HomeMy WebLinkAbout1998-06-09 - AGENDA REPORTS - SENATE BILL 1693 (2)I
CITY OF SANTA CLARITA
AGENDA REPORT
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DATE: June 9, 1998
City Manager
Item to be presented
Mike Murphy
SUBJECT: STATE LEGISLATION: SENATE BILL 1693
DEPARTMENT: City Manager's Office
RECOMMENDED ACTION
City Council support SB 1693 (Dills) and forward appropriate statements of position to
Santa Clarita's state legislative delegation, State Senator Dills, Governor Wilson, League
of California Cities, California Contract Cities Association, and Independent Cities
Association.
Under current law (Elections Code Sections 10262 and 10263), the City Clerk has one week .
after a municipal election to canvass the returns. SB 1693 (Dills) amends the statutes to
allow the City Clerk up to 14 days to canvass the election.
The canvassing of the election is the process by which the election results are made official.
This is done through counting of provisional ballots (ballots that have been submitted
despite the lack of verified registration within the City); absentee ballots that have been
turned into the polls instead of mailed to the City Clerk's Office; and verification of the
vote count.
The following will show the steps of the canvass following the April 14, 1998 Santa Clarita
Municipal Election, which includes a short description of each task.
There were 287 provisional and absentee ballots submitted in the recent election, those
ballots were sealed in special envelopes at the polls. The provisional and absentee ballots
were scanned to ensure no repeat voters. Absentee ballots were submitted to the Absentee
Board to verify signatures. The Planning Department worked with the City Clerk's Office
to decipher whether or not certain ballots were submitted by residents within the City
boundary. Verified provisional and absentee ballots were removed from their envelopes and
counted in the ballot counter. As dictated by state law, one precinct must be manually
counted to verify the vote count. Miscellaneous clean up is required which includes storage
and packaging of the ballots, envelopes, and rosters. It is important to note that while
canvassing of the election is underway, the City Clerk's Office carries on normal duties
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such as preparing the agenda for council meetings, citizen and staff request for documents,
contract processing, and miscellaneous filing.
There are several arguments in favor of extending the canvass. They include fiscal
responsibility, a smaller chance of error, and the elimination of a need to call a special
meeting of the City Council to certify the election. In addition, in the event of a contested
election, a recount may also occur. This places increased pressure on the City Clerk's Office
to complete the canvass in one week, while at the same time having to process the political
and administrative dynamics of an election recount.
ALTERNATWE ACTIONS
Other action as determined by Council.
FISCAL IMPACT
Fiscal impact of this bill is unknown due to the differing circumstances of individual
elections. For example, there were no personnel overtime costs in the 1998 Santa Clarita
Municipal Election canvass. However, during the 1996 Santa Clarita Municipal Election
canvass, there was a personnel cost of about $1,100 in the form of overtime pay, which may
have been avoided if the City Clerk were allowed two weeks to canvass the election.
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