The company in charge of issuing the ballots, ES & S, is responsible for the error. Johnson said the watermarks and tinting will not affect the counting of the ballots; therefore, the printing problem will not affect the vote-by-mail ballots already mailed out. The vote by mail process includes several security measures including a complete audit trail of the number of ballots issued, received, and cast. Johnson says all signatures are verified prior to ballots being accepted for counting.  As an additional security measure, the Election Management System used by the Election Department will not allow a voter to cast more than one ballot at any election. If voters have any questions, they should contact the Election Department at (209) 223-6465.  This process is open to the public.  Anyone interested in observing is welcome.