2012 Advisory Committee Meeting Minutes

Registrar of Voters
Election Advisory Committee Meeting
Friday, December 14, 2012, 9:30 AM
Room 324A, Marin Civic Center

Minutes

A meeting of the Election Advisory Committee was held on Friday, December 14, 2012. Present were: Greg Brockbank, Steve Burdo, Erica Erickson, Veda Florez, Barbara Gaman; Bonnie Glaser, Marcia Hagen, Morgan Kelley, Mark Kyle, Anne Layzer, Sean Peisert, Bob Richard, Steve Silberstein, and Cat Woods. Also present were: Martin Kornfeld and Ray Schmalz from the Marin Civil Grand Jury. Present from the Elections Office: Elaine Ginnold and Melvin Briones. Present from the County Administrator’s Office: Clarissa Daniel.

November 6, 2012 Presidential General Election

Ms. Ginnold distributed a report (attached) on the November 6, 2012 Election which showed that voter registration was 155,025 and turnout was 87.37%. 108,428, (70 % of registered voters) requested vote by mail ballots and 88,109 (82%) ballots were returned and counted. Committee requested information on the number of vote by mail voters that were contacted because they had not signed their envelopes.

There were 6,491 provisional ballots of which 85% were counted. Main reason for provisional ballots was that vote by mail voters wanted to vote at the polls but didn’t have their ballots to surrender.

Committee suggested expanding efforts to inform VBM voters when to mail their ballots in order for them to be counted by Election Day, and that if they decide to vote at the polls they need to turn in both ballot and envelope. Suggestions include:

• Provide a big notice in the vote by mail envelope
• Write an article for the Marin Voice
• Add message to Voter Information Pamphlet, videos, website, etc.
• Provide a separate table at the polls for provisional voters to fill out envelope.

Online voter registration system

Melvin Briones reported that the Secretary of State implemented the new online voter registration system on September 19. Voters register through the Secretary of State’s website. Signatures are matched with the Dept. of Motor Vehicles. The Elections Dept. follows up with the voter in the case of missing signatures or other information. Between Sept. 19 and Oct. 22, 5953 people registered to vote using the online system and of those, 4900(82%) voted. 4464 people registered to vote using paper and 3727(83%) voted. The Committee requested information on the number of voters who registered and voted during the same 5 week period before the 2008 General Election for comparison.

Pollworker recruitment and training

Ms. Ginnold reported that there were 756 poll workers and that the office held 16 training classes at various days and times. All Inspectors and new clerks were required to attend a training class. Colleen Ksanda used a new role playing exercise in the classes for new inspectors and clerks to train them on what to do when a vote by mail voter want to vote at the polls but has no ballot and envelope to surrender. The Committee suggested that we get systematic feedback from poll workers on their Election Day experience to determine whether any topics need to be covered in more detail in their training classes.

Electronic Roster pilot.

The Elections Dept. piloted the ES&S electronic Roster at 7 precincts. Bob Richard, Inspector at the Kentfield Fire Station and reported on his experience. He listed three advantages in using an electronic Roster (list of voters in the precinct): (1) It minimizes clerical errors by poll workers; (2) it simplifies the street index update process and better serves poll watchers; (3) it simplifies compiling the record of who voted after the election. Bob recommended that we transition to an electronic roster. The unit worked well, but was down for about 45 minutes during the day. This required a transition to the paper Roster, which made it difficult to balance the ballots after the polls closed. The Election Dept. will schedule a meeting with all participants in the pilot in January to gather feedback about their experience.

Public Service Videos

The Committee watched two public service videos on voter registration and voting made by Jerry Kay Productions for the Elections Office and posted on You Tube in the weeks before the election. The videos featured local individuals who spoke about the importance of voting for them. Cris Jones, formerly from St. Vincent de Paul, suggested the video and helped recruit the local talent for it.

Feedback about election from Committee members

Committee members discussed how to create more interest in local elections. While the turnout in the November odd year election is half that of Presidential elections, it has been going up steadily over the past 6 years, from 34.76% in November 2007 to 39.23% in November 2011, thanks to efforts of organizations such as Grassroots.

Erica Erickson reported that Grassroots Leadership Network conducted a civic education campaign before the November election called the Equal Voice Leadership Academy. They conducted field work projects with local non-profit organizations to promote voter registration and education. Their efforts resulted in 580 new registered voters.

Committee members suggested that the Elections Dept. continue to partner with community organizations involved in providing voter education. More detailed reports on voter participation in Marin will be provided at the January meeting.

Report on Centre for Parliamentary Studies electoral training program

Ms. Ginnold reported on a training program for election officials that she attended in London in early December. Students were from Africa, Europe and the UK. Ms. Ginnold gave presentations on poll worker training and on the November Election in Marin County. Participants were surprised that the political party preference of voters is public information in the US and that many states do not require voters to show ID at the polls. Many of the African countries are using biometric ID when they register voters.

Election Dates in 2013

• May 7, 2013: Mail ballot election regarding LAFCO proposal to consolidate 4 sewer districts (pending Board of Supervisors approval)
• June 4 and August 27, 2013: none scheduled at this time
• November 5, 2013: city, school, and special district scheduled election

New election laws

Committee reviewed the new election laws that are effective on January 1, 2013. (See attached list of new laws).

Meetings in 2013

Committee approved 2013 meeting dates and agreed to have the December meeting on the 13th (see attached meeting schedule).

Other business

Committee members suggested the following agenda items for the next meeting: poll worker training role playing exercises; update on turnout trends in various areas of the county; information on election practices that are consistent from county to county in CA.

There being no further business, the meeting adjourned at 11:30 a.m. The next meeting will be on January 27, 2013.

Registrar of Voters
Election Advisory Committee Meeting
Friday, September 21, 2012, 9:30 AM
Room 324A, Marin Civic Center

Minutes

A meeting of the Election Advisory Committee was held on Friday, September 21, 2012. Present were: Greg Brockbank, Veda Florez, Barbara Gaman; Bonnie Glaser, Marcia Hagen, Morgan Kelley, Anne Layzer, Jeanne Leoncini, and Bob Richard. Also present were: Kimberly Kim and Jannicka Murphy from Marin Grassroots; Professor Elizabeth Bergman from Cal State East Bay; and Carolyn Heyder. Present from the Elections Office were Elaine Ginnold and Colleen Ksanda. Present from the County Administrator’s Office was Clarissa Daniel.

Report on November 6, 2012 General Election

Ms. Ginnold gave an update on registration and vote by mail for the November 6th Election. There are currently 148,266 registered voters, 92,580 of whom have requested a vote by mail ballot. These numbers will increase daily until the election. She distributed a sample of the new Cell Phone sign for the polls and a copy of the Vietnamese facsimile ballot. The Spanish translation of the ballot is not yet complete. Voter information pamphlets will be mailed on Sept. 28 and the smart phone app of the pamphlet should be ready by then as well.

Report on survey of Marin voters who didn’t vote in Primary

Professor Elizabeth Bergman, Cal State East Bay, gave an interesting and informative presentation of her survey of Marin voters who did not vote in the June 5th Primary Election. The survey was conducted in August and found that the main reasons non voters gave for not voting were: it was inconvenient to their schedule; they were not interested; or they forgot. Another finding was that young (ages 18-24) and low income voters said they needed more information about the voting process (where, when and how to vote). Professor Bergman explained that research on voter turnout shows that the single most important factor that influences voter turnout is the type of election and that the high level of voter turnout in Presidential General Elections is unattainable in other types of elections such as primaries or local elections. She also suggested ways to reach out to voters who need more education about the process. The voter survey is attached and is posted on the Elections website.

Online voter registration

Ms. Ginnold reported that over 50 people in Marin used the online voter registration service in the first three hours of it going live and that the staff likes it because it eliminates the paper and is easy to use.

Voter outreach suggestions

Committee members brainstormed and discussed ways to reach out to young and low income voters and suggested the following:

• Produce more PSAs about the voting process.
• Remind voters that they can get a 2nd ballot if they lose or don’t receive the first one.
• Include messages about process on the online registration page of the website.
• Send emails to voters to “like” our Facebook page and include up-to-date information about the process on the page.
• Put ads on Facebook.
• Provide video content to “pin” on Pinterest
• Collaborate with organizations who are looking at the same demographics.
• Suggest making a “voting plan” in outreach messages.

Post canvass audit update

Ms. Ginnold reported that the department will wait to do the pilot post canvass audit of the Primary Election until January, 2013 because the information from the researchers came too late to do it before the November election.

Update on election legislation

All bills listed below are on Governor’s desk awaiting signature. (Bills signed since the meeting are shown with their Chapter numbers.)

• AB 1436 (Ch. 497) - Voter registration at central office after deadline.
• AB 1805 - Military and Overseas Voters – implements the MOVE Act. (Huffman)
• AB1929 – Allows voters to mark ballot but not to submit it online.
• AB2054 – Allows VBM voter to return ballot to any precinct in state, Election Official must forward it to county of origin where it is counted during canvass.
• AB2080 (Ch. 501) – Eliminates provision that a voter must be ill or disabled in order to allow another person to return his/her VBM ballot.
• SB 1272 (Ch. 507) – Moves central committee elections to presidential primary election years.
• AB1724 (Ch. 238) – time allowed in voting booth (10 minutes)

Other business

There being no further business, the meeting adjourned at 11:30 a.m. The next meeting will be on Friday, December 14, 2012.

Registrar of Voters
Election Advisory Committee Meeting
Friday, August 24, 2012, 9:30 AM
Room 324A, Marin Civic Center

Minutes

A meeting of the Election Advisory Committee was held on Friday, August 24, 2012. Present were: Greg Brockbank, Ericka Erickson, Veda Florez, Barbara Gaman; Bonnie Glaser, Morgan Kelley, Mark Kyle, Anne Layzer, Jeanne Leoncini, Cynthia Siroky, and Cat Woods. Present from the Elections Office were Elaine Ginnold and Colleen Ksanda. Present from the County Administrator’s Office was Clarissa Daniel

November 6, 2012 Presidential General Election planning

Ms. Ginnold distributed a report of election facts and key dates (attached). This report will be updated with new registration and vote by mail numbers closer to the election. The date that the Elections Office will begin processing vote by mail ballots is corrected to Friday, October 26 on the attachment. Committee members requested a report on where registrations come from. This will be available at the September meeting. Erica Erickson announced that Grassroots will be participating in National Voter Registration Day on September 25 and will send out an announcement about their activities.

Polling place changes from Primary Election

Colleen Ksanda reported on changes in polling places for the November 6th election. After the June 5th election, Colleen received feedback from 21 voters about polling place changes and investigated each one. After analyzing the feedback, three precincts were moved back to the original polling places and the precinct boundaries were changed for six precincts. The Elections Office will continue to analyze feedback on the new polling place boundaries and make changes where necessary after the November election. Committee members requested a list of precincts via email when it is ready.

Sample ballot phone app

The Elections Office will be using the smart phone app for the sample ballot again for the November election. Committee members reviewed a page about the app., developed by a marketing student at Cal State East Bay, to be printed in the Voter Information Pamphlet. Members requested that the QR codes be added to it. Ms. Ginnold to follow up.

Pilot epoll book project

The Elections Office received a county grant to pilot an electronic poll book and will use the one from Elections Systems and Software. The Secretary of State’s Office has advised us that the law does not support the use of electronic signature pads, so these will not be used with the electronic poll book. We plan to use the poll books at seven precincts (3 polling places) and will share feedback we receive from the poll workers who used them at our December meeting.

Minority language requirements for November

The Secretary of State has notified us of the precincts where we are required to post a facsimile ballot in either Spanish or Vietnamese because 3% or more of the population speaks those languages. Committee members asked us to consider providing extra copies of these ballots at the polls.

Online voter registration update

Online voter registration should be active on the Secretary of State’s website after Labor Day. The Elections Office will have a link to the Secretary of State registration site on our website. Voters who go to the site will enter the required information. The data will then be matched with the DMV information and the signature captured electronically from DMV records. If there is missing information or no signature, the system will produce a form that is printed with all the information the voter has entered. The voter must then print out the form, fill in the missing information or signature and mail it to us. Voters will be considered registered voters on the date they fill out the form.

Voter survey

Ms. Ginnold reported that Elizabeth Bergman, Political Science Professor from Cal State East Bay, is conducting a survey of Marin voters who did not vote in the June Primary. Results of the survey should be available at the September meeting.

Vote by mail rejection rate comparison

Ms. Ginnold distributed a report showing the rejection rate of vote by mail ballots from Primary, General and UDEL elections since 2004. The rejection rate is consistently 1% or less than the total ballots returned. VBM ballots received after the deadline comprise the greatest percentage of the rejected ballots in every election.

Post canvass pilot audit

Ms. Ginnold reported that UC Berkeley professors must complete their work before we can finish the audit. We expect to do the audit by the end of September and will provide a 5-day notice before we begin.

Update on proposed election legislation

• AB 1436 - Voter registration at central office after deadline – if signed by the governor, would take effect on Jan. 1 of the year after the state has a statewide voter registration database that meets HAVA requirements.
• AB 1805 - Military and Overseas Voters – implements the MOVE Act. (Huffman). Active.
• AB1929 – Limits definition of “casting a ballot” to the submission of the ballot (by mail, in ballot box at polls, or, for overseas voters, by fax). Was amended to define a “ballot marking system” and differentiate it from a “voting system.”
• SB 1272 – Moves central committee elections to presidential primary election years. Active.
• Proposal to allow receipt of VBM ballots up to 3 days after election day. This bill died but may be back next session.

Other business

Committee members suggested that we cover the following topics at our September meeting: voter survey results, progress of election legislation we have been following and the smart phone app of the Voter Information Pamphlet.

There being no further business, the meeting adjourned at 11:30 a.m. The next meeting will be on Friday, September 21, at 9:30 a.m. in room 324A of the Civic Center.

Registrar of Voters
Election Advisory Committee Meeting
Friday, July 20, 2012, 9:30 AM
Room 324A, Marin Civic Center

Minutes

A meeting of the Election Advisory Committee was held on Friday, July 20, 2012. Present were: Esther Beirne, Greg Brockbank, Vida Florez, Barbara Gaman; Bonnie Glaser, Marcia Hagen, Terry Hennessy, Morgan Kelley, Mark Kyle, Anne Layzer, Jeanne Leoncini, Jannicka Murphy from Grassroots, Sean Peisert, Steve Silberstein, Bob Richard, and Cat Woods. Also present were: John Ortega, Steve Knecht, and Brandi Orth, from Fresno County. Present from the Elections Office were Elaine Ginnold, Colleen Ksanda and Melvin Briones.

June 5, 2012 Presidential Primary Election

Elaine Ginnold reported on voter participation in the Primary Election. There were 146,755 registered voters, of whom 73,106 (49.81%) voted. Although this is a low turnout in a Presidential Primary Election for Marin, the statewide voter turnout was only 31%. Of the 73,102 voters who voted, 52,243(71.46%) voted by mail and 20,863 (28.54%) voted at the polls.

Crossover voting report

Melvin Briones reported that in the June election, the Democratic and American Independent parties allowed voters with no party preference to “cross over” and vote their party ballots (except for central committee races). There were a total of 32,882 registered voters with no party preference. The Elections Dept. sent a post card to all NPP permanent vote by mail voters notifying them of their choices. In addition, all NPP voters were informed about their ballot choices in the Voter Information Pamphlet and on a sign on each precinct table on Election Day. Of the total 32,882 non partisan voters, 4315 requested a Dem. Party ballot and 396 requested the AIP ballot.

Smart phone app for sample ballot

Ms. Ginnold reported that about 30 people used the new smart phone app to look up their sample ballots and that all have requested their voter information pamphlets via the app in future elections. The Dept. plans to use the phone app again for the November and will advertise it more widely.

Electronic poll book pilot

Colleen Ksanda reported on the pilot of electronic poll books which were used in four polling places in the Primary Election. 4 units went to 4 polling places. Three of the polling places had multiple precincts and 1 had one precinct. Two of the polling places with multiple precincts used it to direct lost voters to their correct polling place. The other two polling places used it in parallel with the paper roster and index. Poll workers who used it was that it was very helpful for directing lost voters to their correct polling place, but it was slow when used in place of the Roster. Bob Richards, who was the Chief Inspector at the Kentfield Fire Station and used it in parallel with the paper roster, said that it was helpful to have an extra clerk who was young and computer- savvy to operate the unit. He recommends that in addition to training provided by the vendor, we also provide basic training on how to turn on and use a computer since some poll workers don’t know how to do this. He also made suggestions on how such a device could eliminate one of the street indexes and the colored pencils used to update it.

Ms. Ksanda reported that the department will pilot larger number of epoll books from another vendor in the November election and will use them in place of the Roster at several polling places.

The committee discussed the use of signature pads and the often illegible signatures on them. Ms. Ginnold said she would ask for approval to use them in the pilot from the Secretary of State and use them only if they produce a legible signature.

Post canvass audit pilot

Ms. Ginnold reported that we are still working on the pilot post canvass audit with UC Berkeley and will notify everyone when we are ready to compare the scanned ballot images with the actual ballot. This type of audit should be more practical to do when counties have voting systems that can scan ballots digitally.

Social media

The department is now using Facebook and Twitter to communicate with voters via the county’s facebook page and a bilingual page, “VotaMarin”. Ms. Ginnold asked committee members to “Like” us on both Facebook pages.

Committee feedback on election

• Some voters didn’t know that their polling place had changed and some didn’t like the changes: Ms. Ginnold said that the department will follow up on voter complaints and make any necessary changes in time for the November election. Will send another postcard to voters letting them know that their polling place may have changed and that they have the option to vote by mail.
• Voter confusion about crossover voting: Ms. Ginnold said that most of the confusion came from non partisan voters who wanted to vote a Republican ballot and couldn’t because the party didn’t allow it. However, if these voters voted a republican ballot provisionally, everything except for president and central committee was counted.
• Confusion about Top 2 Primary: Voters seemed to understand the Top Two Primary, probably because there was much information explaining it before the election
• The committee asked about the slow vote count for the Sonoma/Marin races and whether the election night results in Marin took longer than usual. Marin finished both the election night count and the canvass at the normal time, but Sonoma took longer.

November 6, 2012 Presidential General Election planning

Ms. Ginnold asked committee members to give feedback on the issue of cell phones at polling places. Currently, NO CELL PHONES signs are posted at the polling places because talking on them can disturb other voters. Because of the growing use of smart phones and reports that voters are using them as voting aids to mark their ballots in the same way that voters use their voter pamphlets, is it still reasonable to prohibit cell phones?. After discussion, committee members agreed that the current No Cell Phone sign be revised to say, “No photography or videography; No talking on cell phones” and cite the relevant laws.

Online voter registration

Ms. Ginnold reported that the Secretary of State plans to roll out online voter registration by Labor Day. Voters will be able to register to vote online and the data will go directly into the county’s Election Management Systems. Voters’ signatures will come from the DMV.

John Ortega spoke about the non partisan “Youth Booth” for voter registration and education that he set up at the county fair this year in partnership with the League of Women Voters and various youth groups. The Election Office supplied table, chairs, table decorations, forms and voter information for the booth. Mr. Ortega set up a voter education wheel with civics questions and gave prizes for the correct answer. 159 people registered to vote at the booth.

What happens when voter changes address?

Melvin Briones reviewed the actions that the department takes when a voter changes his/her address. The department receives address changes from voter registration cards, other counties, the Dept. of Motor Vehicles, the USPS National Change of Address Service (NCOA), which is provided by the Secretary of State on a monthly basis (except for 90 days before an election), and the USPS Automated Address Correction Service (ACS) which is generated after each mailing of the Sample Ballot.

When we receive a change of address directly from the voter, we can update the voters address in our file immediately. However, when the change of address comes from a third party (DMV, NCOA or ACS), we must send the voter a card to confirm the address change and only change the address once the voter confirms it.

Update on proposed election legislation

• AB 1436 - Voter registration at central office after deadline – this proposal was amended to be implemented on the first day of January after the Secretary of State has a statewide database in operation.
• AB 1805 - Military and Overseas Voters – implements the MOVE Act.
• AB1929 – Limits definition of “casting a ballot” to the submission of the ballot only. Amended to stipulate that any ballot marking system would not tabulate votes.
• SB 1272 – Moves central committee elections to presidential primary election years. Bob Richard reported that this proposal was amended to require that the state committee, rather than the local county committee, set requirements for membership. He also mentioned that the bill weakens political parties.

Other business

Anne Layzer asked about posting the list of candidates who have taken out papers for this election. Ms. Ginnold will check to make sure the list gets posted.

There being no further business, the meeting adjourned at 11:30 a.m. The next meeting will be on August 24 (4th Friday) at 9:30 a.m.

Registrar of Voters
Election Advisory Committee Meeting
Friday, April 20, 2012, 9:30 AM
Room 324A, Marin Civic Center

Minutes

A meeting of the Election Advisory Committee was held on Friday, April 20, 2012. Present were: Barbara Gaman; Bonnie Glasser, Marcia Hagen, Morgan Kelley, Mark Kyle, Anne Layzer, Jeanne Leoncini, Sean Peisert, Bob Richard and Eva Waskell for Linda Bagneshi Dorrance and Cat Woods. Also present were: Nancy Prince and Carolyn Heyder from the Republican party; Lupita Piembert, Spanish outreach media consultant for the Elections Dept. Present from the Elections Office were Elaine Ginnold, Colleen Ksanda and Chris Winer.

Minutes of the March 16th meeting: Correct Spelling of Morgan Kelley’s last name.

June 5, 2012 Presidential Primary Election

Election Fact Sheet

Ms. Ginnold distributed a handout with election information including the number of registered voters, polling places, precincts and election officers needed. It also included dates of main events in the election cycle and information about election night results reporting.

Sample ballot and voter information pamphlet

Reviewed copy of the Voter Information Pamphlet and Sample ballot layout for the June election. Discussed new phone app which allow voters to see their sample ballots on their smart phones.

Non Partisan crossover voting

Announced that cards were mailed during the week of April 9th to all permanent vote by mail voters with no party preference to notify them of the option to “crossover” and vote either the Democratic or American Independent Party ballot. Several non partisan voters have asked for a Republican ballot and were notified that they must reregister by May 21 if they want to vote this ballot.

Polling place changes

Colleen Ksanda explained that the precinct boundaries were changed to match census block boundaries and the new supervisor district boundary lines. This resulted in some precincts having 2 or 3 precincts when only one is needed. All together, we are using 6 fewer precincts than in past primary elections either because of this duplication or because the facility was no longer available to us. Colleen reported that most voters were assigned to their usual polling place. However, some voters were assigned to different polling places. There are fewer mail ballot precincts as a result of this change. The department mailed a notice to all affected voters about the change. The notice also gave voters the location of their new polling place and the option to vote by mail.

PSA for voter registration deadline

Ms. Ginnold announced the Marin G Channel has developed a short Public Service Announcement about voter registration in English and Spanish. It will run on U Tube and the Marin G Channel between now and May 21.

Post Election Auditing Pilot

Marin has been selected to participate in the Secretary of State’s post canvass audit program that is being conducted in various counties after the election. The tentative start date for the pilot is June 25. Ms. Ginnold will confirm the date with committee members as soon we know for sure.

Social media implementation

The Elections Dept. now has a presence on Facebook and Twitter through the County’s main website. Ms. Ginnold asked committee members to get on both services to respond to election posts and to monitor and give feedback.

Proposed election legislation

• Chapter 8 (AB 1200) this was an urgency bill that removed the requirement for county election officials to prepare certificates of election and administer oaths of office to central committee members.
• AB 1436 – this bill would permit voters to register and vote provisionally after the voter registration deadline up to 8:00 p.m. on election night at the election office. It would be fine in Marin, but larger counties could have an issue with long lines at their offices on Election Day.
• AB 1805 - Military and Overseas Voters Act – this bill replaces the term, “special absentee voter” with “military and overseas voter” and allows all of these voters to receive a ballot that includes federal, state and local offices rather than the current law which limits the contents of the ballot for voters who are out of the country permanently.
• AB1929 – Limits definition of “casting a ballot” to the act of submitting the ballot (by mail, in ballot box at polls, or, for overseas voters, by fax). This bill would make it OK for military and overseas to mark their ballots on line, but ballot may not be transmitted back to the elections office electronically.
• SB 1272 – Moves central committee elections to presidential primary election years when partisan ballots are required to accommodate the presidential races. Bob Richard explained that the Peace and Freedom Party is opposed to this bill because the language allows each county to implement it separately from the state party. In addition, anyone could decide to be the Peace and Freedom Party and set up bylaws, since the bill does not specify that the person has to be registered in the Peace and Freedom Party.

Other business

There being no further business, the meeting adjourned at 11:30 a.m. The next meeting will be at 9:30 on July 20.

Registrar of Voters
Election Advisory Committee Meeting
Friday, March 16, 2012, 9:30 AM
Room 324A, Marin Civic Center

Minutes

A meeting of the Election Advisory Committee was held on Friday, March 16, 2012. Present were: Greg Brockbank, Bonnie Glasser, Marcia Hagen, Morgan Kelly, Mark Kyle, Anne Layzer, Jeanne Leoncini, Bob Richard and Eva Waskell for Linda Bagneshi Dorrance. Also present were: Daniela Leyva from Dominican University and Veda Florez, from the League of Women Voters, and Lupita Piembert, Spanish outreach media consultant for the Elections Dept. Present from the Elections Office were Elaine Ginnold, Dan Miller and Tony Aquilino. Present from the County Administrator’s Office was Clarissa Daniel.

June 5, 2012 Primary Election

Ms. Ginnold reported that there were 7 candidates for the 10th Assembly District; 13 for the 2nd Congressional District and contested supervisor races in Districts 2 and 4. No candidates filed for the three open seats on the Ross Town Council; however, candidates can file to be qualified write-in candidates from April 9 to May 22. If no write-in candidates file, the council will have time to appoint replacements before the end of the term. The Committee suggested that the term “qualified write-in candidate” should be explained on the ballot. Qualified write in candidates are those who file nomination papers to become candidates. They are required to obtain sponsor signatures, but are not charged a filing fee. Only votes for qualified write-in candidates are counted.

There have been reports that mail delivery times will be longer due to the proposed closure of USPS postal processing centers, one of which is the N. Bay Petaluma facility where our vote by mail ballots go to be mailed. However, the USPS has delayed the closures until after the June election so there should be no impact on voters in Marin County for this election. The USPS may also delay closures until after the November 2012 election.

Candidate electronic financial filing update

Dan Miller, Candidate Services Officer in the Elections Dept. reported that candidates and campaigns can now file their financial reports online at the Elections website, www.marinvotes.org, using the Netfile program. Click on the Campaign Finance link on the left side bar on the home page. All of the incumbent candidates for Supervisor have filed electronically and about 15 other candidates have also filed electronically. State candidates are required to file electronically on the Secretary of State’s website if they raise or spend more than $25,000.

Committee members asked if they could get information about who had filed for office in cities from one central place. Tony Aquilino will put links to the city/town websites on the elections website, www.marinvotes.org.

Voter information pamphlet phone app demonstration

Elizabeth Bergman, Political Science Professor at Cal State Eastbay and author of a study on vote by mail turnout, has developed an application for smart phones where voters can use it to read the candidates’ statements and measure information from their County Voter Information Pamphlet. Professor Bergman described and demonstrated the application, which the Election Dept. will pilot for the June election.

Social media for June 5th election — Facebook and Twitter

Ms. Ginnold reported that the home page on the Marin County website will have links to Twitter and Facebook for the Elections Dept. for the June election. The County Board of Supervisors will be considering a social media policy for the County at their March 27th meeting. Lupita Piembert spoke about the facebook page she has developed for Spanish speaking voters in Marin. The purpose of participating in social media is to expand access to accurate election information to people who rely on this mode of communication to get their information.

Electronic poll book pilot for June 5th election

Ms. Ginnold reported that the Elections Dept. plans to pilot an electronic poll book from Hart Intercivic at 4 polling places for the June election. The Dept. will provide training to the Chiefs and Deputies and the polling places selected to participate in the pilot. The electronic poll book can replace manual processes which are done now, such as updating the street index and compiling the post-election report about who voted in the election. It can also eliminate many of the paper reports that poll workers now use to look up voters and direct them to the correct polling place. The purpose of this and other epollbook pilots is to get feedback from poll workers about whether and how it could be helpful to them.

Committee feedback on proposed mailers.

The Committee reviewed and recommended revisions to two mailers that the Elections Dept. plans to send to voters: (1) Polling place change notice, and (2) Crossover card that goes to all permanent vote by mail voters who are not registered in any party letting them know they can select either a Democratic or American Independent Party ballot.

There was not enough time left to discuss the following bills that were on the agenda, but these will be on the agenda for discussion at the meeting on April 20.

• AB 1200 — Urgency bill on central committee issues — Chaptered
• AB 1805 — Military and Overseas Voters

Other business

As there was no further business, the meeting adjourned at 11:30 AM. The next meeting will be on Friday, April 20 at 9:30 AM in Room 324A of the Civic Center.

Registrar of Voters
Election Advisory Committee Meeting
Friday, February 17, 2012, 9:30 AM
Room 324A, Marin Civic Center

Minutes

A meeting of the Election Advisory Committee was held on Friday, February 17, 2012. Present were: Greg Brockbank, Marcia Hagen, Terry Hennessy (St. Vincents), Morgan Kelley, Mark Kyle, Anne Layzer, Jeanne Leoncini, Sean Peisert, Bob Richard and Eva Waskell for Linda Bagneshi Dorrance. Also present were: Daniela Leva from Dominican University and Vida Florez, from the League of Women Voters. Present from the Elections Office were Elaine Ginnold and Colleen Ksanda. Present from the County Administrator’s Office was Clarissa Daniel.

Minutes from December 16th meeting were revised to reference the December 16th meeting rather than the July 15, 2011 meeting.

Report on Registrar of Voters’ election observation experience in Kazakhstan

Ms. Ginnold gave a report and slide show describing her experience as an election observer for a parliamentary election in Kazakhstan in January. 221 observers from the US and Europe gathered in the capital, Astana, and were deployed to different parts of the country on their assignments. Ms. Ginnold and 16 other observers were assigned to the area around and including the city of Pavlodar in the Northeast of the country. Observers worked in teams of 2. Each team had an interpreter and driver. On Election Day, each team visited approximately 11-15 polling places and filled out a questionnaire at each one. Ms. Ginnold reported that she observed that the polling places were well organized and the poll workers did a professional job managing the voting and the counting afterwards. The ballots were counted by hand at the polls, which took 5 hours after the polls had closed. After the ballots were counted, the Chief election official at the polls and one other person took them to the Territorial Election Commission where the results from all of the polling places were compiled. However, by 6:00 a.m. the next day there were no results and still no results by noon. The Commission chief told us they had 5 days to compile them. The delay in getting the official results after the polls closed tarnished an otherwise well-managed election. The organization responsible for recruiting observers for this election was PAE-React, which has a contract with the State Dept. to recruit personnel for both short and long-term election observation missions conducted by the Organization for Security and Cooperation in Europe.

June 5, 2012 Primary Election

The Committee reviewed and suggested changes to the Guide to Ballots information page to be printed in the Voter Information Pamphlet for the June Election. Members requested more time to review and recommend changes and will e-mail Ms. Ginnold with their suggestions by Feb. 28. After incorporating changes recommended by the Committee, the information will be translated into plain English. The committee suggested that information about the Top Two Primary be provided to the Marin IJ, the Marinscope Newspapers and the Patch and be provided on the ROV website in a downloadable PDF format.

Central committee options to elect members

The Green party has notified the Registrar of Voters that it will select its own County Council members rather than going to the ballot. The Secretary of State has notified county election officials that the Libertarian Party will not be conducting Central Committee elections and the new Americans Elect party will not have candidates on the June ballot.

New precinct maps for the June 5th Primary

Ms. Ginnold reported that the new precinct maps are finished. This year, precinct boundaries were drawn based on census blocks which will make it easier to redistrict in the future and will provide a better foundation for analysis of voter participation. Ms. Ksanda reported that polling places would change for some voters, but most voters in the new precincts will go to the same polling place as they have in past elections. We will notify voters of the location of their polling place for the June election by post card and sample ballot.

Candidate filing period

The candidate filing period for the June 5th election opened on Monday, Feb. 13 and will close on Friday, March 9th. The filing period will be extended to Wednesday, March 14th in those districts where incumbent officers don’t file by the March 9th deadline.

Poll worker newsletter

Ms. Ksanda distributed the poll worker newsletter, Marin Votes, to members of the committee. She reported that some poll workers don’t want to work in the primary election because it is too complicated. Members asked to be put on her mailing list to receive future newsletters and recruitment notices. Colleen will e-mail the newsletter and notices for the June election next week.

5-year vision plan for Marin County Elections

Ms. Ginnold distributed and reviewed the department’s 5-year vision plan and invited the Committee to provide feedback at the March meeting. A key feature of the plan is a projected increase in the automation of election processes and increasing self-service opportunities for voters. For example, on line registration should be available by the November 2012 election and, at some time in the future, electronic poll books may replace the printed paper roster and index.

Election Legislation:

The Committee briefly discussed the following bills:

• AB 1413 has been signed by the governor. It simplifies the candidates’ political party designations that must be printed on the ballot and requires candidates to provide their party preference or no preference on the ballot as it is shown on their voter registration form.
• AB 1200 – Urgency bill that addresses various central committee issues. Bob Richard reported that this bill will be heard in committee next week and that, if it passes, will create problems for the Peace and Freedom Party because the Peace and Freedom Party uses central committee elections to select delegates that will choose the party’s candidate for President. Bob suggests that it would be useful for the parties and election officials to sit down and discuss the issues they have with central committee elections rather than pass legislation that would have unintended consequences for one or more of the parties.
• AB 299 - Requires minority language services at designated polling places. Committee did not discuss this bill.

Other business

As there was no further business, the meeting adjourned at 11:30 a.m. The next meeting will be on Friday, March 16, 2012 at 9:30 a.m.

The minutes for this meeting were not posted.