Registrar of Voters calls public attention to hole in ballot envelopes. Here’s what you need to know.
ROV Clint Curtis is warning the public of an “issue” in the production of ballot envelopes, a hole that could reveal ballot markings. The Secretary of State’s office confirmed that holes in ballot envelopes are a standard feature.
On the October 8 installment of a new Facebook video series posted on the Shasta Registrar of Voter’s personal page, election official Clint Curtis sounded the alarm about the condition of ballot envelopes ahead of the upcoming Nov. 4 election.
“Today we’re going to talk about the fact that there is an issue with the ballot envelope,” Curtis said, before noting that there is a hole in ballot envelopes that could possibly reveal how people voted. He advised voters to fold their ballots with the votes on the inside so that no markings from their ballots show through the envelope.
Shasta Scout reached out to California’s Secretary of State (SOS) for more information. After viewing Curtis’ video, the SOS’s office wrote that “the small holes on the ballot envelopes are an accessibility feature to allow sight-impaired voters to orient themselves to where they are required to sign the envelope.” Additionally, the SOS said, the holes can serve as a quick visual indicator to election staff to determine if an envelope is empty or still contains a ballot.
ROV Curtis’ PSA came one day after voters in Sacramento expressed similar concerns about holes in ballot envelopes. Several years ago, similar worries circulated during Gov. Gavin Newsom’s recall election in 2021, when accusations of election fraud connected to envelope holes spread around Los Angeles. As was addressed then by election officials, the holes have been a part of California’s ballot envelopes for years.
Curtis told the public on his video Friday that if the Shasta Election office had its own printers, these “problems” could be avoided in future. The Board of Supervisors did not approve a version of Curtis’ budget amendment request that would have allowed the elections office to purchase its own ballot printers. Currently, Runbeck Election Services prints both the ballots and envelopes for Shasta’s elections.
Joanna Francescut, the former assistant ROV who is running against Curtis in the upcoming 2026 election, told Shasta Scout that ballot envelopes are custom designed by local elections offices prior to being submitted for printing. “They do a proofing process, just to make sure that everything’s perfect – our office is the one that directs where the holes go,” she said.
The envelope proofs are created well in advance of the actual ballot printing, Francescut said, so it’s hard to predict where to place the hole so as to be completely discrete. Like Curtis, she advised placing the ballot in the envelope in a way that doesn’t reveal markings through the envelope.
She added that even if Shasta had its own printers to print ballots, as Curtis suggested in his video, the elections office would not have the equipment to produce envelopes, a separate production process.
Francescut also described feeling “concerned” about Curtis publicly blaming the printing vendor for features she described as typical, especially at this late point in the election. “He’s creating fear in the election process,” she said.
Neither ROV Curtis, the elections office, nor Runbeck Election Services could be reached for further information or comment.
Do you have information or a correction to share? Email us: editor@shastascout.org.
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This large hole problem is not statewide. The problem has been verified Sacramento County. In my very large county SMALL holes have been near the bottom corners of the envelope for voters to return the ballot for many years to show there is a ballot inside.
The problem is verified for Sacramento County. Their BALLOTS were laid out and printed so that EXACTLY the location of the NO vote will appear as a huge black dot at the front of the signature block. THERE IS A VERY, VERY LOW CHANCE THIS COULD BE ACCIDENTAL. Thus anyone reviewing the signature for validity would have the opportunity to approve a lot of questionable signatures if there is no black dot in front, and to be much more critical of the signature with a large black dot in front of it. ALSO anyone else that handles the ballot if mailed in or placed in a ballot box will know how you voted and your name and address and that violates the secret ballot laws.
Sounds like each election office is in charge of determining where the “hole” in the envelope is placed. Probably just another instance of the incompetent not knowing what they are doing.
Much to do about nothing. JMHO
I’m more insulted people don’t remember the election last year, where every damn envelope has a hole in it, but by god, the stupid people are always the loudest
Well, be a profoundly inquistive person and experiment with your ballot and envelope as I just did. Even with the flap open and the ballot oriented so the boxes to fill are as close to the hole as possible, I could not see the boxes. All I saw were one word and random letters. Ironically, the one word I could see was NONPARTISAN. Don’t take my word for it, try it yourself.
According to Tom Toller, the location of the hole is used by the Runbeck Agilis sorting machine to separate vbm ballots by precinct. It is therefore likely that votes are visible in only one or two precincts…
Clutch your pearls and fold the paper with your vote inside. Insert and close. It’s not that hard make your vote secure.
Can we say it out loud? Clint Curtis is not suited for the position for which he was hired. His hiring was predicated entirely on his belief that the Dominion electronic voting machines are corrupted and cannot be trusted. However, it is becoming increasingly apparent that it is, in fact, Clint Curtis who cannot be trusted.
Dr Piranha Curtis I presume… the Sun is shining in Norte Cali…
After outcry over the same issue in 2023, Colorado outlawed the placement of envelope holes near voting target areas (reg 7.2.17)
https://www.coloradosos.gov/pubs/newsRoom/pressReleases/2024/PR20240110ElectionRules.html