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HomeMy WebLinkAboutMINUTES - 03051985 - IO.2 TO: BOARD OF SUPERVISORS Contra FROM: Internal Operations Committee Costa DATE: February 25, 1985 County SUBJECT: Uniform Hours for Closing Polls SPECIFIC REQUEST(S) OR RECOMMENDATION(S) & BACKGROUND AND JUSTIFICATION RECOMMENDATIONS: 1 . Endorse the recommendation of the Elections Supervisor that federal legislation be supported which would provide for the following: A. Shorten the number of hours polls are open from the current 13 to a more manageable number, such as 10. B. Provide for staggered hours for opening and closing polls in various time zones so that all polls open and close simultaneously. C. Provide that the date on which the presidential general election is held is a national holiday if this is judged necessary for the efficient administration of the election. 2. Authorize the Elections Supervisor to share with the California Secretary of State and any appropriate legislators this Board's endorsement of the above outline for federal legislation. 3. Remove this item as a referral to our Committee. BACKGROUND: Since at least the 1980 General Election, there has been a controversy about the tendency of the national network television media to project the winner of the election while the polls on the West Coast are still open. In response to this problem, Congress may consider legislation which would require the polls in all time zones to close simultaneously. The California Secretary of State has asked County Clerks and Election Supervisors throughout California for their thoughts on a variety of possible schedules for achieving such simultaneous closing of the polls. Our Committee met with Lon Underwood, our Elections Supervisor, on February 25 and reviewed the three principal proposals. These include keeping the polls open continuously for 24 hours and dividing voting between two days as well as keeping voting on one day, but shortening the hours. Both of the first two alternatives have substantial cost implications as well as administrative problems. In either case, individual residences are less likely to be available as polling places. The number of precinct officers would be increased and, therefore, the costs would be increased. Keeping voting on one day reduces these problems. However, in order to open and close the polls simultaneously, the number of hours the polls are open would have..to be CONTINUED ON ATTACHMENT:X YES SIGNATURE: RECOMMENDATION OF COUNTY ADMINISTRATOR M TION OF BOA COMMITTEE X APPROVE OTHER jig SIGNATURE(S) Tom Torlakson To Powers ACTION OF BOARD ON March 5, 1985 APPROVED AS RECOMMENDED X OTHER X Also DIRECTED the County Administrator to review with the Elections Supervisor how this information is to be distributed to all 58 counties in California. VOTE OF SUPERVISORS XX UNANIMOUS (ABSENT ) I HEREBY CERTIFY THAT THIS IS A TRUE AYES: NOES: AND CORRECT COPY OF AN ACTION TAKEN ABSENT: ABSTAIN: AND ENTERED ON THE MINUTES OF THE BOARD OF SUPERVISORS ON THE DATE SHOWN. County Administrator CC: County Clerk--Recorder ATTESTED Elections Supervisor PHIL BATCHELOR, CLERK OF THE BOARD OF SUPERVISORS AND COUNTY ADMINISTRATOR M382/7-e8 BY DEPUTY -2- reduced in order to avoid the likelihood of having the polls opening at 4:00 A.M. on the West Coast, or remaining open until 11 :00 P.M. on the East Coast. Declaring only the presidential general election day as. a national holiday would make it much easier to recruit precinct workers; would make more public buildings available as polling places, and would minimize the criticism that someone couldn't vote because they were at work. While there would be a cost to adding such a holiday, it would occur only once every four years, might well be less expensive, and less of an administrative problem than the other alternatives and might even encourage greater voter turnout. For these reasons, we endorse the recommendations of Mr. Underwood.