Campaign Priorities: Defending Democracy
Karen’s priorities build on the legacy of Former Supervisor of Elections Bill Cowles...
She believes we must work to expand access, increase turnout, and safeguard the elections process.
1. Expand Access with new Early Voting Sites, Satellite Locations, and an innovative VoteMobile
With our ever growing population in Orange County, it makes sense that we would need to keep up with that growth by adding additional Early Voting sites making them more accessible. While the Supervisor of Elections office is centrally located, it’s not easy to get to for many residents. Karen will establish Satellite Offices for convenient access so that voters can update their addresses and signatures, register to vote, enroll in Vote-by-Mail or drop off their ballots. To make sure that the office is proactively engaging residents, Karen will establish a mobile unit - the Votemobile - to target voting deserts, visit senior centers, attend parades, festivals, food truck nights, and community events and generate enthusiasm for civic participation.
2. Increase Turnout through Effective Communication and Outreach because Knowledge is Power
The role of the Supervisor is to ensure that voters understand how, when, and where to vote, along with how the changes in voting laws affect their ability to make their voices heard. She’ll make sure voters know how to re-enroll in the Vote-by-Mail ballot process and maintain their active voter registration status.
As Supervisor, Karen will increase election information throughout the year and in between election cycles through multiple languages and media formats so voters are empowered to engage in the democratic process. Building on her educational background, Karen will invest in voter education in our schools and partner with civic organizations to meet the needs in the community.
3. Safeguard our Elections Process
As an experienced elected official and public servant, Karen knows the importance of avoiding even the appearance of impropriety. She will institute an Office Code of Ethics and make sure all contracts go through a competitive bid process. Karen will ask the Orange County Comptroller to conduct an independent audit of the operations to restore public confidence in the office. She will continue the new live streaming of the ballot counting process created by the current Supervisor of Elections, and she will work to build trust through honest, accurate, and timely election results.