Elections Commission
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Elections Commission
Approved: February 7, 2007
Minutes of the Meeting at City Hall Room 408
January 17, 2007
1. CALL TO ORDER. President Jennifer Meek called the meeting to order at 7:02 pm.
2. ROLL CALL. PRESENT: Commissioners Gerard Gleason, Arnold Townsend, Victor Hwang, Michael Mendelson, Tajel Shah and Deputy City Attorney Jon Givner, and Director of Elections John Arntz. EXCUSED: Commissioner Richard P. Matthews.
3. Public Comment. Carol Bella passed out information regarding testing of voting machines. Sacha Ielmorini said that she wants the Department to certify the voting machines that were used in the last election for use in the upcoming election.
4. Director’s Report.
Director John Arntz reported that the DoE will go forward with a supplemental budget and that the amount requested is not yet finalized. The shortfall was not a surprise because the five-card ballot election last year had only been funded as a four-card ballot election. There were other unexpected costs. For example, the security and structural issues in some facilities as the ballots were arriving at 240 Van Ness and at Brooks Hall, and the break-in at the warehouse at Pier 29. The numbers are expected to be finalized with the Mayor’s Budget Office by this Friday and the Commission will be informed of the amount by next week.
The Director said that he hoped to have the Fiscal Budget draft completed within the week as well. This budget will be submitted to the Mayor’s Office by February 21.
Commissioner Shah asked the Director about the Controller’s audit, asked if it would effect budget negotiations and how could the Commission help the Department. Director Arntz replied that current staffing is a result of that audit. He said it has been a fight, over the years, to get the Controller to understand that the Department needs knowledgeable staff who have demonstrated their expertise in San Francisco elections, and have produced dependable results. He suggested that the Commission talk about comparisons made between San Francisco and other local counties, and allow the Director to explain the ramifications of proposed cuts to the DoE’s budget as a result of the Controller’s audit.
Director Arntz said that the Commission can engage the Mayor’s Office and the Board of Supervisors in a conversation about the funding for the DoE. In the past, the Commission has asked the Department to provide responses about the process. The Director asked that the Commission consider “getting out in front” and starting to have conversations with the Mayor and Board, and making it known that the budget for the DoE should be a higher priority for the City than how the Department has been treated in the past.
Commissioner Mendelson asked the Director if he would support a Charter Amendment that would specify different rules for funding of the DoE? Director Arntz replied that he would prefer to engage in conversations about the past funding record. Other departments have been able to keep their funding consistent, he said, however, the DoE has been consistently underfunded. As a result, the DoE has been told that is overspending its budget. But there wasn’t enough funding at the start. If the conversations with the Mayor’s Office and the Controller are unsuccessful, then the Commission could consider a Charter Amendment.
Commissioner Mendelson asked if the Commission could take a position on part-time employees being placed under special status with Human Resources? Director Arntz said that this subject has come up in the past, and the Commission could add that subject to its conversation with the Mayor’s Office, the Board and DHR.
Director Arntz reported that the contract with Sequoia Voting Systems has been completed and submission of the contract to the Board of Supervisors is expected next week. Since the contract is for over $10M, the Board must approve the resolution before the City and Sequoia can move forward with the contractual agreement. Once the contract is introduced, it will be assigned to committee, then to the Board’s Budget Analyst for review and report, then the report will be issued back to the committee to hold a hearing. Next the Committee will decide whether to make a recommendation regarding the contract. Then the contract could move to the full Board. The Director estimated that the process will take at least several weeks.
Director Arntz reported on the certification for RCV (Ranked Choice Voting). He said that Sequoia has completed approximately 80% of the process for RCV development for its system that will be used in San Francisco.
5. OLD BUSINESS
- (a)Discussion and possible action to approve the Elections Commission minutes for the meeting of December 6, 2006. Commissioner Mendelson MOVED and Commissioner Townsend SECONDED this item. A roll call vote to approve the minutes was UNANIMOUS.
(b) Discussion and possible action to approve amendments to the Elections Commission Bylaws:
- to include a set date for presentation of the Annual Report to the Commission. Commissioner Mendelson MOVED and Commissioner Shah SECONDED this item. A Roll Call Vote to approve this amendment was UNANIMOUS.
- (ii)include the Commission's Attendance Policy as part of the Bylaws. Commissioner Mendelson MOVED and Commissioner Shah SECONDED this item. A Roll Call Vote to include this Attendance Policy in the Bylaws was UNANIMOUS.
- (iii)to include a policy requiring Commissioners to forward correspondence addressed to a majority of the Commission to the Commission Secretary for inclusion in the public review file. Commissioner Shah MOVED and Commissioner Mendelson SECONDED this item. Commissioner Gleason offered an amendment to the language in the agenda to include the word “knowingly” in the phrase “forward correspondence knowingly addressed”. Commissioner Mendelson SECONDED Commissioner Gleason’s amendment.
Public Comment. David Pipel said that the first half of the language to be included in the Bylaws “a matter calendared by the body within the previous thirty days or likely to be calendared within the next thirty days” is ambiguous. He said that it should cover anything even beyond the 30 days. Deputy City Attorney Givner called the Commission’s attention to the actual wording of the Bylaws addition proposed on page 7(b)2 of this meeting’s packet.
Commissioner Gleason said that his amendment would come in the final sentence which would then read “Commissioners knowingly receiving correspondence that is addressed…”
Commissioner Townsend said that he proposes removal of the 30-day provision included in the proposed Bylaw Article, and read “any item within the Elections Commission’s purview”.
Commissioner Mendelson MOVED to table item (iii) until the next meeting to allow the City Attorneys to edit the proposed amendment. THIS ITEM IS TABLED UNTIL THE NEXT COMMISSION MEETING.
6. NEW BUSINESS
(a) Discussion and possible action to approve the Elections Commission minutes for the meeting of January 3, 2007. Commissioner Mendelson MOVED and Commissioner Gleason SECONDED this item. A Roll Call Vote was UNANIMOUS to approve these minutes.
7. Discussion regarding items for future agendas.
Commissioner Mendelson proposed that the Commission draft a statement of policy that codes, and elections codes be made public. Commissioner Gleason proposed a discussion regarding over-voted ballots. President Meek advised the Commission that Commissioner Matthews has requested that there be a line item in the budget for the Commission. President Meek proposed that an EAC (U. S. Elections Assistance Commission) representative attend a Commission meeting to go over new procedures for electronic voting. Commissioner Shah proposed discussion of the Commission’s strategy concerning passage of the budget as well as the Controller’s report.
Public Comment. David Pilpel asked about the Election Plan for November 2006 Review which has not happened. He reminded the Commission that the Budget and Policy Committee was to review the plan. Mr. Pilpel also suggested updates from Director Arntz about Secretary of State’s Office’s new administration and significant changes in state elections law. Sacha Ielmorini said the certification of the current elections equipment should be on a future agenda. Brent Turner proposed an “open source demonstration” at a future Elections Commission meeting.
ADJOURNMENT at 7:38 pm.