summer time will mark 20 years of working for the native elections workplace.
By now, he’s used to drawing up contingency plans simply in case a catastrophe — a hearth or earthquake, a cybersecurity assault, a protest or different incident — disrupts the voting course of.
However in newer elections, he’s needed to think about new situations: What occurs if the federal authorities sends legislation enforcement brokers to voting areas or insists on different actions that would intimidate voters?
Logan isn’t the one one wrestling with such questions nowadays.
Throughout Southern California and the remainder of the state, native election officers are pondering by such prospects in gentle of latest feedback by President Donald Trump that Republicans ought to “nationalize” elections and take over the administration of them — a job presently dealt with by states.
“President Trump is dedicated to making sure that Individuals have full confidence within the administration of elections, and that features completely correct and up-to-date voter rolls freed from errors and unlawfully registered non-citizen voters,” White Home spokesperson Abigail Jackson stated in an e-mail on Friday, Feb. 13.
“The president has additionally urged Congress to go the SAVE Act and different legislative proposals that may set up a uniform commonplace of picture ID for voting, prohibit no-excuse mail-in voting, and finish the follow of poll harvesting to make sure the protection and safety of our elections,” she added.
Election officers and consultants typically agree that voter fraud is exceedingly uncommon.
Along with the president’s latest remarks, Steve Bannon, who labored within the Trump administration in the course of the president’s first time period, has steered sending U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement officers and navy personnel to voting areas for this fall’s midterm elections.
White Home press secretary Karoline Leavitt not too long ago advised reporters she couldn’t assure that an ICE agent wouldn’t be round voting areas in November, however stated she had not heard the president talk about any formal plans to put ICE brokers exterior such websites.
Nonetheless, election officers in California are on their guard, together with for the June main elections.
Logan stated feedback about probably “nationalizing” elections or sending immigration or different federal legislation enforcement officers to voting areas are “regarding.”
“These are issues that we might view as doubtlessly intimidating voters, discouraging voters from taking part within the election. And relying on how these had been carried out, in all probability actions that violate California election legal guidelines,” Logan stated.
For native election places of work in Southern California, this isn’t the primary time they’ve needed to deal with the query of easy methods to reply ought to immigration brokers or different federal employees present up at or close to vote facilities.
Forward of final November’s particular redistricting election, the U.S. Division of Justice introduced it might ship election screens to 5 counties in California, together with Los Angeles, Orange and Riverside. That in flip led California Lawyer Common Rob Bonta to announce that the state would ship its personal folks to control the federal screens.
Ultimately, nothing a lot got here of the hoopla over federal screens and speculations about whether or not ICE brokers would present up at or close to voting areas.
Nonetheless, native county registrar places of work know that every election, they should assume forward about easy methods to deal with potential disruptions.
Orange County Registrar Bob Web page stated his workplace works intently with the county sheriff’s and district lawyer’s places of work, in addition to different native, state and federal legislation enforcement officers, “to make sure each election is secure and voting areas are freed from electioneering and intimidation.”
Web page stated his workplace makes certain legislation enforcement is conscious of the place all their voting areas are in order that they will reply shortly if obligatory, and a Sheriff’s deputy or sergeant is stationed within the registrar’s command heart when vote facilities are open. As well as, representatives from the native DA’s workplace can be found to reply shortly to incidents like voter intimidation.
Ought to there be some type of legislation enforcement exercise within the neighborhood, a vote heart will go underneath lockdown to maintain the voters and ballot employees who’re inside secure.
“If legislation enforcement exercise impacts a vote heart on this election, we’ll once more maintain everybody within the vote heart secure and be able to make additional preparations if a lockdown persists for an prolonged time frame,” he stated, including that if a vote heart is closed for a protracted time frame, there can be different voting areas that voters can go to all through the county.
Within the Inland Empire, the San Bernardino County elections workplace “practice(s) ballot employees to maintain polling locations and early voting areas free from electioneering and any makes an attempt to compromise the voting course of,” spokesperson Melissa Eickman stated by way of e-mail.
“As well as, we coordinate with native legislation enforcement earlier than Election Day to make sure a fast response if wanted. Our objective is for each voter to forged their poll privately, with out interference, and free from intimidation.”
Riverside County “stays dedicated to conducting secure, safe, and correct elections in accordance with relevant federal and state legal guidelines,” Elizabeth Florer, spokesperson for the county’s registrar’s workplace, stated by way of e-mail.
She added: “Election planning contains getting ready for a variety of operational situations whereas defending the integrity of the voting course of and voter participation.”
In L.A. County, Logan stated his workplace is concentrated on educating voters about their choices, which embody not solely voting by mail but in addition casting ballots at any vote heart inside the county.
So, if somebody suspects that immigration brokers are stationed at or close to a vote heart, or is worried about working into federal officers asking to see folks’s IDs, for instance, the individual can go to a different voting location the place they really feel extra snug casting their poll.
His workplace may even give attention to coaching election employees on situational consciousness and de-escalation techniques, and to doc something that occurs for the file. He stated the places of work of California’s secretary of state and lawyer common have indicated they plan to have authorized assets accessible to the counties.
After twenty years of administering elections in L.A. County, Logan stated it’s “undoubtedly completely different” getting ready for elections in 2026 because of the present political local weather.
Despite the fact that considerations about potential chaos throughout final fall’s particular election didn’t materialize, he stated, one can’t assume that would be the case once more this 12 months.
“We’ve to be ready both method and hope that the popularity of the significance of free and honest elections will prevail,” Logan stated.
That stated, he added, “If there’s disruptive exercise, we’ll actively doc that in order that if that must be addressed after the election, we’re ready to do this.”
