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 San Bruno’s Request to Change from Odd to Even-Numbered Year Elections
RECOMMENDATION:
title
Adopt a resolution authorizing the implementation of the City of San Bruno 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”), which is also known as the California Voter Participation Rights Act. SB 415 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 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 25, 2017, four of these jurisdictions have not yet moved to even-numbered year elections. We anticipate that some of these four jurisdictions will move to even-numbered year elections in the near future.
On May 23, 2017, the City Council of the City of San Bruno (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 on June 22, 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 council members serving as of those dates by one year and thereafter the term for each council member will begin a new four-year cycle starting in November 2020 and November 2022. The term of the Mayor elected in November 2017 shall serve a term of three (3) years until a successor is elected and qualified in 2020.
Under Section 10403.5(a)(1), the Chief Elections Officer shall submit to the Board of Supervisors a report on the cost-effectiveness of the proposed change. The Board of Supervisors is required by Section 10403.5(a)(1) to approve the proposed change unless it finds that “the ballot style, voting equipment, or computer capability is such that additional elections or materials cannot be handled.”
DISCUSSION:
In order to assist the Board of Supervisors in making its determination regarding the City’s proposed change to even-numbered years, the Registration & Elections Division has reviewed the impact on costs, ballot style, voting equipment, computer capability, staffing, and voter turnout.
When the Registration & Elections Division conducts an election for jurisdictions such as the City, those elections are almost always consolidated with other elections occurring on the same date. The costs for such elections are allocated proportionally among participating jurisdictions based on two key factors: the number of registered voters within each jurisdiction and the number of entities participating in the given election. Typically, General Municipal Elections in odd-numbered years have higher proportional costs than Statewide General Elections in even-numbered years for cities, school districts, special districts, and other jurisdictions because the number of entities with elections during odd-numbered years is fewer, resulting in less cost sharing. Statewide General Elections in even-numbered years include federal, state, and county contests, the costs of which are borne solely by the County, and these elections constitute a substantial portion of the total cost for each Statewide General Election. Thus, when jurisdictions participate in Statewide General Elections, they bear a lower portion of the total election costs because a large portion is paid by the County and other countywide jurisdictions.
The voters of the City of San Bruno last voted at the polls in 2014. In 2013, the City paid $35,105 for election services to 20,039 registered voters, at the rate of $1.75 per registered voter. In the 2014 Statewide General Election, the City’s cost for election services to 19,835 registered voters was $32,427; the rate was $1.63 per registered voter. However, in that election, the City voted only on a measure, leading to costs which are unrepresentative for a City Council contest. For comparison, the City of Pacifica had only a City Council contest in November 2014, and paid $28,595 for election services to 22,419 voters at a rate of $1.28 per registered voter. Comparing this cost with the 2013 General Municipal Election cost, we estimate that if the City switched to even-numbered year elections, it would experience cost savings of approximately 27 percent for an election conducted with polling places.
In the November 2015 General Municipal Election, the City’s cost per registered voter was $1.67. The cost for the 2015 election was lower because that was the County’s first election in the All Mailed Ballot Election Pilot Project that was authorized under Assembly Bill No. 2028 (“AB 2028”), which amended Elections Code Section 4001. Section 4001(a) permits San Mateo County to hold two additional all-mailed ballot elections in 2017.
Jurisdiction Year Cost of Election Cost per Registered Voter
City of San Bruno 2013 $35,105 $1.75
City of Pacifica 2014 $28,595 $1.28
City of San Bruno 2015 $33,588 $1.67
In September 2016, the Governor approved Senate Bill No. 450 (“SB 450”), which is also known as the California Voter’s Choice Act, which added Section 4005 to the Elections Code. Starting in 2018, SB 450 authorizes specified counties, including San Mateo, to hold all-mailed ballot elections under certain conditions. This would reduce costs associated with polling places, including poll worker recruitment and training, voting equipment, supplies, and labor. Thus, if the County holds an all-mailed ballot election in a future even-numbered year, there is the possibility that costs for the City may be further reduced. If adopted by the County, SB 450 will dramatically change the nature of our election operations by transitioning the County to an all-mailed ballot/vote center election system. A more detailed analysis on the potential impact of these new laws will be presented to the Board of Supervisors at a later time.
The City’s requested change will not have an immediate impact on the ballot styles, voting equipment or computer capability. However, as more of the remaining four jurisdictions move to even-numbered elections years, there will be a cumulative and significant effect on Registration & Elections Division operations. As jurisdictions move to even-numbered year elections starting in 2017, and continuing through 2022, the total number of candidates in jurisdictions holding even-number year elections will increase substantially, roughly doubling by November 2022 compared to the number of candidates in November 2016. This change will increase the variation in the Sample Ballot & Official Voter Information Pamphlets and the Official Ballot types. Overall costs for each election will increase, but the increase in costs will be distributed among more jurisdictions. Most importantly, staffing needs may substantially increase as tasks such as candidate filing increase and production of more voluminous election materials within statutory deadlines becomes more challenging during even-numbered years. Statewide General Elections will become more complex, requiring a shift from seasonal extra-help staff to more experienced and knowledgeable permanent staff. The Division’s operating budget needs will increase starting in FY 2017-18.
The voting and ballot counting equipment used by the Registration & Elections Division remain robust enough to permit the City, as well as the remaining jurisdictions within the County, to move its elections to even-numbered years from odd-numbered years. However, this equipment is nearing the end of its useful life. The Department will begin to evaluate new voting systems in 2017 that will improve accessible voting and accommodate elections conducted in a vote by mail, vote center, ballot drop off location environment as proposed under SB 450.
In terms of turnout, voter participation of registered voters in General Municipal Elections generally falls between 25 and 29 percent. Voter turnout in the two previous Presidential Statewide General Elections was 79 percent in 2012 and 81 percent in 2016. Voter turnout for the two previous Gubernatorial Statewide General Elections was 65 percent in 2010 and 46 percent (a historical low) in 2014. Accordingly, for the past seven elections scheduled in November (2010 through 2016), average voter turnout for Statewide General Elections has been at least double than voter turnout for General Municipal Elections, so a move to Statewide General Elections is likely to significantly increase voter turnout in future City elections.
Approval of this Resolution contributes to the Shared Vision 2025 outcome of a Collaborative Community by allowing more voters the opportunity to make decisions relating to their community.
FISCAL IMPACT:
Moving the City’s general municipal election to even-numbered election years will not impact the Registration & Elections Division in its conduct of elections at this time. However, since this jurisdiction will continue to hold odd-numbered year elections in 2017 and 2019 prior to their move to even-numbered year elections in 2020, their election costs will increase in 2017 and 2019 since there will be fewer jurisdictions participating in odd number year elections. While the County’s costs for labor and services will increase as jurisdictions move to even numbered year elections, the County’s proportional share of election costs will be reduced.