California county finds nearly 600 unopened ballots months after Newsom-backed redistricting measure passed

By Fox News · Fox News

Nearly 600 unopened ballots were discovered in a California county months after voters approved a statewide Democratic redistricting measure, with local election officials admitting they failed voters. The Humboldt County Office of Elections said in a Wednesday press release that the 596 sealed but uncounted ballots did not impact the outcome of the Nov. 4 statewide special election, which centered on Proposition 50, a redistricting ballot measure pushed by California Gov. Gavin Newsom and Democrats. The ballots were found Monday inside a locked drop box, prompting county officials to say they had not been tampered with because the box was locked, and the ballots remained sealed. Officials said the error stemmed from a miscommunication over whether the drop box had been fully emptied before certification. "While the mistake occurred after an election worker did not follow proper procedures, the responsibility for what happened ultimately sits with me. I did not have strong enough controls in place to prevent this, but we do now," Humboldt County Clerk-Recorder and Registrar of Voters Juan Pablo Cervantes said in the news release. "We have taken corrective action and already updated our protocols. A new lock out, tag out procedure has been implemented for every ballot drop box to ensure each box is physically verified as empty and secured before election results are finalized." SUPREME COURT SHUTS DOWN CALIFORNIA GOP BID TO BLOCK NEWSOM'S NEW MAP While the ballots will not change the outcome of the November election, Humboldt County officials said they are still endeavoring to ensure all ballots get counted, apologizing to voters that they "fell short" of their duties. "I promise you that we are taking this seriously," Cervantes added. "We will strengthen our processes and continue pushing toward the standard our community expects and deserves." Proposition 50, championed by Newsom and California Democrats, allowed the state to temporarily use legislature-drawn cong…