REPORT/RECOMMENDATION TO THE BOARD OF SUPERVISORS
OF SAN BERNARDINO COUNTY
AND RECORD OF ACTION
June 11, 2024
FROM
STEPHENIE SHEA, Registrar of Voters
LYNNA MONELL, Clerk of the Board of Supervisors
SUBJECT
Title
Mariana Ranchos County Water District Request to Change Election Cycle to Statewide General Election
End
RECOMMENDATION(S)
Recommendation
Adopt Resolution to approve a request from the governing body of the Mariana Ranchos County Water District to move its election dates to the statewide general elections held in November of even-numbered years, commencing with the November 3, 2026, Statewide General Election.
(Presenter: Stephenie Shea, Registrar of Voters, 387-2100)
Body
COUNTY AND CHIEF EXECUTIVE OFFICER GOALS & OBJECTIVES
Operate in a Fiscally-Responsible and Business-Like Manner.
Pursue County Goals and Objectives by Working with Other Agencies and Stakeholders.
FINANCIAL IMPACT
Approval of this item will not require the use of Discretionary General Funding (Net County Cost). Approval of the request will decrease Mariana Ranchos County Water District’s (District) election costs and may slightly decrease election costs for other districts that hold their governing body elections in November of even-numbered years. This is because the greater number of districts that participate in an election, results in lower election costs borne per district. Adequate appropriation and revenue are included in the Registrar of Voters (ROV) and Clerk of the Board of Supervisors 2023-24 budgets to process this election change request.
BACKGROUND INFORMATION
Approval of the proposed Resolution would consolidate the District’s elections with the statewide general elections held in November of even-numbered years, commencing in 2026.
California Elections Code section 10404 authorizes a special district, by resolution of its governing body, to move its governing body election to the Statewide General Election held in November of each even-numbered year.
Elections Code sections 14050 through 14057, known as the California Voter Participation Rights Act (Act), prohibits cities, school districts, and special districts from holding an election other than on a statewide election date in even-numbered years if holding an election on a non-concurrent date has historically significantly decreased voter turnout. Significant decreases in voter turnout is defined as at least 25 percent less than the average voter turnout within the jurisdiction for the previous four statewide general elections.
At the August 29, 2023, Consolidated Mail Ballot Election, the District’s voter turnout was 11.08%. The average voter turnout in statewide general elections of 2016, 2018, 2020 and 2022 was 62.87%. The District’s voter turnout in 2023 was significantly decreased as defined in the Act.
On April 18, 2024, the District’s Board of Directors approved Resolution No. 24-05 to move its election to November in the even-numbered years, beginning with the November 3, 2026, election, to coincide with statewide general elections in even-numbered years to comply with the Act.
Elections Code section 10404:
• Requires the County to notify all districts located in the county of a consolidation request and to request input from each district on the effect of the consolidation.
• Authorizes the ROV to prepare and transmit to the Board of Supervisors (Board) an impact analysis of the proposed consolidation and a report on the cost effectiveness of the proposed action.
• Provides that, “The Board of Supervisors, within 60 days from the date of submission, shall approve the resolution unless it finds that the ballot style, voting equipment, or computer capacity is such that additional elections or materials cannot be handled”.
• Provides that the Resolution to move election dates becomes operative upon approval by the Board.
• Requires ROV to notify all registered voters of the District affected by the consolidation of the approval of the Resolution by the Board within 30 days of that approval. The notice will be sent by mail at the expense of the District.
On May 1, 2024, the Clerk of the Board sent notices to all special districts located in the county of the receipt of the Resolution for the proposed change in the election date requesting their input on the effects of the change. As of May 31, 2024, the Clerk of the Board of Supervisors did not receive any responses.
ROV prepared an impact analysis of the proposed consolidation that takes into consideration the overall impact to all jurisdictions if the request is approved. The impact analysis indicates: (1) that ROV can produce a ballot which contains all the ballot styles required; (2) the voting equipment and computer capacity can handle these changes; and (3) the consolidation will extend the terms of all currently elected District Board members by one year.
It is, therefore, recommended that the Board adopt the proposed Resolution approving the request from the District for consolidation with the statewide general elections held in November of even-numbered years, commencing with the November 3, 2026 Statewide General Election.
PROCUREMENT
N/A
REVIEW BY OTHERS
This item has been reviewed by County Counsel (Jolena Grider, Deputy County Counsel, 387-5455) on May 10, 2024; Finance (Elias Duenas, Administrative Analyst, 387-4052, and Stephanie Maldonado, Administrative Analyst, 387-4378) on May 20, 2024; County Finance and Administration (Valerie Clay, Deputy Executive Officer, -387-5423) on May 21, 2024.