COLUSA, CA (MPG) – Representatives of the federal government paid a visit to Colusa County Hall of Records in Colusa last week to do a physical and cyber inspection of the elections department.
The visit came after it was reported that fentanyl, which can be deadly at very small doses, had been sent to election departments in five states, including California.
“We have been designated critical infrastructure by the Department of Homeland Security,” said Colusa County Clerk/Recorder Cristy Edwards, who will oversee her first Presidential election in 2024.
Edwards said within 15 minutes of knowing that election offices had been the target of threats, Colusa County Behavioral Health equipped her office with
Narcan (Naloxone), an FDA approved medicine that can reverse the effects
of opioid exposure.
Edwards said the state and federal government are taking all threats seriously and will aid the county with no-cost assistance to secure the election department.
“Some of the physical security measures that are being recommended are physical barriers between the staff and public, the possibility of modifying the Jay Street door to a sliding door that can be locked from within, with a keypad entry, and replacement of our camera system.
This is all in the preliminary stages; nothing has been decided. It’s just very
much an open discussion.”
California Secretary of State Shirley N. Weber notified all County Clerks/ Registrar of Voters that $9.2 million in state and federal funds has been made available to California counties for election security, with allocations based on the number of registered voters.
In addition to the $100,000 in state and federal funds to beef up security locally, Colusa County is also eligible for an additional $20,000 for polling place accessibility funding, Edwards said.
The additional funding comes from the $4.2 million in state and federal
funds allocated for 2023- 24 from the new Help America Vote Act.