The Orange County Board of Supervisors has historically been fiscally conservative, so it came as a surprise when they rejected last week a proposal by OC Registrar of Voter Neal Kelley to replace Orange County's current voting system with one that would give everyone mail-in ballots and replace over 1,000 precinct polls with over 100 vote centers where people can vote in the 10 days leading up to the election. Kelley said the new proposal would make voting easier for people, increase turnout, and save at least $10 million — but the Supes instead directed him to look into replacing aging voting machines and keep the status quo. The move led to a letter by California Secretary of State Alex Padilla stating he's "very concerned that your action was driven less by the interests of the people of Orange County and more by political considerations.” What's next?
KCRW
