Lamont McClure on the Hot Seat

NorCo Exec Lamont McClure and ES&S both apologized at last night's meeting of County Council for the numerous Election Day issues last week. There was a coding error by ES&S in preparing the ballot for use in the municipal race. This error was subsequently missed by both ES&S and county officials during the pre-election testing (known as L&A) before the election. This made the voter verifiable ballot inaccurate in an appellate court retention race. Use of the Express Vote XL voting machine was temporarily halted while election officials scrambled to determine what had happened and why. In the meantime, voters were instructed to vote on emergency provisional ballots. but quickly ran out of them. Some precincts actually turned voters away. Despite the apologies and explanations, McClure was on the hot seat for about two hours as Council members John Goffredo and Lori Vargo Heffner hammered away repeatedly. 

The meeting started with complaints from three members of the public, two of whom insisted that someone needs to be fired. NorCo GOP Chair Glenn Geissinger was among them. He observed that this is the second election since the county began using the Express Vote XL in which problems arose.  He noted the apparent inconsistency between what voters were told in 2019 and 2023. "In 2019, we were told that what is on the card is what's recorded. Don't worry about it if the electronic device has a little bit of a glitch. Not a problem. We got the card. In 2023 we are being told the electronic machine is what's ok. Please ignore the card. Which is it?" He urged the county to get rid of the XL and purchase a new system. 

McClure said that he personally apologizes to "any voter who suffered for any inconvenience or worse on Election Day. He said that election officials contacted the Department of State as soon as they became aware of the issue. Under guidance from the state, the elections office obtained a court order to inform the public of the issue. He noted the error was a "printer only" error and that vote tabulation was accurate. He indicated election results will be audited on November 24 at 10 am." He indicated that pre-election testing will be strengthened. He agreed that it is important to restore public confidence in election integrity. 

Goffredo demanded that someone be fired, even if it is a "sacrificial lamb to let people know we take this job seriously ... ." McClure dismissed the notion of terminating people just to make a point. 

Goffeedo said he spoke to people who were unable to vote because they had to return to work. He vowed to resign unless McClure fires someone. He insisted that election day turnout among voters who voted at the polls was lower in 2023 than in 2021. As I've reported previously, election day turnout at the precincts was 22.17% in 2021 and 21.4% in 2023. There was little difference, and McClure told Goffredo that part of the reason for this slight decrease is that more Republicans are finally voting by mail instead of in person.  But Goffredo ignored him. "I'm talking and you're listening," he declared to the Exec.

McClure rejected Goffredo's call for a new system, saying it would guarantee errors during a Presidential election next year. He said a new system "will necessarily fail" because a new system would have a learning curve with both voters and election workers. "That's a terrible attitude," responded Goffredo. 

Eventually, Council President Kerry Myers reeled Goffredo in, and cautioned against the constant "jab, hook, jab, hook."

Council member Lori Vargo Heffner used this mishap to vent about her own differences with McClure. She accused his administration of being "terse" or "flip" [sic[ with her and Council. She advised ES&S against "falling on the sword for anybody" in an apparent jab at the McClure administration. She wondered why this issue was not brought up before last month's Governance Committee. As McClure noted, it's a bit unrealistic for election officials to discuss a problem before they know it exists. 

She complained that Council's relationship with the Exec is "devolving," and proved her point because when McClure attempted to respond, she cut him off with "I'm not asking a question; I'm speaking." Then she almost immediately told him she wants answers. 

McClure explained that Amy Cozze, when the was voting registrar, stopped the practice of loading up election judges with paper ballots because they were too heavy and costly. He made clear that practice will change.

He added that, so far as he knows, elections office staff never told a single election judge to turn voters away, but it happened. He added that some election judges never turned on the county-supplied phones to communicate with the elections office.  He indicated that Human Relations will be interviewing elections office workers to determine more precisely what happened. 

Council member John Cusick told ES&S he no longer trusts them or has confidence in their machines., He said that, in the future, he will vote by mail or use early voting to cast his ballot. 

Council member John Brown stated that elections office personnel might be career service or union, but the office is ultimately run by Administrator Charles Dertinger, who serves at the pleasure of the Exec.

Council member Tom Giovanni, himself a computer expert, agreed there is nothing wrong with the XL. He attributed what happened to human error in the coding and subsequent testing.