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Your LA ballot might’ve traveled by air. How sheriff’s helicopters help on election night
L.A. County had eight helicopters landing across seven helipads on election night.
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Gina Ferazzi
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A few hours after polls closed on election night Tuesday, eight L.A. County Sheriff’s Department helicopters took off from the far corners of the county to bring ballots to the processing center in the city of Industry.
The roar of the rotor and rushing wind echoed throughout a parking lot, landing just outside the center where a team of sheriff's officials were waiting.
With the pilot still on board, sealed boxes and bags of ballots were handed off from the helicopters, put on carts and rolled toward waiting cars as the numbers were checked, and checked again.
The partnership with the Los Angeles Sherriff's Department goes back decades.
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L.A. County Registrar-Recorder/County Clerk
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Election officials rely on the partnership with the Los Angeles County Sheriff's Department to securely transport ballots to the central ballot processing center where they are ultimately counted and reported.
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L.A. County Registrar-Recorder/County Clerk
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Sheriff officials were waiting for the helicopters with carts and cars on Tuesday, Nov. 3.
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Makenna Cramer
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LAist
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Why helicopters?
It comes down to size. L.A. County is massive — more than 4,000 square miles — and the helicopters help get ballots from far-flung places such as Lancaster, Palmdale and Van Nuys to Industry quicker than a car could. Plus, there’s a lot less traffic.
“If you relied on vehicle transportation, the early results will be skewed based on the geographical proximity to the counting center,” Richard Thomsen, a sergeant with the Sheriff’s Department’s air support, told LAist. “This way, we can grab a broad early return from all over the county, bring it in and they can start counting those ballots.”
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L.A. County is massive — more than 4,000 square miles — and the helicopters help get ballots from places like Lancaster and Palmdale to the city of Industry quicker than a car could.
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L.A. County Registrar-Recorder/County Clerk
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An election official said they take the security of ballots "extremely seriously."
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The backstory on helicopters and elections
The partnership between the department and the Los Angeles County Registrar-Recorder/County Clerk goes back decades.
Lately, its' become even more important as election officials are asked to move at a “lightning pace,” according to Mike Sanchez, communications manager for the RR/CC.
If the county relied on vehicle transportation only, the early results could be skewed based on the geographical proximity to the processing center, according to officials with the Los Angeles County Sheriff's Department.
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Election workers have chain of custody protocols, including counting ballots and sealing them in containers.
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“That's exactly what the sheriff's department provides is getting ballots back to us quickly, and just as important, getting them back to us securely,” Sanchez told LAist.
The ballots are transported by land, air and sea, he added. Catalina Island, for example, uses a boat to get ballots to the mainland.
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Sanchez noted that there is “dual-custody,” meaning one single person isn’t left alone with ballots or voting equipment.
“We have extreme processes and protocols in place to ensure the security of their ballots and their votes,” Sanchez said. “And security really is at the heart of everything that we do.”
The helicopters are used throughout the county into the early hours after election night.
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"We as the sheriff's department, and the employees of the sheriff's department and ultimately employees of the county of Los Angeles, are committed to the process of ensuring that ballots are counted fairly," said Michael VargasMachuca, a sergeant with the department.
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How it works
Once election night rolls around, the helicopters are already waiting at points around the county, including helipads, local airports and even parking lots converted to temporary helipads.
The pilots are greeted by a group of sheriff's officials who know exactly how many sealed containers of ballots are being transported. Sheriff’s and election officials said the numbers are documented and reconfirmed at every handoff.
Michael VargasMachuca, a sergeant with the Los Angeles County Sheriff's Department, and Richard Thomsen, a sergeant with the department's air support, ahead of Election Day.
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Makenna Cramer
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Then, the choppers take off. The numbers and takeoff time are radioed back to the ballot processing center, and when they land, they’re counted again.
“Every step of the way there's confirmation, there's a chain of custody,” Michael VargasMachuca, a sergeant with the department, told LAist. “If you think about it like evidence, there's no break in that continuity.”
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You come to LAist because you want independent reporting and trustworthy local information. Our nonprofit newsroom doesn’t answer to shareholders looking to turn a profit. Instead, we answer to you and our communities. We are free to follow facts wherever they lead and to hold power to account without fear or favor. Our only loyalty is to our readers and listeners and our mission: to inform, engage, and strengthen Southern California’s communities.
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