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Published on November 08, 2024
Alameda County Election Frustrations Rise as Vote Count Slows, Officials Seek SolutionsSource: Google Street View

Frustration mounts in Alameda County as the ballot count crawls onward, with local officials expressing disappointment and concerns over the pace of the vote tally following Tuesday’s election. Supervisor Keith Carson, as reported by the county's District 5 website, expressed a shared sense of dismay with his constituents, acknowledging the slow processing speed and the community's reaction: "Many have contacted my office to express their dismay/anger regarding the small number of votes that have been counted to date."

With a mere 0.6% of total ballots added to counts since Election Night, Alameda County continues to lag behind neighboring counties. Analysis by The Oaklandside details the update as insufficient, unable to "move any needles" in ongoing races and leaving the electorate in a continued state of uncertainty.

Election officials anticipated a much larger number of processed ballots that did not materialize, causing palpable upset among voters, candidates, and watchers. In races where fine margins could dictate outcomes, such as the tie in Oakland Unified school board District 3 race, only a handful of votes were added, stifling any potential shift or decision.

Registrar of Voters Tim Dupuis described the multistep process behind the scenes, from signature verification to the ultimate counting, as a significant factor in the slow pace. As the county processes mostly mail-in ballots now, this resource-intensive phase, as per The Oaklandside, could be hastened with additional staff and equipment.

Further complicating the situation are the changes in the release format of the cast vote record report. These modifications, per Dupuis' compliance with state directives, render the data less accessible for external reanalysis. Critics, including Steven Hill of FairVote, warn this could prevent the identification and correction of errors in the election results. In light of these concerns, the Board of Supervisors plans to consider a recommendation to revert to a more analyzable data format at their upcoming meeting.