In a widespread messaging error, thousands of California voters received incorrect election reminders on Tuesday, causing confusion across multiple counties. The automated notifications, which indicated an upcoming election next week, were mistakenly sent to voters who are not eligible to participate in the special elections scheduled for February 25.
The error originated from BallotTrax, a Denver-based company that manages automated ballot tracking communications for California's Secretary of State office. While the reminders were intended for approximately 100,000 voters in specific legislative districts spanning Los Angeles, Orange, Kern, and Tulare counties, a geo-targeting malfunction resulted in the messages being distributed to a much broader audience.
The erroneous communications included email notifications with the subject line "One Week Left to Return Your Ballot" and incomplete text messages stating "Drop your ballot at a nearby drop box or voting location by 8 pm on." Both formats omitted crucial date information.
BallotTrax President Steve Olsen acknowledged the error and indicated that the company is investigating the incident. The firm plans to send retractions to voters who received the incorrect notifications once they determine the full scope of the misfire.
The Los Angeles County Registrar-Recorder's office reported that "nearly all" county voters subscribed to BallotTrax updates received the mistaken messages. The California Secretary of State's office has issued an apology for any confusion caused by the incident.
The special elections actually taking place next week include a primary in State Senate District 36, which covers coastal Orange County, Little Saigon, and parts of southern Los Angeles County. This election aims to fill the seat vacated by Janet Nguyen, who stepped down after winning a position on the Orange County Board of Supervisors. Additionally, voters in Tulare and Kern counties will select a replacement for former Assemblyman Vince Fong, who moved to the U.S. House of Representatives.