Press release from the Humboldt County Office of Elections:

On Monday, May 4, Humboldt County Office of Elections staff discovered 596 uncounted sealed ballots from the November 4, 2025 Statewide Special Election inside a locked ballot drop box. Under Section 2.5 of Article II of the California Constitution, these ballots should have been counted before the election was certified on Dec. 5, 2025.

Immediately after the discovery, elections staff worked to ensure proper protocol was followed. It was confirmed the uncounted ballots had not been tampered with because the drop box was locked and the ballots were sealed. The Humboldt County Office of Elections then worked in partnership with the California Secretary of State to determine next steps.

The Office of Elections and the state have both confirmed that counting these ballots will not change the result of the November 4, 2025 Statewide Special Election. However, it is important that Humboldt County Office of Elections explore every available option to get these votes counted. 

Under Elections Code §17302, ballots from the November 4, 2025 Statewide Special Election must be destroyed six months after the election was certified. However, the County of Humboldt will be pursuing all legal avenues to get the ballots counted.

The Humboldt County Office of Elections has determined that this error occurred when election workers checked the drop box and there was a miscommunication about whether it had been fully emptied. The Elections Office has already updated its protocols to make sure this will not happen again. A lock out, tag out procedure is now in place for every drop box prior to certification to ensure each one is physically verified as empty and secured before elections results are finalized. 

The Humboldt County Office of Elections will continue to pursue options to count these ballots and will provide the public when an update as more information becomes available. 

Below is a statement from Humboldt County Clerk-Recorder & Registrar of Voters Juan Pablo Cervantes:

“On Monday night around 6 p.m. I was made aware that a ballot drop box from the November 2025 Special Election for Prop 50 was not fully emptied. As a result, 596 ballots were left uncounted. That outcome is unacceptable and runs counter to the core of what this office stands for. 

“While the mistake occurred after an election worker did not follow proper procedures, the responsibility for what happened ultimately sits with me. I did not have strong enough controls in place to prevent this, but we do now. We have taken corrective action and already updated our protocols. A new lock out, tag out procedure has been implemented for every ballot drop box to ensure each box is physically verified as empty and secured before election results are finalized.

“We ask a lot of voters. We ask you to participate, to trust the process and to believe that your vote will be counted. 596 voters did exactly what we asked of them, and we fell short. 

“We will be pursuing all legal avenues to get your ballots counted.

“My team and I take great care to ensure accurate elections, and we were incredibly disappointed to discover this error. This discovery highlights why strong systems, redundancy and clear accountability must be in place at every step in the election process. In this case, those safeguards were not sufficient. That responsibility is mine and I am deeply sorry.

“I have always emphasized the importance of honesty and transparency in this office. I am sharing this with you because you deserve to know when we fall short, not just when things go right. I promise you that we are taking this seriously. We will strengthen our processes and continue pushing toward the standard our community expects and deserves. As long as I serve as your county Clerk-Recorder & Registrar of Voters, I will continue to operate with transparency and remain accountable to you.”