Special Notice / Hearing: None__
Vote Required: Majority
To: Honorable Board of Supervisors
From: Mark Church, Chief Elections Officer & Assessor-County Clerk-Recorder
Subject: Examining San Mateo's Adoption of the Voter's Choice Act, 2018 Election Cycle
RECOMMENDATION:
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Accept the informational report regarding San Mateo's Adoption of the Voter's Choice Act, 2018 Election Cycle.
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BACKGROUND:
The Chief Elections Officer commissioned an independent report (Report) to provide an unbiased analysis of the implementation of the Voter's Choice Act (VCA) in San Mateo County. The VCA represents the most significant change to the County's election model in decades, and it is vitally important to understand how the changes it brings impacts our County's voters, both in the aggregate and as members of specific groups.
The Report was prepared by Dr. Mindy Romero of the California Civic Engagement Project (CCEP), a non-partisan civic engagement and outreach initiative sponsored by the USC Sol Price School of Public Policy, which conducts research to inform policy for a more engaged and representative democracy. Dr. Romero is the founder and director of the CCEP. Her research focuses on political behavior and race/ethnicity, and seeks to explain patterns of voting and political underrepresentation, particularly among youth and communities of color in California and the U.S.
Dr. Romero's Report will be essential in the preparation for the upcoming Presidential Primary and General Elections. The data the Report provides on Vote Center placement, staffing, outreach, and other areas will provide a blueprint not just for San Mateo County's future efforts, but for the entire state.
DISCUSSION:
The Report's analysis of the County's implementation of the VCA shows that County voters had a largely positive experience with the new voting model. While only 68% of voters were registered to vote by mail when the VCA came into effect, utilization rate...
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