Democracy, like sausage, is something people routinely suggest we’d rather not see being made. Evelyn Mendez, Sonoma County’s registrar of voters, expects to see some noses up against the window.
Mendez is preparing for the Nov. 3 general election with an invitation to watch her department work. The new office has a public viewing area where visitors can follow ballots through processing. Mendez compares it to a hospital nursery. Except these bundles of joy arrive in envelopes and occasionally need their signatures checked rather than their diapers.
“Everything related to the election, you can watch the entire process,” Mendez says.
During a recent “Civics 101” interview on The Drive 95.5 FM, Mendez brought a welcome measure of professional confidence to a subject that lately seems designed to produce a national anxiety disorder. Questions about postal delivery, ballot security and whether our votes actually count have become part of the electoral atmosphere. Her response is to explain the work and let people see it.
Mendez became the county’s first standalone registrar last year, following its separation of election administration from the elected clerk-recorder-assessor’s office. The Board of Supervisors created the department to eliminate the inherent conflict of an elected official overseeing elections.
Her career began in 1996, after graduating from Sacramento State, when a friend mentioned a job at the California Secretary of State’s office. Three decades and more than 110 elections later, her experience includes managing election programs for the state of California and serving as a division manager in Santa Clara County. For Sonoma County, she oversees about 22 permanent staff members, with additional workers joining during elections.
For November, the immediate concern is getting ballots into the right hands before the deadlines. Mendez emphasizes the difference between a postal collection box and an official ballot drop box. Two county employees retrieve ballots from the latter, with locks and tamper seals protecting the process. Their neon yellow vests identify them.
“It’s business as usual in our office when it comes to elections. Everything is being run the same way it was run in June,” Mendez says.
Postal delivery operates outside her department’s control. She encourages voters to use an official drop box or vote center. Mailed ballots must be postmarked by Nov. 3 and received by Nov. 10. Personally delivered ballots are due by 8pm on Election Day.
Then comes the work many of us never considered while congratulating ourselves on our “I Voted” stickers.
“Human eyes look at every single one of those envelopes. They’re comparing it against the signature we have on file,” Mendez explains.
Discrepancies receive further review by managers and supervisors. A voter’s handwriting can change significantly over time, something her team is trained to account for. The envelope is separated from the ballot before counting, preserving ballot secrecy. Voters who forget to sign or whose signatures don’t match have an opportunity to correct the problem through “curing” (but not in the way of prosciutto). The actual process helps eligible votes count and takes time, something worth remembering when election-night impatience kicks in.
Ballots go out the week of Oct. 5, when early voting also begins at the registrar’s office, 3880 Brickway Blvd., Suite 200, Santa Rosa. Locations and hours are at SoCoVotes.com; California’s Where’s My Ballot service provides tracking.
“I like that we get to make a difference,” says Mendez.
To register to vote, visit registertovote.ca.gov.
