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HomeMy WebLinkAboutItem 2b - Format for April 8, 2014 ElectionDATE: November 19, 2013 TO: Honorable Mayor and City Council MEMORANDUM Office of the City Clerk FROM: Dominic Lazzaretto, City Manager Lisa Mussenden, Chief Deputy City Clerk/Records Manager SUBJECT: DETERMINATION OF FORMAT FOR THE GENERAL MUNICIPAL ELECTION TO BE HELD ON APRIL 8, 2014 Recommended action: Conduct All Mail Ballot Election on April 8, 2014 SUMMARY The City of Arcadia will be conducting its General Municipal Election on Tuesday, April 8, 2014, for the election of three Members of the City Council for a full term of four (4) years. The City Council has the option of conducting the Election as an all mail ballot or a traditional polling site election. This report analyzes the available options and recommends conducting an all mail ballot election on the basis that it costs less, tends to reduce opportunities for fraud, and is easier to implement. BACKGROUND Ordinance No. 2293, adopted in 2011, authorized the conduction of all mail ballot elections for any City election including, without limitation, general municipal elections for the purpose of electing municipal officials or officers or for any measure to be submitted to the voters. Ordinance No. 2293 does not call an election for any specific date but merely gives the City Council the option to conduct all mail ballot elections on any established election date. On April 10, 2012, Arcadia conducted its first all mail ballot election. In terms of gross expenses, the total cost for the April 2012, all mail ballot election showed a 51% increase in expenditures over the previous election. However, this was due to the addition of Measure D (the Transient Occupancy Tax amendment), the addition of the Korean language on the ballots, and the cost for correction of an error on the Chinese language version of the ballot. The cost of adding Measure D to the ballot was approximately $40,000 and the correction mailing cost $5,408.48. The discussion below excludes these costs in the comparison in order to provide a fair analysis of the options available to the City Council. Format for General Municipal Election on April 8, 2014 November 19, 2013 Page 2 of 2 DISCUSSION The following sections compare the experience of the all mail ballot to the traditional election. Voter Turnout Arcadia's voter turnout for the April 13, 2010, election was 28 %. In Arcadia's 2010 election, 59% of the ballots were returned by mail. This is consistent with voter turnout rates in Southern California, which show that 31 of 44 cities (70 %) that conducted elections since June 2011 received a majority of their ballots by mail. It is expected that voting by mail will continue to rise as "permanent vote by mail" status has been authorized by the State. For the all mail ballot election conducted on April 10, 2012, voter turnout was 24.6 %, a decrease of 3.4 %. Nevertheless, the turnout rate was similar to other cities conducting elections at the same general timeframe. Voter turnout tends to fluctuate depending on when the election is held and the issues on the ballot. Cost Comparison In a traditional poll site election, there are two separate mailings — one for sample ballots and pamphlets (the full -size book) and one for vote by mail (VBM) ballots (the half size book). In the all mail ballot election, there is only one mailing cost because the ballot and voter pamphlets are sent out in a single packet. In the April 2010 traditional site election, the total mailing cost was $12,088; in the April 2012 all mail ballot election, the mailing cost was $9,702.58. Another cost savings was in poll workers and polling places, the rental of voting equipment from the County, precinct kits, and poll worker training, most of which were eliminated in the 2012 all mail ballot election. In the 2010 traditional election, the cost for polling places and training was $7,335; in the 2012 all mail ballot election, the cost was $1,250, an 83% savings. The all mail ballot does require the use of an automated signature recognition VoteRemote system. This system was rented from the Cities of Santa Barbara and Pasadena for $3,000. The system streamlined the validation of incoming absentee envelopes using a high -speed envelope scanner to automate the process. It dramatically reduced staff time and money spent for temporary staff while increasing accuracy of voter identification. This system also reduces the opportunity for voter fraud. In the 2010 traditional election, $1,783 was spent on temporary staff to manually scan the barcodes and verify signatures into the VBM tracking program; whereas in the 2012 all mail ballot election, the VoteRemote automated system tracked and verified signatures at the same time. Therefore, the net cost increase in this area was $1,217. In addition, the electronic verification system is so efficient and effective Format for General Municipal Election on April 8, 2014 November 19, 2013 Page 2 of 2 that it would be recommended that it be used in the future regardless of which voting option is selected. Other cost areas not mentioned here tend to be similar regardless of the format selected. These would include County fees and charges, translation services, publication costs, and consultant fees. The table below summarizes the variable costs for the election. Costs That Vary According to Election Format Selected In total, the 2010 election had $21,206 in variable costs. In 2012, these same categories showed a cost of $13,952.58, for a savings of $7,253.42. On a total cost basis of $115,000 for an election, this savings represents 6.3 %. According to the City's election consultant, all mail ballot elections typically save 10 -15% in overall costs. When including staff time savings, the 10 -15% number may accurately reflect the experience in Arcadia. Summary Mail ballot elections maximize voter convenience, minimize voter fraud, and enhance the quality of voter records. Arcadia voter statistics indicate a majority of voters prefer to vote by mail. That is, in the April 2010, traditional poll site election, a total of 7,964 votes were cast, 4,660 by mail. While the total number of votes cast decreased between the past two elections, the difference cannot be directly attributed to the all mail system. The hard cost savings for an all mail ballot are significant. In addition, the all mail method streamlines the process for the City Clerk's office. FISCAL IMPACT The overall impact to the General Fund for the 2014 General Election will be $115,000 which has already been approved in the FY 2013 -14 Budget. Sufficient funds are available regardless of which method is selected. 2010 (traditional) 2012 (all mail ballot) Difference Postage for Mailings $12,088.00 $9,702.58 ($2,385.42) Polling Places & Training $7,335.00 $1,250.00 ($6,085.00) VoteRemote System $0.00 $3,000.00 $3,000.00 Temporary Staff $1,783.00 $0.00 ($1,783.00) Total $21,206.00 $13,952.58 ($7,253.42) In total, the 2010 election had $21,206 in variable costs. In 2012, these same categories showed a cost of $13,952.58, for a savings of $7,253.42. On a total cost basis of $115,000 for an election, this savings represents 6.3 %. According to the City's election consultant, all mail ballot elections typically save 10 -15% in overall costs. When including staff time savings, the 10 -15% number may accurately reflect the experience in Arcadia. Summary Mail ballot elections maximize voter convenience, minimize voter fraud, and enhance the quality of voter records. Arcadia voter statistics indicate a majority of voters prefer to vote by mail. That is, in the April 2010, traditional poll site election, a total of 7,964 votes were cast, 4,660 by mail. While the total number of votes cast decreased between the past two elections, the difference cannot be directly attributed to the all mail system. The hard cost savings for an all mail ballot are significant. In addition, the all mail method streamlines the process for the City Clerk's office. FISCAL IMPACT The overall impact to the General Fund for the 2014 General Election will be $115,000 which has already been approved in the FY 2013 -14 Budget. Sufficient funds are available regardless of which method is selected. Format for General Municipal Election on April 8, 2014 November 19, 2013 Page 2 of 2 RECOMMENDATION It is recommended that the City Council direct staff to conduct the April 8, 2014, General Municipal Election by all mail ballot; and prepare the appropriate resolutions for adoption at the December 3, 2013, City Council meeting. Approved Dominic Lazza d City Manager