Several Alameda County groups concerned with election integrity have filed objections to the Nov. 8 midterm results with the Board of Supervisors alleging egregious violations of law.
The Alameda County Election Integrity Group and Alameda County Taxpayers’ Association (ACTA) are accusing Alameda County Registrar of Voters Tim Dupuis and his staff of multiple violations of Elections Code § 15360 and requesting that the alleged violations be cured or explained.
“Different groups that had observed things told the Board of Supervisors that we don’t concur that things were good,” said Alison Hayden, a GOP election observer, and 14th Congressional District candidate. “After the Alameda County Registrar posted the results, the NAACP in Oakland complained and so did the Alameda County Republican Party.”
The Nov. 8 winners were certified statewide on Dec. 16. According to the final results issued by the Secretary of State's office, Hayden garnered 30.7% of votes compared to 69.3% for Democrat incumbent Eric Swalwell.
"ACTA contends that Mr. Dupuis and his agents violated Elections Code § 15360(e), especially in that the manual tally for the November 2022 election was not a 'public process,' as required by this law," wrote Jason Bezis, ACTA attorney, in his Dec. 20 letter to the Supervisors. "Mr. Dupuis and his agents, to this day, refuse to divulge to the public the 'universe' of batches from which the one percent sample was taken or the cutoff date that indicates the ballots excluded from the one percent sample. The selection process for the additional batches included in the manual tally has not been shared with the public."
Neither Dupuis nor the Supervisors responded to requests for comment.
“I asked for a public records request and they're not giving me any of them,” Hayden told the Southern California Record. “On June 8 on the night of the primary election, I went in to watch vote processing and witnessed poll workers in adjudication misread the ballot. So, I asked for surveillance video, and then they started having deputy sheriffs attend my observation.”
As previously reported in the Southern California Record, Hayden, who campaigned against Swalwell, was arrested and charged with trespassing on public property at the Alameda County Registrars of Voter's (ROV) on Nov. 18.
After spending the night in Santa Rita jail in Dublin, Hayden was scheduled for a Dec. 19 hearing at the Wiley Manual Courthouse in Oakland. However, when she arrived last week, Hayden said she was informed that the sheriff had never filed charges.
“It was a false arrest,” Hayden added. “I am looking to sue if I can find a lawyer who will take my case.”