Special Notice / Hearing: None__
Vote Required: Majority
To: Honorable Board of Supervisors
From: Mark Church, Chief Elections Officer & Assessor-County Clerk-Recorder
Subject: City of Brisbane's Request to Change from Odd to Even-Numbered Year Elections
RECOMMENDATION:
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Adopt a resolution authorizing implementation of the City of Brisbane City Council's request that future general municipal elections be moved from odd to even-numbered years.
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BACKGROUND:
In September 2015, the Governor signed Senate Bill No. 415 ("SB 415"), also known as the California Voter Participation Rights Act. This Act requires most jurisdictions, including cities, school districts, and other districts, that currently hold elections for governing board members in odd-numbered years to move their elections to even-numbered years. SB 415's apparent goal is to increase voter turnout, given that even-numbered year elections generally have higher voter turnout rates than odd-numbered year elections. There are 70 jurisdictions in San Mateo County. As of July 11, 2017, 5 of these jurisdictions have not yet moved to even-numbered year elections. We anticipate that some of these 5 jurisdictions will move to even-numbered year elections in the near future.
On June 1, 2017, the City Council of the City of Brisbane (the "City") approved an ordinance requesting that election dates for future City general municipal elections be moved from odd to even-numbered years. Notice of the City's requested change was submitted to the Board of Supervisors via a letter dated June 2, 2017. The Resolution would move the City's odd-numbered year elections to even-numbered year elections starting in 2020. The election scheduled for November 2021 would be held in November 2020. The City would hold its regularly scheduled elections in November 2017 and November 2019 and shorten the terms of all board members serving as of those dates by one (1) year and thereafter the term for ...
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