‘Highest level of integrity’: Grand jury report affirms credibility of O.C. elections
A comprehensive review of the 2024 general election in Orange County found no evidence of fraud or interference, according to a new Orange County Grand Jury report.
Released this month, the 25-page report further concluded that O.C.’s voting system, which services the seventh largest voting district in the nation with a population greater than 21 states, displayed the “highest level of integrity.”
Registrar of Voters Bob Page thanked the grand jury for their work.
“We are dedicated to continuing our tradition of excellence for each and every election we conduct so that we may inspire confidence and trust in the democratic process,” he added in a prepared statement.
The report was prompted by letters received from residents who questioned the integrity of the county’s voting system over allegations of forged ballot signatures, noncitizen voting and duplicate ballots, among other claims popularized by podcasts, social media and websites.
Election denial remains a constant theme at public comments during Orange County Board of Supervisor meetings. Last month, the Republican Party of Orange County issued a statement against “false claims of voter fraud” related to allegedly nefarious “ballot discrepancies” that went viral amid the 2024 election.
A local party leader said he feared the false claims could dampen Republican participation in future elections if they weren’t forcefully addressed.
To address concerns, grand jurors interviewed officials and staff with Orange County Registrar of Voters.
Members also made scheduled and unscheduled visits to the Registrar of Voters facility in Santa Ana, official ballot drop boxes and voting centers throughout O.C. on Election Day and afterward to observe how ballots were cast, collected and counted.
The report outlined in granular detail the mechanics of the county’s voting system, including procedures for official ballot drop boxes and mail-in ballots, which have been the subject of conspiracy theories.
Grand jurors found that drop boxes are locked with a unique key specific to each one. They observed how election workers retrieved ballots from drop boxes every day and had their movements tracked by GPS.
“At no time do the [Registrar of Voters] employees touch the ballots,” the report stated.
Once mail-in and provisional ballots are collected, staffers verified all signatures in accordance with FBI standards and training.
The Registrar of Voters also conducted risk limiting audits, which are not required by state law, to further ensure the accuracy of election results and subjected machines to rigorous testing.
Given the grand jury’s conclusion that O.C. elections are “fair, secure and transparent,” will the report change any minds about election integrity?
“We know that when people have unfounded anxieties, it’s not often the case that a factual report will alleviate them,” said Jon Gould, dean of UC Irvine’s School of Social Ecology. “It’s more about what the basis for the anxiety is in the first place.”
A poll conducted last year by the UC Irvine School of Social Ecology found that 26% of Orange County adults didn’t believe President Joe Biden legitimately won the 2020 election.
More than half of Republicans surveyed disputed the 2020 presidential election as free and fair.
“We can’t ignore the fact that one of the major candidates for president over the last eight years has been sowing distrust in the election system,” Gould said. “The grand jury report should put to bed any of those concerns because it’s thorough in showing just how professionally run the election system is in Orange County.”
Gould added that election denial, which tends to sway more right-wing, could persuade potential voters not to participate in elections, a concern that the Republican Party of Orange County shared in response to election fraud claims that spread after Democrats edged Republicans in key local congressional races.
In a purple county with several contests that could shape the balance of power in Congress, doubts about elections could keep voters away in November — particularly conservatives.
In December, the party’s election attorney reached out to Page.
A statement that followed from the O.C. GOP offered factual explanations in response to fraud claims, including why the Registrar of Voters issued more ballots than there are registered voters, as voters who did not bring their mailed ballot while voting in-person were issued a duplicate ballot.
“Any voice that voters find to be credible that reassures them about the factual integrity of the voting systems is important,” Gould said.
In the statement, the O.C. GOP made known its continued support for electoral reforms such as Voter ID and an end to universal vote-by-mail.
As part of its undertaking, the grand jury report also examined why O.C. election results take a long time to count, particularly with mail-in ballots.
Grand jurors noted that signature verification practices are “time intensive but essential for election integrity.”
State law also doesn’t require election results be finalized until Dec. 5.
“Among the claims made by those who challenge the trustworthiness of the voting process is that the vote count was manipulated during the period between the end of voting and December 5, 2024,” the report read. “We found this claim to be without merit.”
In a final vote of confidence, the report had no recommendations for the Registrar of Voters on issues to address or ways to improve O.C.’s voting system.
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