Board of Supervisors approves plan to separate Registrar of Voters from other elected duties

The Sonoma County Board of Supervisors today approved the first step of a proposal to create a new department to oversee local elections, bringing Sonoma County inline with most other counties in the state. Under the plan, the Board would appoint a Registrar of Voters to run the department.

Currently the Sonoma County Registrar of Voters is an elected position that also holds the duties of Clerk, Recorder and Assessor. Under the new structure, the Clerk-Recorder-Assessor would still be chosen by voters, but the Registrar of Voters would be a position appointed by the Board of Supervisors.

“The task of administering elections has become increasingly challenging in the past decade, to the point where it has become a full-time assignment for a department head,” said Supervisor Lynda Hopkins, chair of the Board of Supervisors. “This change will give us a dedicated election official, and it will also eliminate the inherent conflict of interest in having an elected department head that is required to oversee their own election.”

There are currently only eight combined County Clerk-Recorder-Assessor-Registrar of Voters departments out of 58 counties in the state, and all but one are significantly smaller than Sonoma County. Of the 15 counties with more registered voters than Sonoma, nine have separate Registrar of Voters departments, and 10 have appointed department heads. Over the last few years, a number of counties have moved to recognize the increased workload and unique nature of the Registrar of Voters and have split to allow department heads to focus on elections. Gov. Gavin Newsom last year signed SB 1514, which adds Sonoma County to the list of counties that can have a separately appointed registrar of voters.

Deva Marie Proto, the current Clerk-Recorder-Assessor-Registrar of Voters, said she supports the move.

“As an appointed department head, the Registrar of Voters will have the benefit of being selected based on merit, not have to recuse themselves because they are on the ballot, and the ability to focus on their job instead of running for election,” she said. “This is the right move as it increases the integrity and public trust in our election system.”

The public will have another chance to comment on the proposal when the Board considers the second reading in February. If approved, the new Registrar of Voters Department is expected to be created at the start of the fiscal year on July 1. Human Resources will seek the Board’s approval on the adoption of a Registrar of Voters job classification at an upcoming public meeting. Once the new job class is established, a months-long executive level recruitment will be conducted to fill the position.

The new department head would be expected to oversee the next scheduled election on Nov. 4, when only seven small districts hold elections. The 2026 election cycle includes a June primary and a November General Election.

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Media Contact:
Matt Brown, Communications Specialist 
publicaffairs@sonoma-county.org
(707) 565-3040
575 Administration Drive, Suite 104A
Santa Rosa, CA 95403