Ed Castro, Staff Writer
Posted: 09/29/2012 06:20:42 PM PDT

REDLANDS – Michael Scarpello, just a year into his position as the registrar of voters for San Bernardino County, on Saturday discussed an assortment of upgrades made by the county Elections Office.

Those upgrades, small but numerous, are aimed at improving the election process in the largest county in the United States.

“Some of the things we have done are very subtle, so small that you may not even notice them on Election Day,” Scarpello said at the A.K. Smiley Public Library. “But the differences are hugely important in the voting process.”

Saturday’s event was presented by the California chapter of Common Cause, a Redlands-based citizens lobby organization. Joining Scarpello in the discussion was John Smith, a California Common Cause organizer.

“People try to manipulate the system,” said Smith, who focused on voter fraud. “Voting is free and it is accessible. But we have seen enacted laws on voter fraud.

“Anything that prevents citizens from voting is an attack on our democracy, but if you use voter fraud to prevent United States citizens from voting, that is cheating and it has to be stopped.”

Scarpello listed a number of renovations to save money.

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