Elections Commission
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AGENDA
ELECTIONS COMMISSION
Wednesday, April 21, 2004
7:00 P M
City Hall, Room 400
1 Dr. Carlton B. Goodlett Place
COMMISSIONERS
The Honorable Alix Rosenthal, President
The Honorable Michael Mendelson, Vice President
The Honorable Robert Kenealey
The Honorable Gerard Gleason
The Honorable Tony Winnicker
The Honorable Richard Shadoian
The Honorable Arnold Townsend
Shirley Rodriques
COMMISSION SECRETARY
ORDER OF BUSINESS
1. CALL TO ORDER
2. ROLL CALL
3. Public Comment on any issue within the Elections Commission’s general jurisdiction. The Commission will hear specific public comment on each action item on the agenda before taking action on that item.
4. Director’s Report
• March 2, 2004 Election
• Ranked Choice Voting
• Voter Services Division
• Campaign Services Division
• Poll Locating
• Training
• Ballot Distribution
• Technology Division
• Budget/Personnel Update
5. President’s Report
• Annual Report
• Commission Retreat Update
• Participation of the League of Women Voters in nominating members of the Ballot Simplification Committee
• Evaluations of Commission Secretary and Director
• Commission Meeting for May 5, 2004
• Election of Commission Officers
6. New Business
(a) Discussion and possible approval of Elections Commission Minutes for Commission Meetings held on March 10, 2004 and March 17, 2004.
(b) Discussion concerning rules and procedures for processing and counting write-in votes. NOTE: The rules for counting write-in votes are stated in Section 15342 of the California Elections Code (a copy of which is attached to this agenda). The State Legislature adopted these rules, which are mandatory, and the Director of Elections and the Elections Commission have no discretion to disregard these rules. (A copy of a City Attorney opinion discussing Section 15342 is also attached.)
(c) Discussion regarding Ranked Choice Voting outreach and education.
(d) Discussion of possible means of encouraging and promoting voter participation, including some of the suggestions made at March 17 outreach hearing, a list of which is attached to this agenda.
(e) Discussion regarding possible amendments to Commission Bylaws to make certain the terms of Commission officers, and the Commission’s ability to remove its officers before the conclusion of their terms. The relevant section of the bylaws is attached to this agenda.
(f) Discussion and possible action to propose to the Board of Supervisors a Charter amendment moving the election for the offices of Public Defender and Assessor/Recorder from the March Statewide primary election to the following November general municipal election.
(g) Discussion and possible action to amend the Commission Bylaws to require the Commission to establish and maintain an Elections Commission Operation Calendar.
8. Public comment on any issue within the Elections Commission’s general jurisdiction.
ADJOURNMENT
Disability Access
The Elections Commission meeting will be held in Room 400, City Hall, 1 Dr. Carlton B. Goodlett Place, San Francisco, CA. The Commission meeting room is wheelchair accessible. The closest accessible BART station is the Civic Center Station at United Nations Plaza and Market Street. Accessible MUNI lines serving this location are: #42 Downtown Loop, and #71 Haight/Noriega and the F Line to Market and Van Ness and the Metro Stations at Van Ness and Market and at Civic Center. For information about MUNI accessible services call (415) 923-6142. There is accessible curbside parking adjacent to City Hall on Grove Street and Van Ness Avenue and in the vicinity of the Veterans Building at 401 Van Ness Avenue adjacent to Davies Hall and the War Memorial Complex.
The following services are available on request 48 hours prior to the meeting; except for Monday meetings, for which the deadline shall be 4:00 p.m. of the last business day of the preceding week: For American sign language interpreters or the use of a reader during a meeting, a sound enhancement system, and/or alternative formats of the agenda and minutes, please contact The Elections Office at (415) 554- 4375 or our TDD at (415) 554-4386 to make arrangements for the accommodation. Late requests will be honored, if possible.
In order to assist the City's efforts to accommodate persons with severe allergies, environmental illnesses, multiple chemical sensitivity or related disabilities, attendees at public meetings are reminded that other attendees may be sensitive to various chemical based products. Please help the City accommodate these individuals. Individuals with chemical sensitivity or related disabilities should call our accessibility hotline at (415) 554-6060.
Know your rights under the Sunshine Ordinance (Chapter 67 of the San Francisco Administrative Code)
Government's duty is to serve the public, reaching its decisions in full view of the public. Commissions, boards, councils, and other agencies of the City and County exist to conduct the people's business. This ordinance assures that deliberations are conducted before the people and that City operations are open to the people's review. For more information on your rights under the Sunshine Ordinance or to report a violation of the ordinance, contact the Sunshine Ordinance Task Force, Donna Hall, Clerk, City Hall, Room 409, 1 Dr. Carlton B. Goodlett Place, San Francisco, CA 94102-4683 at Phone No.: (415) 554-7724; Fax No.: (415) 554-7854; E-mail: [email protected] Copies of the Sunshine Ordinance can be obtained from the Clerk of the Sunshine Task Force, the San Francisco Public Library and on the City's website at www.ci.sf.ca.us.
The ringing of and use of cell phones, pagers and similar sound-producing electronic devices are prohibited at this meeting. Please be advised that the Chair may order the removal from the meeting room of any person(s) responsible for the ringing or use of a cell phone, pager, or other similar sound-producing electronic devices.
Lobbyist Registration and Reporting Requirements
Individuals and entities that influence or attempt to influence local legislative or administrative action may be required by the San Francisco Lobbyist Ordinance [SF Campaign & Governmental Conduct Code §2.100] to register and report lobbying activity. For more information about the Lobbyist Ordinance, please contact the Ethics Commission at 30 Van Ness Avenue, Suite 3900, San Francisco, CA 94102; telephone (415) 581-2300, fax (415) 581-2317; web site at http://www.sfethics.org/.
ATTACHMENTS: (Any attachments referred to in the above agenda and not seen below may be viewed at the Department of Elections, Room 48, City Hall, from 8:00 am to 5:00 pm Monday through Friday.)
City & County of San Francisco
Elections Commission
Selected Suggestions from the March 17th Low Voter Turnout Hearing
- 1.A non-profit organization, perhaps “Friends of the Voter,” to help raise funds for voter outreach.
- 2.Outreach to high schools to register 18-yr-olds.
- 3.Advocating early voting sites in each supervisorial district.
- 4.Public service announcements.
- 5.All City agencies to participate in getting the word out to register to vote. Forexample, Tax Collector, Housing Authority, Water Bills. Place registration forms in all city departments and post offices. When notice is sent by any government agency informing citizens of changes in their neighborhood, use that opportunity to register voters.
- 6.Advocate the following changes in state or federal law: same day registration; making election day a federal or statewide holiday; holding elections on weekends; lowering the voting age.
- 7.Absentee voters to be called and reminded to return their ballot.
- 8.A large-scale event like “rock the vote” to put “fun” into the outreach effort. Make the cover charge be registration.
- 9.Use a mobile voter registration program to go to street corners.
- 10.Add page to DoE website that shows how a vote goes through the process.
- 11.Ask law enforcement to help make polling places safer in dangerous areas.
- 12.Notify felons of their voting rights.
- 13.Target voters who only vote every four years to encourage them to vote in all elections.
- 14.Mail postcards to citizens who are not registered to vote. Every citizen to receive a registration card when they reach their 18th birthday.
- 15.Check the polling sites’ lists in areas with high occupancy residential buildings, to determine who has not voted, and then go into those buildings to encourage the voters to go to the polls.
- 16.Hire a staff member whose sole focus is permanent absentee voting.
- 17.A sign should go up at polling place the week prior to election day to indicate the location of the polling site and the list of names of the registered voters for that site.
- 18.DoE staff to attend all of the Mayor’s Town Hall Meetings.
- 19.Write frequent Press Releases for non-voters giving examples of how they can make a difference in their own lives and their surroundings by the way they vote.