SLO County will use new Dominion voting machines in next election despite supervisor’s push

San Luis Obispo County will use Dominion Voting Systems machines to tabulate its elections for at least the next five years — despite one supervisor’s continued efforts to stop it.

On Tuesday, the San Luis Obispo County Board of Supervisors voted to approve a contract with Dominion Voting Systems that would supply the county with new voting machines and technology.

According to County Clerk-Recorder Elaina Cano, this is the first time the county has gotten new voting machines since its first contract with Dominion in 2018.

The contract is set to cover machinery for all elections in the county for the next five years. After that the Board will be able to renew the contract annually for up to five additional years.

The topic of Dominion Voting Systems has been somewhat contentious locally, as Supervisor Debbie Arnold has repeatedly expressed her disapproval of the company during Board of Supervisors meetings, backing up her position with debunked information on the security of the machines.

SLO County supervisor says she is worried about security of voting machines

Arnold has repeatedly questioned the veracity of Dominion voting machines in past Board of Supervisors meetings and cited debunked theories that the machines could be hacked.

In February, Arnold called for a discussion about the voting machines, telling The Tribune she wanted staff to present a report on the security of Dominion machines. At the time, she said she was concerned people could hack into the machines to tamper with voter data — a claim that has been repeatedly refuted by the company.

According to the company’s website, the machines are certified by the U.S. government and “do not rely on internet connectivity for use.” Without internet connection, the machines cannot be hacked, the company said.

In an interview with The Tribune on Tuesday, Arnold said she does not see herself as a supporter of misinformation.

Instead, she said she thinks anyone who claims they are an expert on the machines may be biased.

Arnold additionally said she did not think the Clerk-Recorder’s office could be an expert on the voting machines, since the office is not involved in designing the software.

“I am just saying with a computerized machine or any machine that we do not have access to, how does anyone tell us anything definitively — anything about what’s going on inside of there?” she said. “I never did understand how anyone could say they know what’s going on if they are not allowed to look in there.”

Arnold added that technology is not her area of expertise and her lack of knowledge in the area left her feeling more hesitant to support the contract.

Clerk-Recorder details how Dominion voting machines are used in SLO County

Arnold is not the only one who did not support the county’s new contract with the voting machine company.

About 16 members of the public attended the Tuesday meeting to express their concerns with the company, with many of those backing up their arguments with unsubstantiated or debunked claims about election fraud.

Former County Clerk-Recorder Julie Rodewald also took the stand during public comment and expressed her support for the contract, saying the false claims about the voting machines were not reasonable.

Rodewald said the steps taken to secure elections are rigorous and that in order for a machine like the Dominion Voting Systems machines to be authorized in California, they need to pass many layers of testing.

After public comment, the Board discussed the contract and verified information about the voting machines with Cano.

Cano answered questions about the process for verifying voter’s identities and clarified that despite repeated requests during public comment for the county to go back to hand-counting ballots, it would actually be against California law for a county of our size.

In Tuesday’s meeting and in past board meetings, Supervisor Arnold referenced a report by the Cybersecurity Infrastructure Security agency that she said had found flaws in the security of Dominion Voting Systems machines.

However, when speaking to the board on Tuesday, Cano said the report Arnold referenced was done on machines in Georgia shortly after the 2020 election, which were a different make and model than the ones used in San Luis Obispo County.

When asked about Arnold’s continued assertions that the machines were not secure, Cano noted Arnold’s stated concerns were “over something that we don’t use and is not certified here.”

Despite Arnold’s push, the Board passed the contract 4-1, with supervisors Dawn Ortiz-Legg, John Peschong, Bruce Gibson and Jimmy Paulding all voting in support of the contract.

Where to get more information on voting machines used in SLO County elections

When speaking with The Tribune after the meeting, Cano cautioned voters from getting information about the security of elections solely from the Board of Supervisors because the Board is not in charge of elections.

“They don’t know the ins and outs and all the technicalities of what it takes to conduct an election,” she said. “So I would guess that if people wanted accurate information, they would go to the source, and that source would be my office.”

Cano said the Clerk-Recorder’s Office provides resources for the public to learn about election security in the county.

She also suggested that voters review resources through the website of the Secretary of State of California and the Dominion’s own site about the security of the machines.

Cano said anyone with questions about the security of Dominion Voting Machines or other election processes is also welcome to come into her office to speak with her.