OC Registrar of Voters prepares for busy election

Thousands of eligible voters in Orange County are getting ready to cast their ballots in this year's presidential, state and local elections.

"This presidential general election is typically the highest turnout election in the cycle that we will see," OC Registrar of Voters Bob Page said.

Vote-by-mail ballots are expected to be sent out on Oct. 7.

"Eight-five percent of our voters are casting a mail ballot rather than voting in person," Page explained.

The Orange County Registrar of Voters has invested $4.1 million in vote-by-mail ballot process equipment to make it more efficient. Ahead of the election, Page wants to serve voters better.

"We're also cognizant of the possibility of misinformation, so we're constantly looking at ways that we can improve our outreach and voter education program," Page said.

Law enforcement will be on hand once voting centers open to respond if needed.

"Obviously, if somebody feels like they're in immediate danger, we instruct them to call 911," Page said. "But if it's something less than that, they just need some assistance on dealing with a disruptive voter or somebody who's upset, by having that sheriff's sergeant in our office, we're able to more quickly triage that event and kind of figure out whether we need to send the police."

Vote centers will be open for 11 days, but in-person turnout is usually low during the first week.

"The first seven days you'll maybe average at most one voter per hour in a vote center, but we start to see an increase on the Saturday before Election Day," Page said. "Then obviously, the vast majority of people who are voting in person are doing it on Election Day."

The OC Registrar of Voters has added more cameras and monitors to be more transparent during the counting of votes. Observers can question whether staff is following the law, but they can't challenge whether someone has the right to vote.

"I don't have authority to check ID. I don't have authority to check citizenship," Page said. "If somebody is attesting under penalty of perjury that they're eligible to vote that's what I'm required to accept."

Voting centers open on Oct. 26 before Election Day on Nov. 5.