Elections Commission Meeting
Wednesday, December 21, 2011 at 6:00 pm
City Hall Room 408
Order of Business
- Call to Order & Roll Call
- Announcements
- Public comment on any issue within the Elections Commission’s general jurisdiction that is not included in any other item on this agenda.
4. Director’s Report
The Director will update the Commission on matters pertaining to elections and the Department of Elections, including updates on activities of the divisions, plans and activities for upcoming elections or election-related functions, and budgetary matters.
5. Commissioners’ Reports
Commissioners will report on any meetings with public officials, or oversight and observation activities since the last meeting, if any.
New Business
6. Discussion and possible action to make finding as to whether the Department of Elections complied with the Election Plan for the November 8, 2011 Consolidated Municipal Election. (Attachments: the IRIS Report, a report on usage of touchscreen voting machines by precinct, and a report on usage and acceptance of provisional ballots by precinct, for the November 8, 2011 Consolidated Municipal Election.)
7. Discussion and possible action to approve the Minutes of the November 16, 2011 Commission Meeting. (Attachment: Draft Minutes of November 16, 2011.)
8. Discussion and possible action to determine procedure for the annual performance reviews for the Director of Elections and the Acting Commission Secretary.
Old Business
9. Discussion and possible action to approach the Board of Supervisors and/or any other responsible party to resend the Resolution on the voter profile, approved by the Elections Commission at the meeting of November 18, 2009, to the City's State Legislation Committee. (Continued from the November 16, 2011 Commission meeting.)
10. Discussion regarding items for future agendas.
Adjournment
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There will be an opportunity for public comment on each agenda item.
Materials contained in the Commission packets for meetings are available for inspection and copying during regular office hours at the Department of Elections, City Hall Room 48. Materials are placed in the Elections Commission's Public Binder no later than 72 hours prior to meetings. Any materials distributed to members of the Elections Commission within 72 of the meeting or after the agenda packet has been delivered to the members are available for inspection at the Department of Elections, City Hall Room 48, in the Commission's Public Binder, during normal office hours.
Cell phones, pagers and similar sound-producing electronic devices: The ringing of and use of cell phones, pagers and similar sound-producing electronic devices are prohibited at this meeting. The Chair may order the removal from the meeting room of any person responsible for the ringing or use of a cell phone, pager, or other similar sound-producing electronic devices.
Disability Access: The Elections Commission meeting will be held in Room 408, 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.
To obtain a disability-related modification or accommodation, including auxiliary aids or services, to participate in a meeting, please contact the Department of Elections at least 48 hours before the meeting, except for Monday meetings, for which the deadline is 4:00 p.m. the previous Friday. Late requests will be honored, if possible. Services available on request include the following: 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 Department of Elections at (415) 554- 4375 or our TDD at (415) 554-4386 to make arrangements for a disability-related modification or accommodation.
Chemical-Based Products: 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.
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, CITY HALL, ROOM 244, 1 DR. CARLTON B. GOODLETT PLACE, SAN FRANCISCO CA 94102-4689; PHONE: (415) 554-7724; FAX: (415) 554-7854; E-MAIL: [email protected]
Copies of the Sunshine Ordinance can be obtained from the Clerk of the Sunshine Task Force, at the San Francisco Public Library, and on the City's website at http://www.sfgov.org.
Lobbyist Registration and Reporting Requirements: Individuals that influence or attempt to influence local policy or administrative action may be required by the San Francisco Lobbyist Ordinance (San Francisco Campaign and Governmental Conduct Code sections 2.100 – 2.160) to register and report lobbying activity. For more information about the Lobbyist Ordinance, please contact the Ethics Commission at 25 Van Ness Avenue, Suite 220, San Francisco, CA 94102; telephone (415) 252-3100, fax (415) 252-3112; and website: http://www.sfethics.org/.
IRIS REPORT 2011 attachmnet
Touchscreen 2011 attachment
Provisional Ballots Precincts 2011 attachments
Minutes Draft
Elections Commission Meeting
Wednesday, November 16, 2011 at 6:00 pm
City Hall Room 408
Order of Business
- Call to Order & Roll Call - 6:00p.m.
Present: President Richard Matthews, Vice President Winnie Yu, Commissioners Gerard Gleason, Arnold Townsend, Rosabella Safont, Catalina Ruiz-Healy and Jill Rowe.
Also present: Deputy City Attorney Mollie Lee and Director of Elections John Arntz.
- Announcements: None
- Public comment on any issue within the Elections Commission’s general jurisdiction that is not included in any other item on this agenda.
Public speaker David Pilpel gave Director Arntz compliments on the way the Department of Elections handled the Elections, said a job well done. Public Speaker Brent Turner said the Director and the Department did a good job with this Election. Turner also stated that he would like to have self certification implemented.
4. Director’s Report
The Director will update the Commission on matters pertaining to elections and the Department of Elections, including updates on activities of the divisions, plans and activities for upcoming elections or election-related functions, and budgetary matters.
Director John Arntz says the Department had approximately 42% turnout with approximately 58% Vote by Mail (VBM) says this is a low to medium turnout compared to past elections. All of the polling sites were open and ready for voters with the exception of one which opened at 7:10.
The Department mailed 214,000 VBM received 113,000 VBM (53% returned). There were approximately 7,700 provisional ballots, with 7000 accepted.
The Department has approximately 3,000 provisional ballots remaining to be processed tomorrow (i.e., November 17). The count will be certified later that afternoon.
Precinct 1118, which was the location to which hundreds of thousands of voters were erroneously sent on their VIP’s, had a total of 98 misdirected voters; 30 voters were redirected to their correct location and 68 people chose to vote provisionally.
The pollworkers payroll was sent to the Controller’s Office the day before this meeting, checks are expected to be in the mail by next Tuesday, November 22, 2011.
Ballot Distribution department will be mailing 35,000 ballots for the Retirement Board Election.
Voters Services: 15,000 signatures required for the Referendum, 50,000 signatures for the New Party Petition.
The Department has requested that the Budget and Finance Committee approve two one-year options for voting equipment from Dominion Voting, and the Director has asked for a three year extension.
The department is participating in a minimum staffing day, Wednesday prior to the holiday. In all, nothing unusual happened this Election day; everything went calmly.
5. Commissioners’ Reports on observations, if any, of the November 8, 2011, Consolidated Election.
Commissioner Gleason worked as an inspector at precinct 2112; he said that his training was fantastic, and he praised the Elections Department for a job well done. Commissioner Townsend visited the Department on a few occasions during a few days prior to the Election; his thoughts were that things were well managed and things ran very smoothly compared to past elections. Commissioner Yu spent this election at City Hall; she was disappointed with the overall voter turnout but pleased with the Elections Department handling. Commissioner Yu offered a suggestion to Director Arntz for future elections regarding a digital printout are made available for use to aid the voter. Commissioner Safont visited the polling place near her residence held at a local Starbucks; she says voter turnout was low, however she was pleased with the manner things were handled. Commissioner Ruiz-Healy thanked the Department for giving students a tour on Election Day and said that the students were very impressed. Commissioner Rowe worked as a poll inspector; she commended the Department on a job well done she commented that she was very impressed with the instructions being very precise and easy to follow. President Matthews was a Field Election Deputy for his first time; he worked a long day working between eight polling locations. He complimented the Department on the excellent training and organization for FEDs. He mentioned that a couple of things came up and were handled as needed.
New Business
6. Discussion and possible action to approach the Board of Supervisors and/or any other responsible party to resend the Resolution on the voter profile, approved by the Elections Commission at the meeting of November 18, 2009, to the City's State Legislation Committee. Motion continued to future meeting.
7. Discussion and possible action to approve the Minutes of the October 19, 2011 Commissionmeeting.
Vote taken and was unanimous to approve the Minutes.
Adjourned at 6:40 p.m.