Special Notice / Hearing: None__
Vote Required: Majority
To: Honorable Board of Supervisors
From: Mark Church, Chief Elections Officer & Assessor-County Clerk-Recorder
Subject: Authorization of Supplementary Funding under the 2020-2021 Master Service Agreement for Election Costs
RECOMMENDATION:
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Adopt a resolution allocating additional funding not to exceed $1,500,000 to purchase essential goods and services necessary for the conduct of elections through December 31, 2021, under the existing Master Service Agreement.
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BACKGROUND:
The Registration & Elections Division (the “Division”) requires certain products and services on a regular basis in order to successfully conduct elections in San Mateo County. California law recognizes that the procurement of elections-related materials is time-sensitive, containing certain exceptions for procurement as, for example, set forth in Elections Code section 14100, which provides that “[t]he county elections official, in providing the materials required by this division, shall not be required to utilize the services of the county purchasing agent.”
On January 14, 2020, the Board authorized the Chief Elections Officer to enter into contracts with enumerated vendors, with designated funding through a Master Services Agreement not to exceed an aggregate amount of $4,602,000 (“Master Services Agreement”). This amount was estimated as sufficient to fund the County’s elections through December 31, 2021.
DISCUSSION:
However, the cost estimate for the Master Service Agreement did not anticipate the September 14, 2021 Gubernatorial Recall Election (“Recall Election”), which was not announced until July 1, 2021. By July 7, 2021, less than a week later, the Division was required to finalize all Recall Election ballot materials for translation, printing, and mailing in order to meet applicable statutory deadlines. The Division, working with its vendors under the Master Services Agreement, met that deadline and successfully conducted the Recall Election, during which 292,049 registered County voters (66.25%) cast ballots.
The County has received $4,330,000.00 in reimbursement from the State for costs relating to the Recall Election, and also expects to seek reimbursement from the State for certain expenses expected to be incurred for the upcoming November 2, 2021 Special Election (“November 2021 Special Election”).
However, as expenditures have exceeded the limit provided under the Master Service Agreement ($4,602,000) due to the Recall Election, this supplement is required to make final payments to vendors, and to address expenditures related to the November 2021 Special Election. The recommended increase of $1,500,000 to the Master Services Agreement expenditure cap will be sufficient to cover these costs.
As the successful Recall Election makes clear, each of the vendors listed on Attachment A provides services vital to the elections process.
• Precise Printing & Mailing provides many of the public-facing materials that reach voters, including the voter notification postcards mandated by the Voter’s Choice Act, the notification letters informing voters of their election year changes under Senate Bill 415, voter address confirmation postcards, and SamCERA election materials.
• Dominion Voting Systems provides the County’s current voting system, as approved by the Board in 2019. Dominion’s Democracy Suite system provides a verifiable paper trail for every ballot without a connection to the internet, ensuring the security of every vote. This Agreement will allow for the lease or purchase of additional equipment if the need should arise.
• Toppan Merrill typesets, prints, and binds the Sample Ballot and Voter Information Pamphlet, and provides the PDF version of these items for our voter lookup page. These large-scale projects require a vendor with the equipment and experience to guarantee delivery on schedule to meet required statutory deadlines.
• K&H Integrity Communications, which has been in business for over 100 years, is the vendor that handles the printing of every San Mateo County Official Ballot, one of the Division’s most essential services.
• DFM Associates has provided the Division’s Elections Information Management System since 2009. This system is central to every aspect of the Division’s operation and, includes, without limitation, the voter registration database, hosting candidate filing records, Vote Center management, and Vote by Mail processing data. DFM has been a key and highly responsive partner for the Division.
• Tenex Software Solutions is at the forefront of innovation in bringing efficient automation to data management. Its Election Response Tracking service provides unprecedented oversight on technical issues arising at Vote Centers. Election Response Tracking allows the Division to track its field staff in real time, monitor issues from the moment they arise, and more quickly respond to problems. Tenex’s Live Results platform is a modern election night reporting system, providing a more intuitive experience for voters seeking information, and replacing our prior system which was designed for polling place elections. Tenex’s Electronic Poll Books are an efficient, tablet-based solution to processing voters at the Vote Center, which will both improve line speeds and reduce the training time needed for Vote Center Representatives.
FISCAL IMPACT:
There is no new Net County Cost associated with this $1,500,000 increased amount to the existing Master Services Agreement. The majority of the $1,500,000 increase will be covered by the State’s Recall Election reimbursement. The rest is covered by the Assessor-County Clerk-Recorder’s FY 2021-22 Recommended Budget. Additionally, a portion of the Master Service Agreement increase will potentially be reimbursed by Voter Choice Act, Senate Bill 90, or other State funding.