Board of Supervisors appoints Art Tinoco new Registrar of Voters

RIVERSIDE COUNTY — The Board of Supervisors appointed Art Tinoco as the County of Riverside Registrar of Voters at this week’s board meeting. The appointment makes permanent the position that Tinoco has held in an interim role for the Past two months.

The ROV is the county’s top elections official, who leads a team dedicated to conducting fair and free elections. The office is responsible for providing voter resources, registering citizens to vote and protecting the integrity of the ballots for all federal, state, county, city, and special district contests, as well as all measures and propositions in Riverside County.

“After conducting a recruitment, it became clear that we could rely on Art to continue leading the department into the future,” said Board Chair Kevin Jeffries. “Art is a committed public servant, who knows how to conduct complex elections, with up to dozens of contests and measures on a single ballot. He is also moving the department towards more timely results, building enhanced community outreach and trust with the community.”

Tinoco held the position of Assistant ROV for eight years prior to stepping into the Interim ROV role in October. He has been with the County of Riverside ROV for more than 21 years, starting as a temporary employee in October 2001. He was hired in February 2002 as a full-time employee for the ROV office.

“Voting is fundamental to our democracy, and I am honored to do this work on behalf of all of our residents,” said ROV Art Tinoco. “I look forward to continuing the preparations for our 2024 Presidential Primary and General Elections and ensuring all eligible citizens in Riverside County have access to register and cast their ballot.”

There are approximately 44 full-time ROV office staff. However, the staffing team grows exponentially to more than 900 during countywide elections with temporary assignment employees. This allows the department to scale up and staff elections duties appropriately for larger, complex elections.

There are approximately 1.3 million registered voters in Riverside County. Visit voteinfo.net to register to vote. If you have recently moved to Riverside County, you must re-register to vote with the Riverside County ROV office to receive a ballot for upcoming elections.

Tinoco replaces Riverside County Registrar of Voters Rebecca Spencer who resigned from her post, the county and her lawyer announced Monday, Oct. 2, ending a tumultuous relationship that included allegations of election interference, according to the Press-Enterprise.

Riverside County accepted Spencer’s resignation Friday, Sept. 29, county spokesperson Brooke Federico said via email. Spencer had been on paid administrative leave since mid-September.

The county and Spencer “have entered into a settlement agreement whereby the parties mutually agree that this action is done solely for the purposes of compromise, and to eliminate the burden and expense of any litigation,” Federico said.

Spencer will be paid $799,591 as part of the settlement agreement, Federico said.

“This agreement is not an admission of liability or wrongdoing by either party,” she added.