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SR-4A CC t\ctyclerk\electlons\staff rpt supp City Council Meeting December 8, 1998 suPPL&MENfIlL 1"0 itA DEe - 8 1998 TO Mayor and City Council FROM City Staff SUBJECT Supplemental Report Relative to Adoption of Resolutions Calling for a SpeCial MunicIpal Election to Fill an Unscheduled Vacancy on the City CounCil Introduction At Its meeting of November 24, 1998. the City CounCil directed staff to return With Information on alternative dates for the speCial electIon, Including a Saturday election, a Sunday election, a two-day Saturday/Sunday electIon, additional costs, Input from the public and religious leaders regarding the alternative election dates, and ways of promoting such an election Alternative Dates Section 1403 of the City Charter provides for all elections to be held In accordance With the provISions of the Elections Code of the State of California, unless otherwise provided by ordinance Consequently, the City CounCil may call an election on a Saturday or on a Sunday. by ordmance The same conclusion applies to calling a two- day election on a Saturday and Sunday Were CounCil to set the election date at the December 8, 1998, meeting, CounCil could call the election for any day of the week starting April 1. 1999, and thereafter Were CounCil to call the election for a Tuesday. the election may be called for any Tuesday In Apnl For a Tuesday election staff recommends either Apnl6, or Apn127, 1999 Those are dates that the electton supplier/consultant has the least amount of obligations With other Cities 1 ~eN6wrAL ,.0 4A D~C - 8_ . Were Council to call an election for a Saturday, a Sunday, or a Saturday and Sunday, the election could be called for any weekend In Apnl It IS noted that dunng the research of this project sources contacted advised that hlstoncally. weekend elections have not Yielded a slgmflcant Increase In voter turnout The sources contacted were John Matt-Smith, Chief of ElectIon Services at the Secretary of State's Office, Jennlffer Collins-Foley. Executive Liaison OffIcer at the County Clerk/Registrar Recorder, Deborah Seller of Sequoia Pacific (Election Suppliers), Paul Marshall of Martin & Chapman Company (Election Suppliers), and Richard Smolka. Professor Amentus at Amencan University, Washington D C Mr Smolka wntes a regular column for the Elect/on DIgest, a natIonal publication for Election Officers Additional Cost A Saturday or a Sunday election would result In a minimal Increase to cover overtime costs for the County and electIon staff A two-day Saturday and Sunday election would result In an Increase of approximately $15.000-20.000 to pay for precinct workers and polling sites and for overtime for the County and election staff There would be an added cost for use of police officers to guard voted ballots between the end of the first election day and the beginning of the second day It IS expected that most of the police officers would be working overtime and the total amount would depend on the option selected for guarding the ballots There are three possible options on secunng voted ballots between the first and second day The voted ballots could remain at the polling site This option would require a police officer at each precinct guarding the ballots from the closing of the polls on the first day and the opemng of the polls the second day We estimate there Will be about forty-five to fifty consolidated precincts The highest hourly rate for a pollee officer IS "'l $5076 per hour The amount for forty-five 12-hour shifts at this rate IS about $27,400 This would be the simplest and most efflclent method, but also the most expensive The second option IS for precinct officers to deliver the voted ballots to the City Clerk's Office at the end of the first day and pick them up pnor to the opening of the polls the next day ThiS option would put additional responsibilities on the precinct workers, so as an alternative, City staff could deliver the ballot boxes to each precinct the following morning ThiS optIon would require police officers escorting the ballots from the precinct worker's vehicle outside of City Hall to the vault In the City Clerk's office, and standing guard outside the City Clerk's vault overnight, where the voted ballots would be stored The cost to have three police officers escorting ballots Into City Hall the first evening and out of City Hall the next morning IS about $900 00, and for one police officer standing guard for a 12-hour shift Will be about $609 00 The third option would be to keep the voted ballots at the Clerk's office and Issue the precinct workers a second ballot box The additional cost for police officers escorting the ballots Into City Hall IS about $46000 ThiS option, however, allows for the possibility of errors In accounting for all the ballots voted In a precinct and the balanCing of the ballots and the number of voters' signatures In the rosters at the end of the second day Staff recommends the option of haVing precinct workers deliver the ballot boxes to the City ClerKs office at the end of the first day and City staff dellvenng the ballot boxes to the precincts the second day 3 Le}:Jlslatlon Needed Were Council to call a two-day election. a subsequent ordinance would be needed to establish procedures for such an election Council may call a two-day election at the December 8, 1998, meeting and direct staff to return as soon as possible with the Implementing ordinance POllln}:J Site Hours on Election Days Staff recommends that If a two-day election IS called the hours that the polling sites are normally open be changed to begin at 8 00 a m ,and close at 4 00 pm, on the first day and open at 1 0 00 am. and close at 4 00 pm, the second day Public Input A public notice will be published In Our Times on Sunday, December 6th, asking members of the public to write, fax, call, e-mail or appear In person to give their comments on the possibility of holding an election on the alternate dates The notice Will also be published In the Santa Monica Sun on Friday, December 51h Staff created an Interactive notice on the City's web page that Will allow comments to be submItted directly from the notice site ReligiOUS groups were contacted by staff, asked their opinion and also asked to consult With as many members and Interested parties In their congregations as pOSSible and prOVide their comments In any of the above methods Some of the comments received were as follows Beth Shlr Shalom No Saturday election Chabad House Would be dlscnmlnatory to have It on Saturday Sunday would be better Kehlllat Ma'Arav No Saturday election 4 Chabad Against the Saturday/Sunday election concept St Clement's Catholic Church Either day okay First Afncan Methodist Episcopal Saturday election better BIble Baptist Do not want weekend election Calvary Baptist Weekend election okay First Christian Church of Santa Monica No special concerns Chnstlan MIssionary Alliance Church Prefer Saturday electron Mt 0 live Lutheran Church No concerns Pilgrim Lutheran Church Would prefer a Saturday rather than Sunday No return calls were receIved to messages left at the follOWing Communion Church Good Shepherd Church St Peter & St Paul Sanctuary Church Assembly of God Mt Hermon Baptist Tnnlty Baptist St Anne's CatholiC Church Sunset Park Chnstlan Church St Paul's Lutheran Church First Church of the Nazarene The Church In Ocean Park St Augustine by the Sea St Montca's Catholic Church Promotrn~ the Election Staff has the follOWing suggestions for promoting a weekend or a two-day election Sending an informative mailer to all registered voters. Installing a minimum of three j street banners at strategic locations. setting up posters at major and neighborhood retail shops. grocery stores and markets, advertise InsIde the Blue Buses. produce a CltyTV feature, public announcements on KCRW, and. a promotIonal article In SeaScape, If possible, Conclusion The Information requested has been provided Council may call a Saturday special election. a Sunday special election. a two-day Saturday/Sunday special election, or the conventional Tuesday election on any day as of Apnl1, 1999 Prepared by Mana M Stewart, City Clerk 6