With the Nov. 5 election approaching, Riverside County announced several security upgrades to the Registrar of Voters Gateway Building.
Construction starts in two weeks, according to Riverside County registrar’s spokesperson Elizabeth Florer.
Improvements planned for the Registrar of Voters building at 2724 Gateway Drive in Riverside was “will provide enhanced election security for the voting public, election staff, as well as for election ballot observers,” according to a county report.
“It was just our way of making it more convenient for the community,” Florer said, “so that they can experience their ballot being processed, and so we can continue on the venture of being fair, transparent and accurate.”
The focus on security comes as threats of political violence and concerns about election integrity are on the rise. Security upgrades at polling places have become a national trend seeking to keep workers safe and the process of voting and ballot-counting secure, according to the Associated Press.
Los Angeles County and Durham County in North Carolina will have bulletproof glass, security cameras and doors that open only with badges at their registrar’s offices, election officials have said.
In Los Angeles, law enforcement canine teams will also help scan incoming mail ballots for suspicious substances, officials said.
Meanwhile in San Bernardino County, election officials have added more cameras to monitor ballot drop-off locations.
With election workers facing threats in recent years, increasing security at polling places has become a priority as well.
At the Riverside County registrar’s office, voters will soon see enhanced security fencing, election security cameras, video monitoring and a metal detector screening station.
The total cost of the project, approved by Riverside County supervisors at their Sept. 17 meeting, is $673,750.
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“A lot more excitement is going to be happening in about two weeks, when we actually start erecting the fence,” Florer said.
The county is installing higher fencing at ballot counting areas to improve security.
The registrar will also install screening stations such as those managed by the Transportation Security Administration at airports, added Florer. The screening stations will be located at the entrance of the ballot counting facility, and anyone who enters will have to pass through.
Meanwhile, the registrar’s office has been adding security cameras to monitor ballot processing.
The cameras are “similar to what we have now, where people are able to monitor the ballots while they’re being tabulated,” Florer said. “We’re just adding additional ones so people can see other features of the process as well.”
