Election observer tours available at Registrar of Voters’ office

Beginning Tuesday and continuing to the day of the general election, Riverside County residents interested in seeing how the Office of the Registrar of Voters processes vote-by-mail ballots and coordinates other tasks are welcome to have a look.  

"Election Observer Tours" start Tuesday and thereafter will be held every Tuesday and Thursday until Nov. 5, according to officials.  

"We invite community members to engage with the democratic process and learn how their votes are counted,'' Registrar of Voters Art Tinoco said. "Together, let's ensure a fair, accurate and transparent election for all."

The tours, which will facilitate a maximum of 20 people at a time, will be held at the agency's headquarters at 2720 Gateway Drive in Riverside, generally from 11 a.m. to noon, or 4 p.m. to 5 p.m.

The Office of the Registrar of Voters has been a lightning rod of debate for the past two decades, struggling to counter accusations of negligent chain-of-custody policies, inaccurate voter rolls and unsecured electronic ballot tabulations.

The office has also contended with re-occurring red ink on its budget and has been notorious for laggard vote counts, running sometimes weeks after election day.

Tinoco is the fourth registrar at the helm since 2006. He has made transparency one of his priorities in the current election cycle.   

For more information on observer tours, residents were asked to make reservations by calling 951-486-7200.  

Information regarding where to vote early and other considerations can be found at https://voteinfo.net.