Sonoma County is seeking to join the growing ranks of counties in the state to split the positions of registrar of voters and clerk-recorder-assessor.
The county board of supervisors gave preliminary approval to an ordinance that would separate the positions and have the board appoint the registrar of voters. The clerk-recorder-assessor would remain an elected position.
The clerk-recorder-assessor maintains public records, issues marriage licenses, and assesses property value, among other tasks. The department has three distinct roles, which counties frequently combine.
The registrar of voters manages elections, maintains voters rolls, and engages in election awareness campaigns, among other election-centered duties.
Only eight out of 58 counties in the state have a combined clerk-recorder-assessor-registrar of voters, according to the county.
The change was facilitated by a bill signed into law in 2024 by Gov. Gavin Newsom that allowed certain counties, including Sonoma County, to allow the board of supervisors to appoint a registrar of voters.
The change was backed by current county Clerk-Recorder-Assessor-Registrar of Voters Deva Proto, who noted the benefits of removing the clerk-recorder-assessor from managing what have become full-time elections duties, even in off-years.
“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. This is the right move as it increases the integrity and public trust in our election system,” she said.
Maintaining secure elections is one of the duties that is increasingly taking up more time for the registrar of voters, according to the staff report prepared for the board by Proto and County Executive Christina Rivera.
“This includes participating in audits from the Department of Homeland Security, weekly scheduled cybersecurity meetings with the FBI, weekly meetings with the SOS, and coordination with federal, state and local law enforcement and emergency management,” the staff report said.
Supervisor Lynda Hopkins said in a statement that the role had become increasingly challenging over the past decade.
“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,” Hopkins said.
The workload increase has also come in response to a slate of elections-related laws passed by the state in the last decade, including expanding voting by mail, signature verification, pre-registration of teenagers, and more frequent registration changes that coming from streamlining registrations at the Department of Motor Vehicles, according to a county staff report.
Salary and benefits for the position would be an estimated $350,000 a year, according to the staff report.
The ordinance will have a second reading before a final vote at the Board of Supervisors’ meeting on Feb. 11.