Voters are preparing to head to the polls for the March 5 Primary and Kern County’s clerk is working to make the process as transparent as possible.
“For me, one of the things I really wanted to do during my tenure is to help educate voters,” Kern County Auditor, Controller, Clerk and Registrar of Voters Aimee Espinoza told KVPR. “Even in casual conversation with people I realize there is just this mystery around what happens in our office and how things are processed.”
In recent years, Americans’ faith in the election process has waned. In an effort to demystify the process, Kern County officials recently published an educational video featuring Espinoza, who explains the life of a ballot when voters vote by mail.
“I really feel it's important that the more people know, the more confidence they will have in the process,” Espinoza said.
Residents are able to go to the county office to observe employees process ballots. Employees are already processing absentee ballots, and viewing is open on election night as well. Espinoza is also working with the county’s IT department to livestream the ballot counting.
For more information on the voting process in Kern County and what voters can expect, listen to KVPR Host Elizabeth Arakelian in conversation with Kern County Clerk Aimee Espinoza by clicking the audio player on this page.
