[EL] 407 overlooked absentee ballots in Sacramento County

[Rick Hasen]

Please see the message below from John Maa.  If you have any responses 
please reply to him directly.

On 3/6/13 3:01 PM, John Maa wrote:
> Professor Hasen:
>
> Thank you for your note.
>
> If you could please send my message to the election law listserv---that would be deeply appreciated.
>
> Thanks for your assistance, and have a wonderful evening, John Maa
>
> Sent from my iPad
>
> On Mar 6, 2013, at 2:12 PM, Rick Hasen <rhasen at law.uci.edu> wrote:
>
>> I'm afraid I don't know enough about the mechanics of ballot custody to have an informed opinion.  But if you want me to send your message to the election law listserv, to see if there are people with informed views on this, I am happy to do so.
>> Rick
>>
>> On 3/6/13 1:52 PM, John Maa wrote:
>>> http://www.sacbee.com/2013/02/14/5191836/warehouse-worker-finds-sacramento.html
>>>
>>> Professor Hasen:
>>>
>>> I hope you have been well.
>>>
>>> You are likely aware of the story detailed at the weblink above of the 407 missed ballots from 92 different precincts discovered in Sacramento County recently......likely a breach of the chain of custody. It is unclear why so many ballots from different precincts (some as far as 30 miles away) would have been dropped off by voters at Natomas Community Center, which is apparently in a relatively residential area?
>>>
>>> I was speaking with a former law school dean about the matter, who thought you might be the best expert to answer the question if the envelopes should be opened and the ballots inspected carefully?
>>>
>>> There are some interesting hypotheses circulating about the reason for these ballots to have been placed in the incorrect colored bag, other than simple human error.
>>>
>>> 1) the ballots may have been selectively removed by someone seeking to impact the election outcomes, based on voter registration or address.
>>>
>>> 2) the absentee ballots may have been obtained through inappropriate means, and someone sought to have them added to the totals.....but placed them into the wrong colored bag accidentally....so they were never counted,
>>>
>>> 3) the ballots may have been some type of "reserve" to be deployed in the event of a close contest, and revealed only if necessary.
>>>
>>> There was a very close content in Rancho Cordova in Sacramento County decided by only three votes, that went to a recount in December 2012, with the final difference reported as eight votes. But the Sacramento Registrar states that there are an insufficient number of votes from those precincts in the 407 to alter the outcome of that Rancho Cordova race, so that opening the ballot envelopes is not necessary.
>>>
>>> Ultimately, the story of the 407 missed ballots from 92 different precincts might simply be a story of a human error in the Registrar's office, or instead reveal clear proof of absentee ballot mischief. I have all of the precinct numbers from a Public Records Act if you are interested.
>>>
>>> Best wishes with all of your important projects!
>>>
>>> All the best, John Maa
>> -- 
>> Rick Hasen
>> Chancellor's Professor of Law and Political Science
>> UC Irvine School of Law
>> 401 E. Peltason Dr., Suite 1000
>> Irvine, CA 92697-8000
>> 949.824.3072 - office
>> 949.824.0495 - fax
>> rhasen at law.uci.edu
>> http://law.uci.edu/faculty/page1_r_hasen.html
>> http://electionlawblog.org
>>

-- 
Rick Hasen
Chancellor's Professor of Law and Political Science
UC Irvine School of Law
401 E. Peltason Dr., Suite 1000
Irvine, CA 92697-8000
949.824.3072 - office
949.824.0495 - fax
rhasen at law.uci.edu
http://law.uci.edu/faculty/page1_r_hasen.html
http://electionlawblog.org