TITLE
Recommendation to receive and file the City Clerk's debrief report on the 2016 City of Long Beach Municipal Elections. (Citywide)
DISCUSSION
On November 10,2015 the City Council adopted Resolutions 15-0141,15-0142, and 15- 0153 [1] ordering, proclaiming, calling and giving notice of a Primary Nominating Election in the City of Long Beach on Tuesday, April 12,2016 for the nomination and/or election of candidates for four (4) offices on the City Council, each for a full term of four (4) years, commencing with the third Tuesday of July, 2016, adopt provisions relating to the translation of and the charges for costs of candidate statements; [2] requesting the Board of Supervisors of the County of Los Angeles to render specified services to the City relating to the conduct of a Primary Nominating Election to be held on Tuesday, April 12, 2016, and a General Municipal Election to be held in the City on Tuesday, June 7,2016; and [3] consenting to request from the Board of Education of the Long Beach Unified School District (LBUSD) and the Board of Trustees (LBCC) of the Long Beach Community College District to consolidate governing board member elections with the City of Long Beach Primary Nominating Election to be held on April 12, 2016.
Then, on January 19, 2016 the City Council adopted Resolution 16-0006 requesting the Board of Supervisors of the County of Los Angeles to coordinate the June 7, 2016 City of Long Beach General Municipal Election with the California Statewide Primary Election held by the County on the same date, and requesting specified election services to the City from the Los Angeles County Registrar-Recorder/County Clerk. The resolution further made clear both the City's election and the County's election are independent elections to be conducted by separate ballot.
And, on February 23,2016 the City Council adopted Resolution 16-0020 requesting the Board of Supervisors of the County of Los Angeles to consolidate a General Municipal Election for two (2) local initiative measures to be held on June 7,2016 with the statewide Primary Election to be held on that date.
The following highlights the administrative outcomes of the April 12, 2016 Primary Nominating and June 7, 2016 City of Long Beach General Municipal Elections. Specifically, the election administration, polling place consolidation and recruitment, candidate processing, poll worker recruitment and training, vote by mail services, early voting, voter education and outreach, online services, Election Day operations, canvass of returns, and voter turnout.
I. Election Administration
For the April 12, 2016 Primary Nominating Election there were a total of 168,379 registered voters, 196 precincts, 169 of which were at-polls and 27 which were declared all vote by mail. Long Beach City Council, Districts 2, 6, and 8, LBUSD Board of Education, Districts 2 and 4; and LBCCD Board of Trustees, Seats 2 and 4 contests appeared on the ballot. A total of 18 candidates filed for elective office and all but one contest was decided in the Primary Election.
Appearing on the June 7,2016 General Municipal Election ballot coordinated with the Los Angeles County Registrar-Recorder/County Clerk (i.e., "Coordinated Election") were two candidates for Long Beach City Council District 2. The election held a total of 29, 197 registered voters, 29 precincts, 28 of which were at-polls and one which was declared all vote by mail. The California Statewide Primary Election held on the same date contained two local citywide ballot measures, Measures A and B.
II. Polling Place Consolidation and Recruitment
For both the Primary and General Municipal Election, the goal was to establish precinct consolidations and recruit polling places that followed the footprint of polling places used in prior elections. This allowed the City to augment the continuity between elections, improve ease of access to the polls, and contribute to a positive voter experience.
For the General Municipal Election, an extra effort was made to ensure the same precinct consolidations and polling places were used in both elections. Between elections, only one polling place, Precinct #3850157 A, was moved due to facility pluming issues. To mitigate the potential for voter confusion on Election Day, the Los Angeles County Registrar-Recorder/County Clerk mailed a Change of Polling Place post card to all registered voters in the precinct and placed notification signs at the old facility directing voters to the new location.
All polling places were recruited to ensure compliance with the California Secretary of State's Polling Place Accessibility Checklist and overall ADA accessibility. Curbside voting was offered at all polling places for both elections.
III. Candidate Processing
For the April 12, 2016 Primary Nominating Election, all candidates running for Long Beach City Council District offices received a Candidate's Handbook highlighting the provision of the Long Beach City Charter, Municipal Code, California Elections Code and the California Government Code regarding campaigning.
Additionally, the Office of the City Clerk offered two candidate workshops, one for the April 12, 2016 Primary Nominating and one for the General Municipal Election. The candidate workshop offered for the General Municipal Election highlighted campaign statement filing requirements and changes to candidate statements and canvass of returns, pursuant to Long Beach Municipal Code 1.21.050 and 1.21.010.
Candidates running for LBUSD and LBCC offices were required to file their nomination papers with the Los Angeles County Registrar-Recorder/County Clerk.
IV. Poll Worker Recruitment and Training
A total of 688 poll workers were recruited for the April 12, 2016 Primary Nominating Election. Of those, 111 worked in Council District 2. For the coordinated election in June which only included Council District 2, every effort was made to ensure the same poll workers worked as in the Primary. To that end, all 111 poll workers were contacted to work. Of those, a total of 36 poll workers (or 32.4 percent) worked on Election Day.
In addition, for the coordinated election effort, the Los Angeles County RegistrarRecorder/County Clerk offered specialized training classes to Inspectors and Clerks assigned to work in the affected coordinated precincts to ensure voters received both local and statewide ballots.
V. Vote By Mail Services
To increase accessibility and convenience to voters, the Office of the City Clerk offered return postage paid envelopes to all voters casting their ballot by mail for the Primary Nominating Election. The vote by mail application and vote by mail status tracking tool was also made available on the City Clerk website and on the "LB Vote" mobile application. Similarly, for the coordinated election on June 7, 2016, the Los Angeles Registrar-Recorder/County Clerk's office provided online vote by mail services including an online vote by mail application and online vote by mail ballot tracking tool.
A unique feature of the June 7th coordinated election included mailing vote by mail voters both their statewide and local ballots in one package via mail streamlining services and simplifying the voting experience for voters. The Los Angeles County Registrar-Recorder/County Clerk also made available a will call vote by mail ballot pick-up/drop-off service the week leading up to the June 7th election. Voters wishing to vote by mail had the opportunity to arrange to pick up their Vote by Mail ballot packet at one of 11 satellite sites located throughout Los Angeles County. The Long Beach City Clerk's office was one such site. The Los Angeles County Registrar-Recorder/County Clerk has indicated they will continue to offer this service for the November 8, 2016 General Municipal Election.
VI. Early Voting
For the Primary Nominating Election, eligible registered voters were able to cast their ballot early at the Office of the City Clerk using the in-person vote-by-mail method or the eSlate, electronic voting device. The eSlate has won acclaim for its ease of use, accessibility and accurate vote tabulation.
For the General Municipal Election the Los Angeles Registrar-Recorder/County Clerk offered in person early voting at its headquarters in Norwalk, California.
VII. Voter Education and Outreach
For the Primary Nominating Election, the Office of the City Clerk rolled out a branding and marketing campaign promoting the election, "Be Vocal, Vote Local." The campaign included a bookmark which was distributed at Long Beach Public Libraries, interior and exterior bus ads on Long Beach Transit, bus shelter ads, a digital billboard at the Long Beach Performing Arts Center, and newspaper ads. Additionally, the "Be Vocal, Vote Local!" campaign extended to social media where the Office of the City Clerk distributed shareable content promoting the election.
For the June 7,2016 General Municipal Election, the Office of the City Clerk and the Los Angeles Registrar-Recorder/County Clerk held a joint press conference releasing two animated videos aimed at educating voters on the coordinated election. The videos were posted on the City Clerk website and on City Clerk social media pages, Through social media, the videos reached more than three thousand people.
In addition, the Office of the City Clerk attended various community events where we registered people to vote and distributed vote by mail and poll worker applications.
VIII. Online Services
For both elections, the Office of the City Clerk provided all interested stakeholders with easy access to a user-friendly web page and mobile application containing relevant election information,
The information available on the City Clerk's elections webpage included:
[1] Frequently Asked Questions and fact sheets for candidates, poll workers, and voters regarding elections
[2] Calendar and information for both elections
[3] Polling place locator with map and sample ballot [4] Online campaign filing and information retrieval [5] Vote-by-mail tracking
[6] Official Sample Ballot Booklet's in all languages
[7] Links to the California Secretary of State, Los Angeles County RegistrarRecorder/County Clerk, Attorney General, and Fair Political Practices Commission [8] Online applications for obtaining a vote by mail ballot, becoming poll worker and registering to vote via the California Secretary of State's website
[9] "Vote LB" mobile application available for download
[10} Voter education videos for the June 7, 2016 General Municipal Election
Further, the "Vote LB" Mobile Application included such information as:
[1] Where do I vote?
[2] Request a Vote-by-Mail ballot [3] Track my Vote-by-Mail ballot [4] See Election Night Results
IX. Election Day Operations
For the Primary Nominating Election, the Office of the City Clerk provided new Voter Information Kiosks and reusable ballot boxes at every polling place.
First, pilot tested during the April 14, 2015 Special Municipal Election, these Voter Information Kiosks were designed to make polling place set up easier for poll workers and make signs and material more accessible to voters. Each Kiosk contained the voter bill of rights, polling place date and hours sign, a no electioneering sign, and provisional voter information.
Additionally, new reusable ballot boxes were used to reduce the City's environmental footprint and increase storage space for election materials.
For the General Municipal Election, the Office of the City Clerk served in a supportive capacity to the Los Angeles Registrar-Recorder/County Clerk's office, who was administering the election. In that capacity, the Office of the City Clerk deployed four staff members to monitor polling places and help troubleshoot issues should they arise. The Office of the City Clerk also served as an Election Day call center. Seven staff members were trained to use LA County's Phone System Software, AskEd, to respond to calls.
X. Canvass of Returns
For the Primary Nominating Election, the Office of the City Clerk conducted the canvass of returns pursuant to Long Beach Municipal Code 1.21.010 and California State Election Code Section 10262. The City Council declared the election results on April 20, 2016.
Pursuant to Long Beach Municipal Code 1.21.010, the Los Angeles County Registrar-Recorder/County Clerk had 30 days to complete the canvass of returns for the June 7, 2016 General Municipal Election. The Registrar-Recorder completed the canvass of returns and provided the City a Certificate of Canvass of the Election Returns on July 1, 2016 and the City Council certified the results on July 12, 2016.
XI. Voter Turnout
For the April 12, 2016 Primary Nomination Ejection, a total of 22,733 or 13.5% of eligible registered voters turnout out to vote. Of those that cast a ballot, 30 percent cast their ballot at-polls, 69.5 cast their ballot by mail, and .5% cast their baJJot early.
A total of 11,592 or 39.70 percent of eligible registered voters turned out to vote in the June 7, 2016 City of Long Beach General Municipal Election. Of those that cast a ballot, 38.5 percent cast it by mail and 61.5 percent cast their ballot at-polls. Additionally, 40.12 percent of voters turned out to vote in the California Statewide Primary Election in which there appeared two local ballot measures.
On average, 20 percent of voters have turned out to vote in local City elections in the last decade. The highest voter turnout in that period happened in the June 6, 2006 City of Long Beach General Municipal Election where 28.9 percent of voters turned out to vote for a citywide election. In the last Citywide election held in April and June 2014 17.5 percent and 20.8 percent of voter's turnout to vote, respectively.
TIMING CONSIDERATIONS
Approval of the suggested action at this time would allow the City of Long Beach to begin planning and preparation for future municipal elections.
FISCAL IMPACT
For FY 2016, the Office of the City Clerk was budgeted 2.1 million to conduct the Primary Nominating and General Municipal Elections. Of the 2.1 million, we estimated 1.2 million for the Primary Election and $900,000 for the General Municipal Election. The actual cost of the April 12, 2016 Primary Nominating Election was $1,010,643 resulting in a cost savings of $189,357, which will be used to cover the cost of the General Municipal Election, should it exceed the original budgeted amount. We are awaiting the billing from the Los Angeles County Registrar-Recorder/County Clerk's office, so the actual cost of the 2016 General Municipal Election is not available at this time.
SUGGESTED ACTION
Approve recommendation.
BODY
[Enter Body Here]
Respectfully Submitted,
MARIA DE LA LUZ GARCIA
CITY CLERK