Monterey County Elections rolls out electronic voter rosters for special election.

Paper is a poor system for keeping voter rosters, but for a long time it was the only choice for Monterey County Elections. Thanks to a grant from the California Secretary of State, Monterey County poll workers used a new, electronic voter poll pad called KNOWiNK for the special election on Tuesday, Nov. 4.

Before the KNOWiNK poll pads, poll workers were required to call in to check if someone arrived to cast a provisional ballot or register day-of on paper rosters, which then needed to be reconciled on election night with over 16,000 pages of records.

“It’s very obvious that the technology is going to make it a lot more efficient for the voter and for the people running the polling location,” says William Harry, a seven-year veteran poll worker.

“I’m glad we can finally bring this to our county,” Monterey County Registrar of Voters Gina Martinez says. “It’s a goal we’ve eyed for several years.”

Martinez explains that most counties in California already have an electronic voter roster.

Monterey County Elections piloted the poll pads in five locations in March 2024 to test in case of a mass evacuation during an election. The department planned to implement the system countywide beginning June 2026, but when Proposition 50 made it onto the ballot, they decided to move it up to 2025.

The state grant covers two-thirds of the cost to implement the technology at every polling station in Monterey County this year; the department has budgeted $488,000 to lease the technology for three years.

Prop. 50 – which redistricts to favor House Democrats – won handily, with 63.8 percent of the vote as of press time.