REPORT/RECOMMENDATION TO THE BOARD OF SUPERVISORS
OF SAN BERNARDINO COUNTY
AND RECORD OF ACTION
October 6, 2026
FROM
JOANI FINWALL, Registrar of Voters
SUBJECT
Title
Registrar of Voters Budgetary Adjustments for Fiscal Year 2026-27
End
RECOMMENDATION(S)
Recommendation
1. Accept the allocation from the California Department of Finance, in the amount of $1,492,000, to expedite the vote counting process and provide voter outreach and education for the November 3, 2026 Statewide General Election.
2. Authorize the Auditor-Controller/Treasurer/Tax Collector to post the necessary budget adjustments, as detailed in the Financial Impact section, for expenses related to the November 3, 2026 Statewide General Election (Four votes required).
(Presenter: Joani Finwall, Registrar of Voters, 387-2100)
Body
COUNTY AND CHIEF EXECUTIVE OFFICER GOALS & OBJECTIVES
Operate in a Fiscally-Responsible and Business-Like Manner.
FINANCIAL IMPACT
Approval of this item will not result in the use of Discretionary General Funding (Net County Cost). The Registrar of Voters (ROV) requests budget adjustments to the 2026-27 budget, as reflected in the table below, to provide sufficient appropriation for costs associated to expedite the vote counting process and provide voter outreach and education for the November 3, 2026 Statewide General Election. The budget adjustments will be funded by the allocation from the California Department of Finance of $1,492,000.
|
Funds Center |
Commitment Item/GL Account |
Description |
Action |
Amount |
|
6800001000 |
52002135 |
Special Department Expense |
Increase |
$950,000 |
|
6800001000 |
52002335 |
Temporary Help |
Increase |
$142,000 |
|
6800001000 |
52002445 |
Other Professional and Special Services |
Increase |
$200,000 |
|
6800001000 |
54404040 |
Equipment |
Increase |
$200,000 |
|
6800001000 |
40408840 |
State Other |
Increase |
$1,492,000 |
At the time the Board of Supervisors (Board) adopted the 2026-27 budget, the California Department of Finance had not yet notified counties of the allocation. As a result, ROV was unable to anticipate or include the associated expenses in the adopted 2026-27 budget.
BACKGROUND INFORMATION
On June 29, 2026, Governor Gavin Newsome signed Senate Bill (SB) 111, appropriating $34 million from the State General Fund to the Secretary of State to provide local assistance to counties for election-related needs. The funding is provided by the California Department of Finance and distributed to counties through the Secretary of State. Counties may utilize this funding for the following purposes:
Election Administration and Vote Counting:
Funding may be used to support and expedite vote counting for the November 3, 2026 Statewide General Election. Allowable uses include temporary staffing for ballot processing and tabulation, as well as the purchase of equipment and technology upgrades that enhance election operations.
ROV will utilize the funding to accelerate ballot processing by purchasing additional extraction machines and operating a 24-hour extraction shift. The funding will also support other measures to expedite ballot counting, such as increasing staffing for high-volume periods, expanding automated signature-verification capacity, enhancing workflow efficiencies, and improving ballot tracking systems to reduce processing delays.
Voter Outreach and Education:
Funding may also be used to implement voter outreach and education efforts, including informing voters about the advantages of submitting ballots early.
ROV will use the funding to enhance voter outreach by launching a campaign that encourages residents to vote early. This effort will focus on educating voters about early voting options, reducing Election Day congestion, and supporting faster ballot processing.
This budget adjustment reflects election-specific expenses related to vote processing and voter outreach activities. Expenditures may include payroll costs for temporary election staff and costs associated with outreach initiatives. No contract is associated with this State funding allocation.
PROCUREMENT
Not Applicable
REVIEW BY OTHERS
This item has been reviewed by County Counsel (Jolena Grider, Deputy County Counsel, 387-5455) on September 1, 2026; Auditor-Controller/Treasurer/Tax Collector (Charlene Huang, Auditor-Controller Manager, 382-7022) on September 30, 2026; and County Finance and Administration (Elias Duenas, Administrative Analyst, 387-4052) on September 15, 2026.