PRESS RELEASE

Kern County Elections Office - 1115 Truxtun Avenue - Bakersfield, CA 93301 - 661-868-3590 − Fax 661-868-3768

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

Date: November 6, 2020

Contact: Laura Cantu, Acting Division Chief Elections
Phone: 661-868-3706

ELECTIONS UPDATE

A locked vote by mail drop box was inadvertently left overnight at the Bakersfield College Library Poll Site on
election day. The vote by mail drop box was in the art gallery room, a room within the Bakersfield College Library.
Both the art gallery room and the Library were locked at the time the poll workers left on Tuesday night and
remained so until an election worker returned to retrieve the box early Wednesday morning. A Bakersfield College
security officer unlocked the Library door and the door to the art gallery for the election worker on Wednesday
morning. The drop box was located and was transported to the Elections Office. The box was locked and remained
so when received by the election office Wednesday morning.

We are confident at this time that the chain of custody of the ballots was maintained throughout this incident and
that no tampering with ballots, envelopes, or the box occurred. There were 273 ballots in the drop box, including
four out of county envelopes. The ballots are being segregated for the time being and have not yet been counted.
When it is time to count them, they will be subjected to the same scrutiny (signature checks, etc.) as all other mail
ballots deposited in drop boxes.

Given the extensive protocols at poll sites to ensure that all ballots are returned to the election office on election
night, we are continuing our investigation into how this incident occurred.

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By: Mary B. Bedard, CPA

Auditor-Controller-County Clerk
Kern County