The San Joaquin County Sheriff’s Office and the San Joaquin County Registrar of voters aren’t expecting anything major to happen during the midterm elections today.
But if there is anything that goes on, residents will now have a place to turn to report it.
Following an outpouring of concern about election integrity from across the county, the sheriff’s office has introduced a voter fraud hotline created in collaboration with the San Joaquin County Registrar of Voters – allowing residents to report instances of what they feel may violate election law.
The hotline – which will be routed depending on the region of the county – can be reached by calling 209.953.7811 or 209.486.4338 or by emailing 2022election@sjgov.org.
“Over the past several months, the San Joaquin County Sheriff’s Office, the Board of Supervisors, and the San Joaquin County Registrar of Voters (RoV) have heard concerns regarding election integrity,” the sheriff’s office said in a release. “We have regularly met with the RoV who has been extremely transparent and responsive, and the Sheriff’s Office is confident that election integrity and accuracy is her utmost concern.
“The San Joaquin RoV has detailed each step of the process both to the public as well as privately to the Sheriff’s Office and has answered any questions or concerns we have had.”
With the control of congress hanging in the balance, there has been a tremendous interest in what would usually be considered a sleepy election – midterm elections historically draws far less interest than Presidential ones.
While there has been documented examples of election fraud in San Joaquin County, most of it involved people running for offices when they didn’t legally live in the area – such as the cases that the Manteca Unified School District board dealt with for years after two people were elected that weren’t legally authorized to occupy their seats. A third board member was also charged for orchestrating what amounted to election fraud.
And while the county believes firmly in its ability to conduct the election fairly and in accordance with state law, residents will have an opportunity to point out anything that they feel might be a red flag.
“Should an issue arise, we would like to remind the public to remain calm and respectful as poll workers are part-time employees and volunteers who must follow a process mandated by law,” the agency wrote. “The Sheriff’s Office will take the appropriate investigative action based on the credibility of the information we receive.”
To contact the San Joaquin County Voter Fraud hotline call 209.953.7811 or 209.486.4338 or email 2022election@sjgov.org.
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Returning ballots
The San Joaquin County Registrar of Voters, to make voting by mail more convenient, is providing ballot boxes in Lathrop, Manteca, and Ripon..
Those locations can be found at:
*Lathrop – Lathrop City Hall, 390 Towne Centre Dr., Monday through Thursday from 8 a.m. to 6 p.m.; and Friday from 8 a.m. to 5 p.m. La Reina Supermarket, 1357 E. Louise Ave., daily from 7:30 a.m. to 10 p.m.
*Manteca – Manteca City Hall, 1001 W. Center St., Monday through Thursday, from 7:30 a.m. to 6 p.m. Cabral Chrysler Jeep, 1145 W. Yosemite Ave., Monday through Friday, 8 a.m. to 7 p.m., Saturday from 8 a.m. to 6 p.m., and Sunday from 10 a.m. to 5 p.m.
*Ripon – Ripon City Hall, 259 N. Wilma Ave., Monday through Thursday from 7:30 a.m. to 5:30 p.m. (do not place ballots in the utility box outside of city hall).
Those voting by mail drop are also asked to sign the outside of the envelope.
For more information, log on to www.sjgov.org/department/rov/home
To contact Dennis Wyatt, email dwyatt@mantecabulletin.com
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To contact Bulletin reporter Jason Campbell email jcampbell@mantecabulletin.com or call 209.249.3544.
