Residents use public comment to press election-office complaints and call for election reforms; supervisors hear range of accusations
Summary
Multiple public commenters on July 22 raised complaints and allegations about recent elections-office staffing decisions, called for the election commission to reconvene, and promoted election-reform initiatives; the board did not take formal action on the matters during the meeting.
Several speakers used the board’s public-comment period on July 22 to raise concerns about recent election-office staffing decisions, alleged irregularities and the county’s handling of the registrar/recorder (ROV) duties. Speakers urged the board to reinstate an election commission agenda item and alleged that experienced female election staff were passed over for recent appointments.
David Halligan and other commenters laid out what they described as a pattern of hiring applicants without election experience into the ROV position and said female internal applicants were not selected; Halligan summarized the sequence as a “3–0” pattern in favor of less-experienced outside hires. Multiple speakers also criticized what they described as a lack of transparency in recent ROV staffing decisions and renewed advocacy for election reforms, including local ballot initiatives on voter ID and requests to restore the election commission to the agenda.
Laura Hobbs urged the board to place a plaque reading “In God We Trust” in the county building and called for the election commission to return to the agenda and for litigation on certain election matters to stop. Other public commenters made broader claims about conspiracy theories and criticized county leadership and media; some remarks were personal and contentious. The board heard the comments but did not act on personnel or election-policy matters during the public-comment period on July 22.
