Monday, July 12, 2010

Santa Clara County will continue to accept electronically-signed voter registration cards

Notwithstanding the objections of California Secretary of State Debra Bowen, Santa Clara County, in the heart of Silicon Valley, will continue to accept electronically-signed voter registration cards (VRCs).

“We will continue to take them,” Santa Clara County Assistant Registrar of Voters Elaine Larson told Etopia News today. “We disagree with the Secretary of State.”

Asked about the Secretary of State’s view that the electronically-generated signatures from iPhones and iPads did not meet legal standards for the voter registration process, Larson said that the “acceptance” of the electronic signature by the signer on the federal voter registration form makes it valid.

No additional voters have registered electronically since the original batch of eight, who did so in time for the June 8th California primary election. Three of those, Larson said, had used electronically-signed VRCs to change their addresses.

The citizens who registered using electronic signing of the VRC are now normally enrolled as voters, she said.

Asked if the Secretary of State's office had the authority to interfere with Santa Clara County's continuing acceptance of e-VRCs, Larson said that policy on this issue is "up to the jurisdictions" involved.

Ms. Larson said she had heard that San Mateo County, just north of Santa Clara County, was going to announce its own acceptance of electronically-signed VRCs on July 4th. Etopia News has inquired at the San Mateo County Registrar of Voters, and is awaiting a reply.

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