$1.6M Public Relations Deal Inked For RivCo Registrar Of Voters

RIVERSIDE COUNTY, CA — The Board of Supervisors Tuesday signed off on the Riverside County Office of the Registrar of Voters' proposed $1.6 million contract with a public relations firm to handle voter outreach campaigns ahead of the 2024 primary and general elections.

In a 5-0 vote without comment, the board authorized Interim Registrar of Voters Art Tinoco to retain the services of Riverside-based Westbound Communications Inc.

The contract runs from Jan. 1, 2024 to Feb. 28, 2025.

"A scope of work has been outlined by Westbound that includes messaging to promote information about the voting process, developing an advertising plan for broadcast, digital, print and social media platforms, conducting a website review to ensure information is current and easy to find, expanding current voter education tools and assets, and establishing new community partnerships," according to a statement posted to the board's agenda Tuesday.

The new agreement is analogous to one currently maintained by the San Bernardino County Registrar of Voters, officials said.

California's primary election day is March 5, and the nationwide general election will be Nov. 5.

"The goal of these enhanced outreach efforts is to increase community knowledge, trust in the electoral process and the county's commitment to election transparency," according to the registrar's office.

Information about voter registration can be found at https://voteinfo.net/.