San Diego Sheriff: No voting threats in San Diego County

They don’t take chances in Nevada, Oregon and Washington. All three states have put the National Guard on standby ahead of tomorrow’s big vote.

Not so in California. But there are still concerns. KPBS viewer Arturo Toscano wrote us with a question:

“What do we do if someone is ‘watching’ our vote and prevents us from voting peacefully? Given the current misinformation being spread? Do we report this behavior as some type of voter interference, harassment, intimidation, or other type of voter misconduct? would like to have a normal voting experience without any interference, but if unauthorized third parties try to intimidate or stop my vote, what legal recourse do I have?”

We asked that question to San Diego County Registrar of Voters Cynthia Paes, who said, “They should notify the precinct clerk.”

Paes went on to say that San Diego County has not experienced voter intimidation on early voting days and does not expect any.

“We have prepared well for these elections. Our poll workers are trained in de-escalation techniques to ensure a positive voting experience for all voters. Our elections here in San Diego County are open and transparent. We invite the community to come and watch every step of the process,” she said.

But if a problem arises, and de-escalation does not work, law enforcement agencies are ready to act immediately.

However, the San Diego County Sheriff’s Office said they have not seen any threats to the voting process either.

“I think we’ve taken a very good proactive approach to it. We have resources that we can expand if needed. And we have people in the Sheriff’s Operations Center monitoring everything,” said Sheriff’s Department Capt. Chris Steffen, who is in charge of security at county polling centers. Steffen said the department also has federal partners in this effort, including the FBI.

On the day of voting, polling stations will be open until 8:00 p.m.

Paes said the first results will be released soon after, the next step in a process that has gone smoothly so far, which she’s confident will be exciting and hopefully uneventful.