RulesCommunications Highlights 2007 0705

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IR V Update - 2 accomplish this, the SOS entered into an interagency agreement with the University of California to conduct the review, which is currently underway and should conclude in late July. Until the top-to-bottom review is completed, no new systems will be tested for State certification. Given the many uncertainties, it is difficult to predict whether or not Alameda County will have an IR V system certified for use in November 2008. IRV Implementation Timing and Cost The City's next general municipal election is currently scheduled for June 2008, with any ensuing runoff election to be held in November 2008. In order for the City to use IRV in November 2008, the City's June 2008 election date would need to be changed and adopted by ordinance, the change approved by the Alameda County Board of Supervisors, and the registered voters of the City notified. This notification must take place within 30 days of the Board's approval. The timing of these actions should be carefully considered. The notification must be made well in advance of the February 11, 2008 opening of the June 2008 nomination period; and to avoid confusion, the notification mailings should not coincide with the election mailings for the February 5,2008 Presidential primary election. Ideally, the ordinance changing the City's general election date would be adopted in October or November 2007. It was reported earlier that the ROV would not charge the participating cities for the development costs ofIRV. It has since been decided that the cities that use IRV will pay a special assessment for using the system. This assessment would be based on the number of registered voters for each city. There would also be increased costs for the printing of special ballots for the IRV races. V oter Education and Outreach An extensive voter education program would be required in conjunction with the implementation ofIRV to familiarize San Leandro voters with this new method of voting. It is anticipated, based on San Francisco's experience in implementing ranked-choice voting, that this program would be both costly and labor-intensive. The cost of voter education/outreach could be covered through the savings realized from conducting one fewer election, and the League of Women Voters of the Eden Area would be approached for assistance in conducting voter education seminars. The ROV has convened a group of representatives from the three cities, including City Clerks, members of the League of Women Voters and Oakland's Measure 0 Committee, to develop an IRV implementation plan. The group has been meeting monthly since January, and has generated ideas for voter outreach and education for IRV. A draft brochure has been developed by the ROV which is intended to provide general information on IRV in Alameda County. It is a preliminary draft, and it is anticipated that no information on IRV will be distributed to voters until after State certification of the system is obtained. Options for Discussion In preparation for the 2008 municipal elections, there are two options for the Committee to consider: