Meet the man running LAs vote count, and the controversies that followed him

The man holding the keys to Los Angeles County’s vote count has spent much of his career navigating election controversy.Los Angeles County Registrar-Recorder/County Clerk Dean Logan, whose compensation totals nearly $450,000 a year, is once again facing scrutiny as hundreds of thousands of ballots remain uncounted and several major races hang in the balanceThroughout his career in election administration, Logan has faced scrutiny and criticism stemming from several high-profile election disputes in multiple states.Before arriving in California, Logan served as elections director for King County, Washington, overseeing elections for roughly one-third of the state’s voters.His tenure became closely associated with Washington state’s fiercely contested 2004 governor’s race.Republican candidate Dino Rossi initially appeared headed for victory.But after a series of recounts, Democrat Christine Gregoire was certified as governor-elect, despite trailing in two machine tabulations.Gregoire ultimately prevailed in an unprecedented hand recount of nearly 2.9 million ballots, winning the race by just 129 votes.The race triggered statewide litigation, multiple investigations and months of political debate.Although courts ultimately upheld the election results, the recount battle prompted years of criticism from some Republicans and repeated calls for Logan’s resignation.In a 2008 profile, the Los Angeles Times reported that many Washington Republicans remained sharply critical of Logan’s handling of the election, while Democratic leaders defended his performance and praised his leadership.Logan left Washington in 2006 and joined the Los Angeles County Registrar-Recorder/County Clerk’s Office as deputy to then-Registrar Conny McCormack.He later succeeded McCormack as the county’s top elections official, taking charge of the nation’s largest local election jurisdiction.Logan later faced criticism in Los Angeles over several election-administration disputes.One...