Early voting begins as Santa Clara Co. strengthens election security measures

SANTA CLARA COUNTY, Calif. (KGO) -- As national debates over the security of U.S. elections grow louder, local officials in Santa Clara County say voting in the South Bay remains safe, transparent and secure heading into the 2026 election cycle.

Concerns about election integrity have prompted changes across the country after President Trump signed an executive order limiting voting by mail and threatened to deploy troops to polling places.

While officials say those actions are not being mirrored locally, Santa Clara County agencies are taking visible steps to reassure voters.

"Here in Santa Clara County, we have an election system that is secure, accurate and transparent so that voters will have confidence that every valid vote will count," Registrar of Voters Matt Moreles said.

The Santa Clara County Registrar of Voters and the Santa Clara County Sheriff's Office are introducing new security measures, including the addition of two K9 deputies. The dogs are trained specifically to address potential explosive threats.

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"Both dogs are bomb dogs, EOD dogs, and they train weekly to ensure that they're up to date on some of the tasks that we ask them to do. We are prepared to respond and ensure public safety," Santa Clara County Assistant Sheriff Ricardo Urena said.

Sheriff's deputies will not maintain a heavy presence at polling locations, officials said, citing concerns about intimidating voters. The Sheriff's Office says it will instead focus on enforcing voterprotection rules and responding to problems as they arise.

"Together we can ensure that every voice in our community is heard, respected and counted," Urena said.

The heightened local focus comes amid electionrelated turmoil elsewhere in California.

Protecting American democracy is no easy task, including here in California, after the state has already seen election-related turmoil.

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Recent controversies include gubernatorial candidate Chad Bianco, while serving as sheriff in Riverside County, seizing more than 650,000 ballots, and the registrar of voters in Shasta County retiring early after facing threats of violence.

Despite those incidents, Santa Clara County Registrar Matt Moreles said voters should not be discouraged by skepticism or misinformation.

"We are not aware of a real imminent threat here in Santa Clara County. However, we do work closely with a lot of local, state and national partners in order to do threat monitoring and keep an eye on anything that might be going on nationwide," Moreles said.

County officials estimate about 45% of registered voters will cast ballots in the June 2 primary election. They say their priority is ensuring every vote is cast safely and counted accurately.