BAKERSFIELD, Calif. (KGET) — It’s two weeks to the day until Sept. 14, and as election day looms, questions of election security abound.
Rumors swirl on social media about the elections process, with many concerned about a pair of holes in the ballot envelope. Some have worries about the envelopes catching and tearing on machinery, while others fear that voting information might be seen by elections officials.
Every county has its own ballot envelope design; in Kern County, those holes are located at the bottom of the envelope.
The holes are a design element that allows officials to ensure envelopes contain ballots and aren’t thrown out, according to Kern County Clerk Mary Bedard. Kern County elections officials are taking additional measures to protect residents’ votes on Election Day.
“Our equipment here in Kern County, we keep it under lock and key,” Bedard said. “Every ballot that comes in, we compare that signature on the return envelope to the signature we have on file, to make sure it’s coming from the voter. So there’s controls throughout the system, so yes, it’s extremely secure as far as the election process here in Kern County.”
Concerned mail-in voters can also keep an eye on their ballot using California’s Where’s My Ballot system.
At california.ballottrax.net, voters can enter their full name, birth date and zip code and receive phone or email notifications about the status of their ballot, from drop-off to processing to counting.
If you have a question about the recall election that you’d like us to answer, send an email to ChrisBurton@KGET.com.
