At the Humboldt Elections Transparency Project, we’re founded on two simple ideas:
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Voters have the right to see the ballots they cast.
Transparency is the best way to keep election results honest. -
Ballot security must be protected.
Instead of allowing unlimited access to paper ballots, we partner with the County Elections Office to create digitally-signed ballot images that the public can verify safely.
Our Origins
The Elections Transparency Project is a 501(c)(3) nonprofit organization founded with a clear purpose: to restore and strengthen public trust in elections through transparency and citizen participation.
Our work began in the early 2000s, when concerns were growing nationwide about electronic voting systems that left no paper trail. In Humboldt County, we still used paper ballots, but the votes were scanned and tallied by Diebold equipment—raising local concerns about whether the system could be trusted.
In response, then-Registrar of Voters Carolyn Crnich, with support from Supervisor Jimmy Smith, formed the Elections Advisory Committee: a diverse group of citizens committed to election transparency. Their solution was simple and powerful:
“Count them yourself.”
The idea was to scan every ballot after the election, make those images available to the public, and empower anyone to verify the results using their own methods.
A Proven Record
In 2008, our scanning process revealed a serious issue: a batch of 200 ballots had been omitted from the official count. Within minutes, our volunteers identified the problem, confirmed the missing ballots, and reported it to the Registrar, who immediately notified the Secretary of State. The result? The Secretary decertified that version of the Diebold voting system for use in California.
Since then, our work has:
- Identified mechanical and human errors in multiple elections.
- Led to improved poll worker training and stronger safeguards.
- Inspired public confidence through accountability and access.
We’ve even seen candidates decline recounts—not because they weren’t allowed, but because they trusted the results. As one journalist was told during a close race for Mayor of Ferndale:
“If Crnich counted them, they’re good.”
That’s the kind of confidence transparency builds.
Join Us
Your support—whether through donations, volunteering, or simply spreading the word—helps ensure our elections remain transparent, secure, and trustworthy.
Together, we can protect the foundation of our democracy: the confidence that every vote counts, and every result can be verified.
