Federal Election Observers To Monitor Riverside County Polling Sites

There’s less than one week until the November 4 statewide special election in which voters will determine whether the state will continue to use congressional maps drawn by the California Citizens Redistricting Commission or new legislatively-drawn maps through 2030.

As of October 28, approximately 1.45 million vote-by-mail ballots had been sent out, which includes supplemental voter registration and ballot reissues, with nearly 302,000 returned good, according to the Riverside County Registrar of Voters (ROV).

Those who wish to vote using their vote-by-mail ballot have until November 4 to take it to any of the 96 secure ballot drop boxes located throughout the county or send it in the mail, though it must be postmarked on or before Election Day and be delivered to the ROV’s office by November 11 in order to be counted.

Those who prefer to vote in person can do so at any of the 23 vote centers currently open throughout the county. An additional 32 vote centers will open Saturday and remain open through Election Day. A list of vote centers and their hours can be found here on the ROV’s website. All vote centers will be open from 7 a.m. to 8 p.m. on Election Day.

Last week, the U.S. Department of Justice (DOJ) announced that it would monitor polling sites in six jurisdictions, including Riverside County, to “ensure transparency, ballot security, and compliance with federal law.”

In response, California Secretary of State Shirley Weber said in a release that the state would “not permit tactics masquerading as oversight to erode voter confidence or intimidate Californians.”

“Our voters have earned the right to cast their ballots free from surveillance or interference—from anyone,” she said. “In California, election integrity is not a talking point; it’s a practice built on decades of professionalism and public trust. We intend to keep it that way.”

On Monday, California Attorney General Rob Bonta said the state would be dispatching its own monitors to observe the federal election watchers, as reported by the Los Angeles Times.

Public Information Officer Elizabeth Florer said in an email to The Riverside Record that the ROV had been contacted by several groups and organizations, including the DOJ, expressing interest in observing election activities in the county. 

“Election observation is a common and important part of the election process,” she said. “Election observation does not interfere with or affect the election process in any way.”

Ahead of every election, the ROV publishes guidelines for observing elections along with the Voter Bill of Rights.

All vote centers are staffed by elections officers who attended a three-week Election Officer Training Academy program to ensure they were “thoroughly trained in all aspects of election procedures,” Florer said. A precinct list of all election officers and vote centers can be found here on the ROV’s website.

Additionally, Florer said the ROV’s ballot processing facility was open for election observation, either in person or through the department’s livestream cameras.

“We welcome everyone to witness the process firsthand and learn more about how ballots are securely handled and accurately counted,” she said.

More information about the election can be found here on the ROV’s website.