By Jon Chown
SANTA CRUZ — The 2025-26 Santa Cruz County Civil Grand Jury has found that the county’s elections are conducted with complete integrity and without fraud, but recommended more public education about election procedures to reduce skepticism.
In a report titled Election Integrity: An Indispensable System Working Well, the Civil Grand Jury concluded that the county’s Elections Department does just about everything it can to protect the integrity of local elections. The report defines election integrity as a system that allows every eligible person to vote freely, ensures ballots are accurately counted and reported, and includes safeguards to prevent ineligible individuals from registering or voting.
According to the report, there have been no known cases of voter fraud in Santa Cruz County and no local election has been challenged during the past 50 years. The jury cited those facts as evidence that the Elections Department provides a “textbook example of election integrity.”
The grand jury reviewed department documents and election manuals, interviewed election officials and longtime observers of local politics, attended poll worker training and served as poll workers during the November 2025 election. Jurors also examined previous Santa Cruz County Civil Grand Jury reports on elections as well as reports from Sonoma, Sutter and Orange counties.
Among the safeguards highlighted by the jury are comprehensive audits of voter registration rolls before and after every election, with registrations cross-checked against state and county records, including death records and Department of Motor Vehicles data. Ballots are mailed only after voter records are verified.
The report also praised the county’s recruitment and training of poll workers, noting that many return election after election, creating an experienced workforce. All poll workers receive in-person training before each election and are provided printed materials and detailed polling manuals. To maintain chain of custody, ballot boxes are always transported to county offices by at least two poll workers.
The jury also emphasized that the county’s voting machines function only as voter aids rather than vote-counting devices. After making selections on the machine, voters receive a printed paper ballot that they must review before depositing it into a ballot box.
The report notes that the machines neither record how a person voted nor tabulate votes. Ballot counting is conducted publicly at the Elections Department after polls close, allowing members of the public to observe the process.
For vote-by-mail ballots, every signature is initially verified through machine scanning. Any ballot rejected during that process receives a second scan and visual review by at least two Elections Department employees. According to the report, rejected ballots account for less than 0.001% of ballots during each election cycle.
The jury concluded that these procedures, carried out before, during and after elections, have proven to be effective safeguards against fraud and systemic errors.
Although the report strongly endorsed the county’s election processes, it made two recommendations aimed at improving public understanding.
The jury recommended that the Elections Department expand its website by Oct. 31 to better explain the procedures and safeguards used to maintain election integrity. It also recommended adding information explaining how county voting machines work, clearly stating that they neither record votes nor count ballots.
The Grand Jury felt that if the public were given more information about the machines it would reduce skepticism about their use.
The jury also found that the Elections Department faces increasing constraints on space needed to meet legal records retention requirements.
The report recommends that the county clerk conduct an annual review of the department’s space needs and report those findings to the Santa Cruz County Board of Supervisors beginning with the 2027 budget cycle.