BOB PAGE, registrar of voters (Tribune photo).

By Jim Tortolano
Orange County Tribune

No city – or at least no city council – in Orange County has embraced skepticism about the voting process as much as in Huntington Beach.

So there was some drama on Tuesday night when the man responsible for the safety of local elections – Orange County Registrar of Voters Bob Page – addressed the council.

He faced questions about allegations of voter fraud, outdated rolls and other issues.

Page was asked by Mayor Pat Burns if having a voter ID requirement would improve the voting process.
“It’s not my job to take a policy position,” said Page.

He added, in response to a question, that “We do have in every election some people who attempt to cast two ballots,” he said. He estimated that between 200 to 400 such ballots are flagged in elections.

Page also poured some cold water on the claim that a dog had voted in a recent election. Page said the “dog” was actually a person who sought to cast two ballots, and that the person who tried to vote twice was referred to the district attorney for possible prosecution.

“How many dogs are registered now?” asked Burns. Page, straight-faced, replied that a survey of animal registrations turned up just one dog-named would-be “voter.”

Before Page addressed the council, about one-and-one-half hours of public comments were filled mostly with comments on voter security. A majority of those speaking expressed some skepticism about the safety of the process.

“I know a lot people are asking for paper ballots,” said Page. “We’re already doing that. We are required to do that by state law.”

Councilmember Butch Twining asked if people who requested a ballot through application for a drivers’ license, then how would the registrar’s office check if the person was a U.S. citizen.

“There’s a stipulation under penalty of perjury that person is a citizen,” said Page, and the person making such as false claim would be running the risk of prosecution for doing so.