Election Watch
June 9, 2003
SF ELECTION WATCH The latest
news about implementation of Ranked Choice (Instant Runoff Voting
6/9/03
Ranked Choice Voting
Progress The implementation
of Ranked Choice Voting in San Francisco made a major move forward
last week when the City���s voting equipment vendor, Election Systems
and Software (ES&S), submitted to the California Secretary of
State its 102 page application for certification of the upgraded
voting equipment needed to efficiently count ballots this November.
ES&S simultaneously submitted its proposed voting equipment
changes to the appropriate federal testing authorities, and they say
they are on track for having the voting equipment ready for the
November 2003 election. It���s now up to the Dept. of Elections to
clarify just what approach it prefers ��� using the upgraded equipment
or their ���partial hand count��� ��� and for Secretary of State Kevin
Shelley and his Elections Division staff to move along the testing
and approval of San Francisco���s election procedures. A key S.F.
Board of Supervisors committee last Wednesday unanimously approved
the two funding ordinances needed to implement Ranked Choice Voting.
After hearing from the League of Women Voters, labor union
representatives, and more than two dozen members of the community,
the Board���s Finance Committee voted to recommend for the full
Board���s immediate approval of $526,000 for voter education and
outreach, and $1.6 million for upgrading voting equipment. That
one-time implementation cost is significantly less than the
approximately $4 million or more that it costs to run a second,
mid-December runoff election year after year. Taxpayer savings will
be in the millions every year. Finance Committee Chair Aaron
Peskin pledged to ���do what it takes to carry out the will of the
voters��� and, along with Committee members Gerardo Sandoval and Jake
McGoldrick, ensured that the funding ordinances included substantial
resources for voter education this fall. While trimming the original
Public Education Plan significantly, the Committee took the
recommendation of the Center for Voting and Democracy and ensured
that at least $100,000 will be dedicated to direct voter contact by
community organizations that are best equipped to reach low-voter
turnout neighborhoods. Latest Action By
Opponents of Ranked Choice Voting
The most powerful political consulting firm in San
Francisco ��� Barnes, Mosher, Whitehurst & Lauter (BMWL) ��� has
been hired to oppose the implementation of Ranked Choice Voting this
November. Over the last few months, BMWL Consulting has been
organizing efforts across the city designed to pressure Secretary of
State Kevin Shelley into halting RCV implementation and to feed
reporters and members of the media misleading arguments against RCV.
Opponents of Ranked Choice Voting sowed a lot of confusion
recently by spreading misinformation about the Department of
Election���s proposed ���partial hand count.��� This was a proposal
submitted to the Secretary of State as a BACKUP plan in case the
voting equipment was not ready on time. Not only should the
equipment be ready, but even a partial hand count would give us
election results faster and for fewer tax dollars than a second
election in December. The Center for Voting and Democracy has
prepared a FAQ (Frequently Asked Questions) about this ���partial hand
count��� plan that clarifies much of the disinformation. You can read
it at: http://www.fairvote.org/sf/handcount.htm In response to
unsubstantiated accusations by a law firm with close ties to Mayor
Willie Brown that Ranked Choice Voting might somehow disempower
communities of color, the Center for Voting and Democracy recently
conducted an analysis of the impacts of RCV on minority voters and
candidates. Among other things, the analysis found that people of
color again and again have effectively used RCV and elected more
candidates of their choice than under non-RCV systems. From a voting rights perspective,
the most telling fact is that the U.S. Department of Justice in 1999
exerted its authority under the Voting Rights Act to ensure that New
York City maintained a RCV system for its local school board
elections. The Department of Justice acted because Asian Americans,
Latinos and African Americans all had significant electoral success
with the system. RCV also was an essential part of the election of
Ann Arbor, Michigan���s first-ever African American Mayor. The full
analysis can be found at: http://www.fairvote.org/sf/votingrights.htm
Inside the Elections
Commission and Department of Elections
o Dept. of Elections
Director Arntz announced that he had recently responded in writing
to all questions from Secretary of State Shelley about the city���s
proposed Ranked Choice Voting implementation procedures and that
Shelley���s office would be sending staff to conduct a test of the
city���s proposed procedures on June 10th. o The Elections Commission
last week voted to reject Commissioner Richard Shadoian���s proposal
to tighten voter fraud procedures and Commissioner Brenda Stowers���
proposal for improved fiscal accountability, with Commissioner
Stowers voting against her own proposal. o On May 28th, the San Francisco
Civil Grand Jury released the findings of its review of the Dept. of
Elections��� performance in the November and December 2002 elections.
Entitled ���Improving the Infrastructure of Democracy,��� the 19 members
of the Civil Grand Jury recommended a series of organizational and
systemic changes to improve future city elections and directed both
the Elections Commission and Dept. of Elections to respond to its
findings within 60 days. The full review can be found at http://web.sfgov.org/site/courts_page.asp?id=3680
Mark Your
Calendar On Tuesday, June 10th the full Board of
Supervisors will consider the two key funding proposals needed to
implement Ranked Choice Voting. Please call Supervisors Sophie
Maxwell (554-7670) and Fiona Ma (554-7460) and urge them to vote for
the Ranked Choice Voting implementation ordinances. On Wednesday,
June 18th at 7:00 pm the S.F. Elections Commission will hold a
Public Hearing on the implementation of the RCV Public Education
Plan. This will be a prime opportunity for interested organizations
to shape the voter education program. 7:00 pm in Room 400 at City
Hall. Please come and be heard. SF Election Watch is a
project of the Center for Voting and Democracy For more information
contact Jon Golinger at (415) 531-8585 or or visit www.fairvote.org/sf
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