The San Joaquin County Board of Supervisors is considering a proposal to reduce the number of ballot drop boxes across the county as part of an effort to enhance election security. The recommendations were presented this week by the Election Advisory Committee, which was established in 2023 to advise the board and the Registrar of Voters office on improving voter confidence and engagement.
Currently, there are 25 ballot drop boxes throughout the county. However, one of the key recommendations is to reduce this number to 13 and relocate them to secure locations such as fire and police stations. Holly Moore, an election integrity officer with the San Joaquin County Republican Party, argued that this change would reduce costs for taxpayers while also meeting California's legal requirements. She emphasized that placing the drop boxes at these secure locations would provide greater protection against potential election fraud.
San Joaquin County Sheriff Pat Withrow expressed his support for the proposal, stating that his office is prepared to assist in maintaining election security, regardless of the number of drop boxes. "This system is not perfect and it’s never going to be 100 percent foolproof, but our goal is to do the best we possibly can," Withrow said. He added that law enforcement would hold accountable anyone found attempting to interfere with the election process.
In addition to the reduction of drop boxes, the committee recommended that the Sheriff’s Office investigate potential fraud in the 2022 election. This comes in the wake of a case involving former Lodi City Councilman Shakir Khan, who pleaded no contest to voter fraud charges related to the 2020 election and was sentenced to two years in county jail earlier this year.
The final recommendation was to create a new position within the Sheriff’s Office specifically to enforce election laws. However, Sheriff Withrow expressed confidence in his current team’s ability to handle such matters without the need for additional personnel.
The Board of Supervisors has not yet made a decision on these proposals and will revisit the discussion at a later date.
