Budget and Oversight of Public Elections Committee

2009 2008 2007 2006 

 

 

 

 

ELECTIONS COMMISSION

BUDGET AND OVERSIGHT

OF PUBLIC ELECTIONS COMMITTEE

City Hall, Room 421

City and County of San Francisco

 

Minutes of the Meeting Held

Wednesday, January 2, 2008

(Approved: February 12, 2008 )

 

 

1.   Chairperson Gleason called the meeting to order at 5:17 pm.  PRESENT:  Commissioners Gerard Gleason, Tajel Shah.  EXCUSED: Commissioner Richard P. Matthews.

 

2.         Public Comment. David Pilpel said he was disappointed that the February 2008 Election Plan and the assessment of the November 2007 Election plan were not on the agenda for this meeting.  Mr. Pilpel said that following his discussion with Commission President Meek at the December meeting, he was presenting his version of an Election Plan outline with copies for all Commissioners.  He was presenting it for review of form and flow.  Sylvia Johnson said the Election Plan needed to be scheduled.

 

3.         Discussion and possible action to approve the Budget and Oversight of Public Elections Committee minutes for August 1, 2007.  Commissioner Shah MOVED and Commissioner Gleason SECONDED the approval of these minutes.

 

            Public Comment. David Pilpel offered a correction in the title of the minutes, to change “Budget and Policy Committee” to the new Committee title.  Mr. Pilpel suggested that the draft minutes be posted after each meeting, even if they have not been approved.  Commission Secretary Rodriques assured him that these minutes had been posted on the Elections Commission website since the BOPEC meeting last August.  Sylvia Johnson said she had concerns about the health department.

           

            The Roll Call Vote was UNANIMOUS to approve the August 1, 2007 minutes.

 

4. Discussion and possible action to recommend to the full Commission, areas for Commissioner access during elections and assignment of Commissioners to report observations of election activities in those areas. (Item sent to Committee at the December 19, 2007 Commission meeting.)  Chairperson Gleason said that this item was sent to the Committee because there has not been a formal policy established by the Commission regarding Commissioner observations and reporting.  If there is to be a policy, tasks should be assigned and Commissioner access to the DoE should be determined. 

 

Commissioner Shah recounted her experience during the November 2007 election in which she had an escort, but was unable to observe activities beyond the velvet rope that was put up to limit the public from viewing/entering some areas during election day.  She said that the result was that she couldn’t see anything, only people and paper but not what was on the paper, or how the paper was being handled.  The Commissioner said she was interested in seeing how many people were voting only first choice and not filling in second and third choices, and therefore how the re-makes were being handled.  If she had been able to make this observation, she would have better determined if she wanted to advocate the Secretary of State (SoS) to eliminate the additional component put upon the Department as hindersome and cumbersome.  Commissioner Shah said it is important that the Commission has the ability to see more than what the public sees, because the Commission cannot serve in its role without that ability. 

 

Chairperson Gleason said that the item was referred to this committee to develop a policy, areas of concern, and/or operational procedures for the Commission to work with the Department to implement.  He said that even Commission members have different opinions about this issue – from full and unrestricted access to non-interference.

 

Commissioner Shah said that it is possible to have full access, be escorted and still not be a hindrance. 

 

      Deputy City Attorney O’Leary reviewed the Charter and the powers of the Commission and suggested that the Committee or the Commission needs to come up with an idea of what it will be observing and to what purpose.  The Committee is to determine what the observation is for and how it is to be reported back to the Commission, and then what actions will be taken in terms of investigation oversight and hearings. 

 

      Commissioner Shah said that to evaluate how well elements in an election plan work, she would need to see the activity.

 

      Chairperson Gleason said he is interested in the oversight function of the ballots and the conduct of election, not the operation of the administration of the Department, or how well staff work.  He is interested in what is happening to the ballots and the public confidence in the oversight of that activity.  He said that the Commission can and should supply an “extra set of eyes” for the public, and that there is a role, public function and a job that the Commission is supposed to perform that he feels the Commission has not been doing.

 

      Commissioner Shah said that she approves of itemizing the areas the Commission will be observing in the Election Plan of each election, and that the observations can be with escorts and can be without communication with the staff, if the Department feels that communication is disruptive. This will engage the Commission in the plan in a special way. 

 

      Chairperson Gleason suggested areas for possible observation which included:  Logic and Accuracy, Canvassing, a walk through of the computer room with an explanation of what is happening, Precinct Operations and a focus on absentee and provisional ballots and Pier 48. 

 

      Commissioner Shah MOVED and Commissioner Gleason SECONDED the

      following policy: 

 

It shall be the Elections Commission policy to assess the conduct of the election as delineated in the Election Plan in specific areas, agreed upon in advance by the Elections Commission, through reasonable and appropriate observation, investigation and or further inquiry of those areas.

 

Public Comment.  Sylvia Johnson said she agreed to have an escort.  David Pilpel said that the current discussion also covers item 6 on the agenda, that the Commission has the power to approve and to amend the Election Plan, and called the Committee’s attention to the final section of his draft in which the assessment and areas of concern for the Election Plan are mentioned.

 

The Roll Call Vote was UNANIMOUS to forward this policy to the full Commission.

 

5.   Discussion and possible action to propose a bylaws amendment regarding Commissioner access during elections.  (Item sent to Committee at the December 19, 2007 Commission meeting.)  Chairperson Gleason MOVED that should the policy forwarded in Item 4, be accepted by the full Commission, then that policy be an amendment to the Elections Commission Bylaws.  Commissioner Shah said that she would SECOND this proposal.

 

Public Comment.  David Pilpel said that if the policy is approved, there may need to be a larger discussion about what is included in the Election Plan, but he recommends that this not be a bylaw amendment, because he feels the Elections Commission amends its bylaws more frequently than other Commissions.  Adopting it as policy serves the same function and he supports tabling this item.   Sylvia Johnson said that the bylaws haven’t been really accessible. 

 

      Chairperson Gleason TABLED this item.

 

6.   Discussion and possible action to propose a policy, with the assistance of the Deputy City Attorney, regarding the roles of Commissioners (observer, assessor, staff person, or no role) on Election Day and the mechanism for feedback.  (Commissioner Shah from the August 1, 2007 BOBPEC meeting).  Chairperson Gleason said that this item will have a fuller discussion at the next Commission meeting when the policy this Committee has forwarded is heard

 

      Public Comment.  Sylvia Johnson commented that it was a good plan.

 

      The item was TABLED.

 

ADJOURNMENT at 6:35 pm.