County CEO Spotlights Problems at Registrar’s

Recent problems with county elections were caused by post-bankruptcy staff reductions that have hampered the ability of the registrar’s office to keep pace with technology and develop long-range plans, according to a report Friday.

The report, by County Executive Officer Michael Schumacher’s office, found that during election cycles, “all staff resources” at the registrar of voters’ office are tied up on election preparation and the election itself.

“This has effectively negated [the office’s] ability to pursue and implement needed long-range strategic planning and structural change during those time periods,” stated the assessment, which was given to the Board of Supervisors.

The report criticized the day-to-day management of the office, which is run by Registrar Rosalyn Lever, but it did not openly criticize her own management techniques. Lever, who has headed the office since 1995, has been asked to appear before the Board of Supervisors at Tuesday’s meeting to talk about a recent spate of election problems.

They include: 40,000 sample ballots shipped late, a Libertarian mislabeled a Republican on the ballot, a precinct without any ballots and allegations of election day problems in Santa Ana.

The report praises the office for keeping costs down. But it also found that the registrar’s office “may have placed too much emphasis” on curbing costs to the detriment of achieving its mission and goals.

Supervisor Todd Spitzer, who recently joined other supervisors seeking answers to problems in the Nov. 7 election, said he read the report and wants to create a subcommittee to further review this issue.

“Based on what I know, [Lever] has clearly been denied resources in the past,” Spitzer said. “And from what we are learning from Florida, the reliability of the election process is critical to our system of democracy.”

According to Spitzer, the county grand jury has formed its own subcommittee on elections.

Spitzer plans to recommend the hiring of an outside election consultant with technology expertise to assess the office. Spitzer will also ask for a second consultant, with operations expertise.

According to the report’s findings, Lever’s staff has been handed more responsibility over time, with no additional staffing. Originally a part of the former General Services Administration, the registrar’s office became its own department after GSA was disbanded in the aftermath of the 1994 bankruptcy.

But it suffered a 40% staff cut. “Despite this,” the report stated, the Registration and Elections Department “became responsible for all facets of its operation, including long range strategic planning” and administrative services previously provided by GSA.

After inspecting the office, Schumacher recommended that a consulting team spend three to six months helping to develop a plan of action that includes proceeding with the selection of a new ballot system.

In memos to board members, Lever has said that many of the problems might be alleviated by converting to a new ballot-less vote-counting system. The new system, which was used in neighboring Riverside County, could cost the county $30 million to $50 million.

Lever did not return calls to her office on Friday.

In a memo to the board dated Dec. 7, she said absentee ballot problems were due to delays by a printing contractor.