Ballot Boxes In Orange County To Be Equipped With Scanners

SANTA ANA, CA — Voters in Orange County will soon notice a new feature on certain ballot drop boxes for the upcoming primary election — electronic scanners.

The Orange County Registrar of Voters announced Wednesday it was launching a new ballot tracking pilot program for the June 7 election. Nine ballot boxes across the county will have barcode scanners installed on the outside that voters can use to scan their ballot when it's dropped off, the agency said.

Upon scanning their ballot, voters will receive a text message confirming it was dropped off and will then be able to track it through the ballot counting process, the Registrar of Voters said in a statement.

The agency said the ballot tracking program is similar to how the medical industry tracks tissue samples and that it's the first time it's being used for an election.

"By providing voters with enhanced visibility on the location of their ballot, I believe this will help to continue boosting voter confidence and improve overall election security," Neal Kelley, the registrar of voters, said in a statement.

Mail-in ballots will include information on where to find the specially-equipped ballot boxes, the agency said.

For more information about the ballot boxes, visit the OC Vote website.