GRVNC 2004 Election Procedures
Submitted to done 4/23/2004
I.
Definitions
“Absent Voter”
means any voter casting a ballot in any way other than at the polling place.
“BONC” means
Board of Neighborhood Commissioners, the seven (7) member appointed commission
responsible for policy setting and policy oversight, including the approval of
contracts and leases and the promulgation of rules and regulations, but not the
day to day management of the Department of Neighborhood Empowerment or the
neighborhood councils.
“Campaigning”
means a series of actions conducted by a candidate(s) or person(s) on behalf of
a candidate(s) intended to influence voters to vote a certain way. Such actions may include, but are not
limited to, the distribution of printed or electronic material, making of
telephone calls, giving of speeches in a public setting, discussions with
individuals or small groups of voters, placement of signs, etc. (see
Electioneering below.)
“Challenge”
means a written complaint filed by a stakeholder that the election was
improperly conducted including, but not limited to, alleged incidences of
voting fraud or improper candidate activity, and that the results of the
election should be set aside or overturned.
“DONE” means
Department of Neighborhood Empowerment, the City department responsible to
implement and oversee the ordinances and regulations creating the system of
neighborhood councils enacted pursuant to City Charter Section 905.
“Electioneering”
means to solicit a vote or speak to a voter on the subject of marking his or
her ballot; to place a sign(s) relating to any candidate or other matter to be
voted on; to distribute material relating to any candidate or other matter to
be voted on; or to place a sign(s), distribute material, or converse with a
voter on the subject of the voter’s qualifications to vote. Electioneering is an aspect of campaigning
that is generally understood to mean the activities targeted at voters when
they are engaged in arriving to the polling place or in the actual act of
voting.
“Independent
Election Administrator” (“IEA”) means the person(s) or organization responsible
for conducting the actual election. The
Independent Election Administrator should be independent from the outcome of
the election and shall have no obvious vested interest in the outcome of the election. Duties include, but are not limited to, setting up and managing
the polling location(s), checking in voters, distributing and receiving
ballots, tabulating the votes, announcing the election results, and securing
the election materials.
“Person” means
an individual human being.
“Prepared
Ballot Election with the Vote-By-Mail Component” means an election in which the
candidates file prior to the election and are included on a printed ballot that
is distributed to and voted by the voters either at: 1) the polling location(s)
on election day or 2) or via the U.S. mail or alternative delivery service.
“Provisional
Ballot” means a ballot cast by a voter whose eligibility to vote in the
election cannot be determined at the time the vote is cast. The voter’s eligibility will be verified at
a later date pursuant to methods specified in the Election Procedures and the
ballot will be processed subject to the outcome of the verification process.
“Proxy” voting
means the written or verbal authorizing of one person to act (vote) for another
as an agent or substitute, (e.g.” I hereby authorize ______ to cast a vote for
_____ in my place.”)
“Recount” means
counting the votes cast again for a particular contest or for the entire
election to determine if the original vote tally is accurate.
“Stakeholder” means a person who, pursuant to
the Neighborhood Council’s bylaws, is eligible to be a candidate and/or vote in
the Neighborhood Council’s governing board election. At a minimum, a
stakeholder is anyone who lives, works or owns property within the Neighborhood
Council boundaries.
“Third Party
Arbitrator” means the person(s) or organization selected to review and issue
final findings relative to a Challenge filed against the election. This person(s) or organization shall not be
the Independent Election Administrator and
should be independent from the outcome
of the election and shall have no obvious vested interest in the outcome of the election. The primary Third Party Arbitrator will be a
panel composed of Neighborhood Council Representatives although another
person(s) or organization may be used if the panel of Neighborhood Council
Representatives cannot perform the function.
“Vote-By-Mail
Ballot” means a ballot that is voted and placed in a sealed envelope, which is
then delivered to the election official via the U.S. mail, private courier or
hand delivery.
“Write-In
Candidate” means a candidate who is not included on the prepared printed ballot
but for whom voters may cast a vote by writing in the candidate’s name in the
appropriate space provided on the ballot.
“IRV” means
Instant Runoff Voting as described in Robert’s Rules of Order, 10th
edition as Preference Voting.
“GRVNC
Stakeholder Affidavit” or “GRVNC Stakeholder Declaration” is the form used by a
person to affirm, under penalty of perjury, that they are a GRVNC stakeholder.
II.
Summary
of Election Rules and Procedures
This document sets forth the
rules and procedures for the Sunday, June 27 Election meeting at the
Westminster Elementary School (1010 Abbott Kinney Avenue, Venice, CA
90291). The GRVNC shall hold a prepared
ballot election with a vote-by-mail component and a write-in candidate
component. Voting polls shall be open
between the hours of Sunday 10 a.m. to 8 pm.
Proxy voting is not allowed.
Stakeholders shall cast votes to elect the following GRVNC Officers:
1.
President
2.
First Vice President
3.
Second Vice President
4.
Secretary
5.
Government Relations Officer
6.
At-Large Board Member
Stakeholders shall select one of the following to elect one District
Representative. Stakeholders may choose
any one of the following:
1.
Lincoln Place District
Representative
2.
Ocean Front Walk
District Representative
3.
Oakwood District
Representative
4.
Venice High District
Representative
5.
Abbot Kinney District
Representative
6.
Triangles District
Representative
7.
Canals & Peninsula
District Representative
III.
Election
Timeline
A. May
6 (Thursday)—60 Day Outreach and Notification Requirements
1.
The GRVNC
shall hold a noticed public meeting on May 6, 2004 to provide information about
the GRVNC and to discuss and distribute these election procedures, voter
registration forms and other pertinent election information. Also, to explain the establishment of, function of and opportunity to serve on
the GRVNC Board of Officers and to accept candidate nominations for the printed
ballot. At the meeting, the GRVNC shall
distribute copies of, and provide training related to, the GRVNC Bylaws;
Election Procedures, candidate and voter registration forms, candidate filing
and verification of eligibility requirements for placement on the ballot, write
in candidate procedures, IRV Voting Procedure, campaigning procedures and any
campaigning restrictions, requirements upon winning office, and any other
information the GRVNC determines would be useful.
2.
No later than
May 1, the GRVNC shall mass-distribute by bulk mail a general information flyer containing, at a minimum, information
regarding:
a.
The name and general
purpose of the GRVNC and announcement of the Board Member elections.
b.
The
definition of a GRVNC Stakeholder pursuant to GRVNC Bylaws Article III.
c.
The dates, hours and locations of the election.
d.
The opportunity and
process for becoming a candidate.
e.
Voter
eligibility requirements.
f.
The
Vote-By-Mail process, including application and ballot submission procedures.
g.
Upcoming
election related meetings.
h.
Sources to
obtain additional information.
i.
IRV voting
method explanation
j.
As much of
the following as is possible
(i)
GRVNC
Introduction
(ii)
Voter
Election Guide
(iii)
Status
Declaration form
(iv)
Candidate
Application form
(v)
Elective
Offices
(vi)
Vote-by-mail
application form
(vii)
GRVNC
Contact list
(viii)
Posting
Location(s)
(ix)
Election
Timeline / Important Dates
(x)
District Map
and instructions to find district
(xi)
Vote-by-mail
envelope
3.
The GRVNC
shall post the election information contained in the general information flyer
along with a contact telephone number at least at the Vera Davis Center, Cow’s
End, Abbot’s Habit, and Gourmet Coffee Warehouse on Rose and via email.
B. May
27 (Thursday)—30 Day
Notification and Printed Ballot Filing Deadline
1.
Deadline for
being on the printed ballot is May 27, 2004.
2.
Between the
period of 60 and 30 days before the election, the GRVNC shall post candidate
filing and other related election information and deadline dates along with an
information contact telephone number at the Brown Act Location and via email
and website.
No later than June 5, the GRVNC shall mass-distribute an election information
reminder flyer containing at a minimum: the date(s),
time, place(s) of the election, the candidates that will appear on the ballot,
GRVNC candidates info web-page and all candidates’ 100 word statements,
Vote-By-Mail application and ballot submission process, write-in
candidate procedures, IRV voting explanation and contact numbers for obtaining
additional information. Any GRVNC
Initiatives or Referendums or Advisory Measures on the ballot. Date and location of Candidates Forum.
Candidates
shall be allowed to inspect all GRVNC Stakeholder Affidavits at a place
provided by the IEA. See “Voter
Eligibility” section.
The deadline for completion
of the Final Official Certified Canvass of ballots shall be July 11 (14 days
after election day). See “Official
Canvass of Votes” section.
IV.
Independent
Election Administrator
A. Identification
of the Independent Election
Administrator
The League of
Women Voters shall serve as the Independent Election Administrator. As Independent Election Administrator, the League may utilize the
staff, material, equipment and facility resources of the GRVNC or DONE to
assist them in carrying out the election administration duties and they may
consult with the Center for Voting and Democracy on IRV vote counting
procedure. Candidates for the GRVNC
Board of Officers may not participate in any way in the handling/counting of
ballots, voter/candidate registration/verification, and/or assisting voters
engaged in the act of voting in translating the voting material or explaining
the voting process.
B. Responsibilities of the Independent
Election Administrator
The
Independent Election Administrator retains the ultimate authority and
responsibility for the administration of the election. The
Independent Election Administrator shall be responsible for the following
duties:
1.
Reviewing and providing input
on the GRVNC draft Election Procedures.
2.
Processing of candidates
including verification of eligibility and conducting or supervising the
candidate forum(s).
3.
Processing of voters
including pre-registration and verification of eligibility as applicable.
4.
Overseeing and approving the
preparation of the ballot to be used in the election.
5.
Distributing and receiving
ballots from the voters.
6.
Verifying provisional
ballots.
7.
Counting and recounting the
ballots.
8.
Issuing the election results.
9.
Securing and submitting all
election materials for records retention in accordance with the GRVNC Bylaws
and Election Procedures.
10.
Resolving challenges to
stakeholder status.
V.
Candidate
Nomination Process
Candidates must be GRVNC
Stakeholders. A candidate may run for
only one GRVNC office at an election.
A.
Nominations for the printed ballot are open from April
27, 2004 through May 27, 2004.
B.
Nominations for
the printed ballot are to be made by postal mail at only an address provided by
the IEA. Candidates may email nominations@grvnc.org for automated
instructions on mailing nominations via post.
C.
In order to qualify as a candidate, an individual must
verify his or her stakeholder status by providing the Independent Elections
Administrator with GRVNC Stakeholder Declaration Card, or complete written
equivalent with signature. Candidates for District Representative must live in
the district for which they are candidate. Mail candidate forms to IEA:
D.
The Independent
Elections Administrator is responsible for verifying
a candidate’s eligibility and certifying that a candidate has been accepted for
inclusion on the printed ballot.
E.
The Independent
Elections Administrator shall issue a printed receipt to
a candidate to verify that the candidate’s nomination has been accepted and
that the candidate will be included on the printed ballot. An email will also be sent if the candidate
provides an email address.
F.
If the Independent
Elections Administrator rejects a candidate’s filing
application, that candidate may request DONE to review their candidate filing
application with the Independent Election Administrator. Subsequent to their review, DONE will issue
a final determination as to whether the candidate will be allowed to run for
office.
G.
A list of candidates
certified to appear on the printed ballot shall be posted at the official GRVNC
posting location and on the GRVNC website.
The list should be updated within three (3) days of any candidate being
certified and final list of certified candidates must be issued and posted
within 3 days of the close of candidate filing.
VI.
Ballot
Design
A. Oversight
The Independent Election Administrator is
responsible for overseeing and approving the design of the ballot(s) to be used
in the GRVNC Board of Officers election.
B. Ballot
Specifications
1.
All Ballots shall be
“legal” size copy paper. There shall be
7 different ballot types. All will have
the at-large races and ballot measures (if any), but only one of the seven
district representative races, each with a distinct color.
a.
District 1: Very Light Red
b.
District 2: Very Light Orange
c.
District 3: Very Light Yellow
d.
District 4: Very Light Green
e.
District 5: Very Light Blue
f.
District 6: Very Light Indigo
g.
District 7: Very Light Violet
2.
Candidates’ titles must be
less than 30 characters in length.
3.
There shall be a space in
every race for a voter to write the name of, and rank, one write-in candidate.
4.
The ballots shall use the
same size, font and color of type for all candidate names.
5.
The ballots shall use the
same size, font and color of type for all candidate titles.
6.
All ballots shall be uniquely
numbered, either at time of printing or at time of issue to voter in order to
create a ballot identification process.
7.
The ballot identification
process is to be used solely by
the Independent Election Administrator or the Third Party Arbitrator to facilitate resolution to election challenges.
8.
The voters shall be informed
within the ballot instructions or sign-in forms, that the Independent Election
Administrator or the Third Party Arbitrator will be the only ones permitted to
review both documents and to do so solely for the purpose of resolving formal
challenges to the election.
9.
Candidates will be listed on
the ballot in Alphabetical order by last name, as in a phone book
10.
The ballot instructions shall
be white, 8.5x11 paper containing:
a.
Demonstration of IRV voting
using fictitious names using same layout format as candidate races on the
ballot.
b.
Notice that not ranking the
candidates, but only marking/indicating a single candidate, will be counted as
voter indicating a ranking of 1 (one) for that candidate.
c.
Notice that ranking a subset
of candidates does not aid those candidates.
d.
Encouragement to rank all the
candidates for each voted race (but to still choose only one district race) in
case the voter’s top choice is eliminated before the final runoff round.
e.
Notice of Ballot tracking
system and safeguards.
f.
Directions to vote for every
at-large seat.
g.
Directions to CHOOSE ONLY ONE
district race if multiple districts are printed on the same ballot.
11.
The ballot
shall contain all Initiatives/Referenda/or Advisory Measures placed there by
the board.
VII.
Campaigning
A. Use
of City Logos Prohibited
The
use of the City Seal, DONE logo, any DONE created official certified
Neighborhood Council designation, or any GRVNC created logo on candidate
campaign materials is prohibited. Doing
so may cause disqualification from the election.
B. Candidate
Endorsement by GRVNC Board Prohibited
The
GRVNC Board of Officers, acting in its official capacity, is prohibited from
endorsing or campaigning for any candidate or group of candidates running for
the GRVNC Board of Officers. This
provision does not restrict the right of individual GRVNC Board of Officers
members, acting as individual stakeholders, or any other stakeholders, from
endorsing or campaigning for any candidate or group of candidates.
C. Use
of City Property
No City facilities, equipment, supplies or other City
resources shall be used for campaigning activities except as provided
below. City facilities may be used:
1.
To hold a candidate forum sponsored by the GRVNC;
2.
To hold the GRVNC election; or
3.
If the individual has obtained approval from an authorized
representative of a City Department or Commission (if managing a Department)
for use of the facility.
City
resources may be used by the GRVNC for communicating with voters through the
printing and mailing of a voter information pamphlet which includes candidate
statements and/or the posting of candidate statements on its website. To the extent that the GRVNC provides
candidate statements to the voters or the GRVNC mailing list to candidates,
candidates shall be given access in a timely and uniform manner.
VIII.
Voter
Eligibility
All voters must be
GRVNC Stakeholders as defined by the GRVNC Bylaws and all GRVNC Stakeholders
must be given the opportunity to vote, subject to GRVNC Bylaws age
restrictions. Challenges to stakeholder
status made during the actual election will be handled pursuant to the
Provisional Voting procedures below.
A. Election
Day Voter Registration
1.
GRVNC bylaws state that stakeholders must sign an affirmation that they
are stakeholders when requesting a ballot.
Therefore, all who come to vote on election day will need to sign the
new GRVNC Stakeholder Declaration form in order to receive a ballot.
2.
The IEA shall verify that Election Day voters did not request a
Vote-by-mail ballot.
1.
After Election Day, the IEA shall for 4 days make the poll and absentee
registration data available for inspection to all unaccompanied
candidates. The list may only be
inspected and not copied and may be used by a candidate for purposes of
challenging a ballot. It shall not be publicly released unless ordered so by
DONE.
2.
The candidate shall challenge a particular voter in writing, by name, by
writing the voters first initial, last name, and voter ID (or ballot) number
and the reason for the challenge. See
Provisional Voting Section for reasons a candidate make challenge a voter and
how it is to be resolved.
IX.
Polling
Place Operations
A. Site
Selection
In selecting the Westminster Elementary
School as the site of the 2004 GRVNC Election meeting, the GRVNC Rules and
Election Committee has determined that the site:
1.
Is of
sufficient size to accommodate the voter sign-in process, actual voting, and
any allowable candidate/campaign activities;
2.
Includes
sufficient automobile parking space;
3.
Is
convenient for those utilizing public transportation; and
4.
Is
accessible for the disabled.
B. Polling
Place Set-Up
The GRVNC Rules and Elections Committee
shall recruit sufficient non-candidate volunteers to assist the Independent
Election Administrator in the administration of the election. This includes, but is not limited to:
1.
Setting up
and operating voter registration tables;
2.
Setting up
voting booths;
3.
Setting up
and monitoring ballot boxes;
4.
Designating
and monitoring an electioneering area;
5.
Posting
required signage.
C. Accommodation
of Disabled Voters
In the event that a disabled voter is
unable to access the polling place, such a voter may request that a ballot,
registration materials and voting materials be delivered by an authorized
polling place worker to the polling place parking area or other nearby area
outside of the polling place.
D. Public
Posting of GRVNC Bylaws and Election Procedures
The GRVNC must conspicuously post a copy
of the GRVNC Bylaws and Election Procedures at the polling site for stakeholder
review.
E. Electioneering
Activities
Electioneering, including the distribution of campaign
literature, is restricted to the designated electioneering area. The designated electioneering area shall be
clearly marked by the Independent Election Administrator.
Candidates or other individuals electioneering outside
of the designated electioneering area will be in violation of these Election
Procedures and will be required to leave the election premises. Flagrant violators who continue improper
electioneering outside the designated area as determined by the Independent
Election Administrator may have their candidacy invalidated if they refuse to
leave after being so requested by the Independent Election Administrator.
F. Election
Observers