Top county election official to step down 

Tim Dupuis, the registrar of the voters of Alameda County and one of the best election officer, will retire in March, he confirmed earlier immediately on the Oaklandside.

The outdated election officer, who has additionally served crucial exterior expertise director of the province for nearly 15 years, informed us that he “knowledgeable his plans” one or two weeks in the past “of the Supervisors and Provincial Supervisor.

He mentioned that the resignation will inform the Graafschap seven months in March to search out and rent a brand new chief or leaders for the 2 capabilities.

“I’ll come via the redistrict elections,” he mentioned in November 2025, “the certification of these elections, and in March 2026 we could have acquired by defining the first June the place any candidates might be recognized and the poll for that major might be on board.”

The registrar expects a “good switch” and doesn’t anticipate issues with the first elections of June 2026.

With regard to the IT capabilities of the provincial registrar, Dupuis mentioned that the group of 230 individuals is ‘strong’, and notes that they’ve not too long ago acquired one grant For his or her efficiency by a very good authorities group.

“I’ve been to the native authorities for 35 years,” mentioned Dupuis. “I’m blessed in a state of affairs the place I could make this resolution. It’s a pretty lengthy profession.”

Final week, chairman of the board Natey, who was planning Dupuis to depart his positions. The announcement got here simply earlier than the Council of Supervisors authorised a directive that may require the registrar to work with the Nationwide Elections Heart in an “intensive analysis” of its place within the aftermath of two important provincial assessments of his efficiency.

“I thank him for all the nice work he did as a director of knowledge expertise and for the challenges he’s confronted with as a rov,” Miley mentioned. Miley mentioned he expects the board to separate the roles.

Dupuis informed the Oaklandside that his departure has nothing to do with the latest experiences that criticize the efficiency of his company, however as an alternative is an opportunity to focus on his well being and his household.

The Council Directive requires Dupuis to supply a full report earlier than November 30, 2025, that an analysis of compliance together with his workplace of all voting legal guidelines and the standard of the general public communication of his workplace ought to embody, in addition to a whole evaluation of the recruitment and personnel wants of Ballot workers.

“This effort is a part of a broader initiative to enhance the general public confidence within the province’s election processes by making certain operational excellence, authorized compliance and clear practices in all areas of election administration,” mentioned Supervisor Lena Tam in her Recommendation to the board.

In a press release to the Oaklandside, supervisor Tam mentioned she appreciated Dupuis’s service.

“I wish to thank Mr Dupuis for his service,” she mentioned, and famous that he navigated the company “Due to some tumultuous instances with varied ranked alternative, voices between 4 cities, moods for younger individuals, two calls elections and defending the county of protected to hackers.

Efficiency deficits and enhancements

Earlier this 12 months, Dupuis acquired the 2 unbiased activity efficiency, one beneath the management of the election committee, based by the Board of Administrators, in 2023 to research his efforts, and one of many Alameda County Civil Grand Jurywho meets yearly. The most recent report mentioned that the double roles of Dupuis “could have created divided priorities and might undermine the efficiency in each roles.” It additionally discovered errors in how the employees was educated.

Each experiences acknowledged that Dupuis and his employees had labored onerous in the previous couple of elections to unravel the issues.

Dupuis responded to these evaluations with a letter of three pages, which was supplied by the elections of the elections in July in July and was made public as a part of the agenda for tomorrow afternoon Election committee meetingAt 4 p.m. within the San Lorenzo library on 395 Paseo Grande.

“Though our workplace welcomes constructive supervision, such supervision should be knowledgeable, sincere and contextually correct – however this report just isn’t,” Dupuis wrote.

He mentioned that the committee didn’t present proof that urged that his twin function “contributed to one of many operational challenges talked about within the report.” And he mentioned that remark processes throughout elections “handed judicial investigation” via totally different lawsuits, and that his workplace labored to enhance transparency in all his processes.

In the course of the Board of Supervisors assembly final week, Pedro Hernandez, the authorized and coverage director of California Widespread Trigger, a temper curiosity group, mentioned in a public comment that the supervisors’ guideline “was an necessary step in direction of transparency, accountability and steady enchancment of our election programs.”

Helen Hutchinson, interim -executive director of the League of Ladies -Voters from California, additionally spoke in the course of the assembly to assist the directive. “We predict it’s a good funding for the province, and it’ll guarantee one of the best efficiency of the workplace of the registrar and constructing the belief of the general public in elections,” she mentioned. “We thank supervisor TAM for bringing the merchandise ahead.”