Oakland Voters
Choose Special Elections to Fill Mayoral Vacancies
March 5,
2002
Oakland voters today passed a
charter amendment that requires the use of special elections
rather than appointments to fill all vacancies of at least 1
year for mayor. As with the charter amendment that specified
the use of special elections to fill vacancies on city council, this charter amendment
authorizes the city council to provide by ordinance for the use of
instant runoff voting. This means that in Oakland, special
elections will be used for all lengthy vacancies for city council
and mayor. Council vacancies will use plurality or instant
runoff elections; mayoral vacancies will use runoff or instant
runoff elections.
Below you will find the election
results and the actual text of the charter amendment.
OAKLAND
- MEASURE H DETAIL |
Total
Precincts: 269 |
Precincts
Reported: 269 |
Percent
Reported: 100.0
|
Contest
|
#
of Votes |
%
of Total |
AMEND CITY CHARTER YES |
40,110 |
75.9 |
VACANCY ELECTIONS NO |
12,712 |
24.0 |
Source: Alameda County Registrar of
Voters
Text of Measure H Charter
Amendment
�Section
303. Vacancy, Filling of. Upon the declaration of
vacancy in the office of the Mayor, the office of the Mayor shall be
filled by the Vice-Mayor of the Council. Except as otherwise provided
in this Section, when the Vice-Mayor of the Council assumes the
office of Mayor upon declaration of a vacancy, she/he shall serve
for the unexpired term if such term is less than one year; otherwise
she/he shall serve until the vacancy is filled as provided
herein. Whenever the
period of vacancy in a Mayor�s terms of office is less than one year
and the Vice Mayor notifies the Council in writing that she/he does
not wish to serve as Mayor for the unexpired term, the vacancy shall
be filled by appointment through a majority vote of the remaining
Councilmembers; provided the appointee shall be ineligible to be a
candidate for the next full term of the Office of Mayor. If at the time of a vacancy
declaration the unexpired term is one year or more, the vacancy
occurring in the office of Mayor shall be filled by special election
within 120 days of such vacancy. An extension of up to 60
days may be allowed for the express purpose of consolidating the
special election with the next Municipal Election. If no candidates receives
the majority of the votes cast in the special election, then a
run-off election shall be held for the two candidates who received
the highest number of votes no later than 60 days after the date of
the special election; provided that all persons receiving a number
of votes equal to the highest number of votes received by any
candidate shall also be candidates at such run-off election. The candidate receiving the
highest number of votes cast for all candidates for the office at
the run-off election shall be declared elected. The Candidate elected to
fill the vacancy shall hold office for the balance of the unexpired
term. Notwithstanding
any other provisions of this section or the Charter, the Council shall have the authority to provide by
ordinance for preferential voting procedures as an alternative to a
run-off election. Alternative legal voting
procedures shall be used to the greatest extent feasible to increase
voter participation in special elections including but not limited
to mail ballot voting, electronic voting, and extended voting
period.�
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