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HomeMy WebLinkAboutMINUTES - 11091993 - S.3 - J TO: ROA]kD 61F SUPERVISORS 5.3Contra FROM: + Tom Powers, District One Supervisor Costa : DATE; November 9, 19936_. County SUBJECT; Mail-in Voting SPECIFIC REQUEXT(S)OR RECOMMENDATION(S)&BACKGROUND AND JUSTIFICATION Recommendgtiom 1) Request State Senator Dan Boatwright to carry for Contra Costa County similar mail-in vote legislation that was recently developed by the late Assemblyman B.T. Collins for Stonislaus County. 2) Request Senator Boatwright to include in this legislation all general and special elections. Bac gEgun;L This method of voting has significant benefits. 1) Costs are reduced because there is no need for polling places and workers. The cost to hold the recent election in Stonislaus County was 1/3 less than previous elections. 2) Higher voter turnout. 3) Diminishes the value of last-minute smears or "hit-pieces 4) Gives voters a greater opportunity and more time to make decisions,whereas the current voting method keeps many from the polls because they find it too difficult to go out and vote, s CONTINUED ON ATTACHMENT: X YES RECOMMENDATION OF COUNTY ADMINISTRATOR RECOMMENDATION OF DOARD&MMITTEE`^ APPROVE OTHER i A ACTION OF BOARD ON Oyem er )93 APPROVED AS RECOMMENDED OTHER X This matter was referred to the County Clerk and Finance Committee for report to the Board. VOTE OF SUPERVISORS x I I 1 HERESY CERTIFY THAT THIS IS A TRUE UNANIMOUS(ABSENT AND CORRECT COPY OF AN ACTION TAKEN AYES NOES: AND ENTERED ON THE MINUTES OF THE BOARD ABSENT: ABSTAIN; OF SUPERVISORS ON THE DATE SHOWN. cc; County Clerk ATTESTED November 9 , 2993 County Administrator PHIL BATCHELOR,CLERK OF THE BOARD OF Finance t e. SUPERVISORS AND COUNTY ADMINISTRATOR M382 (10188) BY .DEPUTY TOTAL P.02 J. NOU-04-1993 15:53 FROM DISTRICT 1 SUPERVISOR TO CLRK OF BOARD P.07— November .07November 4, 1993 (West County Times) It would be easier to measure Tuesday's success if it could be Stanislaus compared with a string of special elections, said Chief Deputy Secre- tary of State Tony Miller.The coun- County tty�+t C also had a lot of "dead wood on ries s file,"he said,meaning that the rolls hadn't been purged of voters who mall-in vote had died or moved in recent years. "From what I know, I'm im- pressed," Miller said. "It points to By STEPHEN GREEN enlarging (mail voting) in other reg- McClatchy News Service ular elections." SACRAMENTO — Taxpayers Ken Entin, a political science were declared the winner Tuesday professor at Cal State Stanislaus, in Stanislaus County's experiment saw a number of pluses. Participa- tion was up, he said. The electoral Despite some predictions of a system is responding to changing needs of people — especially work- double-digit increase in voting,elec- tions officials said Wednesday that ing couples — who have been rely- turnout was up by only a few per- in recenting on years. ballots more often centage points in the first California muThe mail ballot also diminishes county to conduct a ton election. the value of last-minute smears or But the cost of putting on the "hit-piece" campaign mailers, he special election was trimmed by said. "This is one way to deal with about one-third for a savings of the effects of negative campaign- $120,000, said Karen Mathews, the ing," he said. county clerk-recorder. But the nature of the campaign When all ballots are counted, the also changes,Entin said.Candidates Stanislaus turnout should be about or advocates for or against a ballot 40 percent, Mathews said. That measure need to address the elec- compares with a total projected torate earlier. People also start vot- statewide turnout of 38 percent to ing several weeks before the elec- 39 percent. tion, and that can tend to favor In 1979, the last time a statewide incumbents, he said. special election was held, the turn- Stanislaus has about 370,000 res- out was 33 percent in Stanislaus idents, with most concentrated in County and 37.4 percent statewide. the Modesto-Turlock area. In all, The late Assemblyman B.T. Collins, 175,000 ballots were mailed out. R-Carmichael,predicted that partici- To be counted, ballots'had to be pation could jump by 10 percent to in the hands of the clerk-recorder. 20 percent when he carried legisla- by 8 p.m. Election Day. Between tion authorizing the experiment last 8,000 and 9,000 were hand-deliv- Yem'• ered to 11 drop-off points on Elec- tion Day. That slowed election re- sults for some special districts. Previously, mail ballots have been used in a few special district elections, but Tuesday was the first time it had been tried on a large scale in California. TfTvl1 rn nn.