To: Honorable Gavin Newsom, Mayor
Honorable Members, Board of Supervisors
From: John Arntz, Director of Elections
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Prior to every election, the Department of Elections (Department) issues a memorandum detailing the Department’s handling and processing of ballots. This memorandum continues the Department’s efforts to keep the election process as open as possible and will provide an overview of the Department of Elections’ plans for receiving, distributing, transporting, and processing ballots, as well as the reporting of election results, for the June 8, 2010 Consolidated Statewide Direct Primary Election.
Ballot
This election is a primary, and voters will be issued ballots based on their party affiliations. Each ballot consists of two cards. For party-affiliated voters, the first card lists party primary contests, such as Governor and U.S. Senator, along with the nonpartisan contest for Superintendent of Public Instruction. Unaffiliated voters may choose one of three cards: a version of either the Democratic or Republican ballot with all contests except County Central Committee, or a purely nonpartisan card listing only the contest for Superintendent of Public Instruction. The second card, issued to all voters, lists state and local propositions and nonpartisan contests for Judge of the Superior Court.
Voter Information Pamphlet
By May 10 the Department organized the mailing of all Voter Information Pamphlets (VIP) for voters who were registered 40 days prior to the June 8. The Department will also conduct supplemental VIP mailings to those people who registered to vote on or before the May 24 registration deadline.
Permanent Vote-by-Mail Ballots
The Department began mailing ballots to permanent vote-by-mail voters on May 10. Presently, more than 175,000 voters have requested permanent vote-by-mail status, and more than 5,000 voters have requested vote-by-mail ballots to be sent to them at overseas addresses.
Early Voting in City Hall
Early voting began May 10 in City Hall, and will take place outside the Department’s office, City Hall Room 48, each weekday from 8 a.m. until 5 p.m. through Election Day, except for the May 31 Memorial Day holiday. Weekend voting will be offered from 10 a.m. until 4 p.m. in City Hall the two weekends prior to the election, May 28-29 and June 5-6. On Election Day, voting will begin in City Hall at 7 a.m. and continue until all voters in line by 8 p.m. have cast their ballots. All San Francisco voters can vote in City Hall regardless of their residential addresses.
Results Reporting
Reporting of Results on Election Day after the Polls Close
The first results released on the night of the election will occur at approximately 8:45 p.m. and will represent results from vote-by-mail voters, which includes the City’s 23 mail-ballot precincts. The next report will be released at approximately 9:45 p.m., and this second report will include votes cast at the polling places. Subsequent updates will be posted online at the Department’s website every half hour until approximately midnight. The Department will count ballots for approximately three weeks after Election Day and will release daily results reports at approximately 4 p.m.
On the night of the election, the Department will post results on its website, www.sfelections.org, present results on a large-screen television in City Hall’s North Light Court, and will provide hardcopies available in the North Light Court and in the Department’s office in City Hall Room 48. SFGTV will also provide information on the results.
Updates: Reporting of Results after Election Day
Nearly every day after the election, the Department will release results at approximately 4 p.m. These updates will include results from ballots cast at polling places, vote-by-mail ballots, provisional ballots, and write-in votes.
Final election results will not be available on Election Day because the Department must still process all vote-by-mail ballots and provisional ballots received on Election Day. The Department expects the counting process to continue for approximately three weeks. As in past elections, candidates, members of the media and the public are welcome to observe the processing of ballots.
Report of Final Election Results
The Department expects to certify the final results no later than 28 days after Election Day, as required by the California Elections Code. The Department will announce the final election results by issuing a press release, and posting notices on its website and at its main office in City Hall, Room 48.
Observing the Elections Process
All election activities are open to public observation. For every election we update our Observers’ Guide to explain the various activities taking place during the election and how to observe these activities. The Observers’ Guide is posted on our website, www.sfelections.org, and is available in our main office at City Hall, Room 48. To request more information about observing the elections process, please contact our office.
Ballot Storage
Vote-by-Mail Ballots
The Department continues to outsource the preparation and mailing of vote-by-mail ballots to voters who have requested permanent vote-by-mail status. The Department does keep small quantities of vote-by-mail ballots for voters who participate in early voting in City Hall. These ballots are tracked on ballot custody forms from the time of delivery from the printing vendor until voted, and are securely stored in City Hall Room 59. At the end of each day, we will account for each ballot in our possession and move the voted ballots to a secure room within our office. The tracking and logging of these ballots will continue through Election Day.
When voted vote-by-mail ballots arrive in the mail to City Hall, the Department secures the envelopes containing the voted ballots in a room within our main office. Staff scans the barcodes on the envelopes to track the receipt of each voter’s ballot. Our data entry personnel compare each signature on every vote-by-mail envelope to the electronic image file of the voter’s signature in the voter-registration database. It must be noted that voters’ signatures and addresses on the envelope are not viewed in conjunction with voted ballot cards when opened. In fact, before the ballots are removed from the envelopes, our staff organizes the envelopes so that the addresses and signatures are not visible to the staff removing the voted ballot cards.
After the signature on each envelope is verified with the image file in the voter registration database, the envelopes are moved to City Hall Room 59. Department personnel will sort the envelopes in precinct order before opening the envelopes to extract the ballot cards. When the ballot cards are removed, they remain in precinct order until two staff members move the ballots for counting to the Department’s computer room.
Precinct Ballots
Ballots to be used in the polling places are staged in Brooks Hall, which is located underneath Bill Graham Auditorium. For this election, the Department will distribute ballots to the poll workers from the City Hall cafeteria or City Hall Room 34 after poll workers complete their training sessions, which will take place at the cafeteria, Room 34, or the Veteran’s Memorial located on Van Ness Avenue, across the street from City Hall.
Department staff inspects each box of ballots to ensure the contents match shipping invoices. They then log each set of ballots received from the printing vendor and this log is continually compared to the order placed with the vendor. We track the ballots at each step of the election process through the canvass after the election and the archiving of election materials.
The Department distributes the precinct ballots to polling place inspectors beginning June 1, which is seven days before the election. Before inspectors obtain ballots they must have a precinct assignment from the Department and have completed the proper training classes. The inspectors must sign ballot custody logs indicating the number of ballots, the type, and the precinct in which the cards will be voted. We also scan barcodes affixed to the ballot containers to record the transfer of possession of the ballot cards from the Department to the poll workers.
Election Day
Election Day Support
As in past elections, the Department of Elections will dispatch Field Election Deputies (FEDs) throughout the City on Election Day. FEDs provide direct support to polling places by delivering additional ballots and other supplies, addressing technical or staffing problems that arise during the day, and assisting in the opening and closing of polling places.
The Department will train the FEDs to visit each polling site and discern whether the poll workers are providing the best possible service to voters. As in past elections, poll workers receive training that includes assisting voters who are unfamiliar with the elections process or otherwise need assistance when casting their votes.
Transporting and Securing Voted Ballots after the Polls Close
Now that the Department has finally acquired use of sufficient space at one site at Pier 48 that can support both warehouse and operational activities, the movement of election materials after the polls close is greatly reduced. Once ballots arrive at Pier 48 from the polling places, the ballots will remain in Pier 48 during the canvass and during the retention period required by state election law after an election’s results are certified. There is no need to move the ballots from Pier 48 until after the retention period when the cards are sent for recycling.
The overall process of securing ballots begins when voted ballots are inserted into and stored in the optical scan voting machines used at the polling places. The doors on the machines remain locked and sealed throughout the day. Voted ballots are not removed from the polling places until after the polls close at 8 p.m. After the polls close, Deputy Sheriffs collect both voted and unvoted ballots, provisional ballots, vote-by-mail ballots that voters have dropped off at the polling places, and the results tapes and printer units used by each touch screen. During this collection, the Deputy Sheriffs sign a Custody and Security Form (CSF) in quadruplicate format to confirm receipt of the ballots and give a copy to the polling place Inspector. This form is used later to track the custody of ballots. The Deputy Sheriffs then deliver the ballots to the Elections Processing Center on Pier 48.
Department staff at Pier 48 receives the ballots from the Deputy Sheriffs, and both the Department staff and the Deputy Sheriffs sign the CSF to confirm the receipt of ballots from each precinct and to maintain a record of custody. The Deputy Sheriffs receive copies of the forms and the Department files remaining copies for reference.
Deputy Sheriffs continue to provide security for the ballots at Pier 48 after the polls close. The Sheriff’s Office will assign work schedules that allow for two Deputies to be on duty at the Pier until all ballots are canvassed. Whenever the Department transports ballots from Pier 48 to City Hall for processing, Deputies escort the vehicles. The transport of vote-by-mail and provisional ballots to City Hall for processing will take place the day following the election. Department staff will use a separate custody form (a Ballot Transport Log, or “BTL” ) to track the transportation of ballots from Pier 48 to City Hall. Department staff will complete and sign the BTL forms when the ballots leave Pier 48, and again when they arrive at City Hall. These forms can be reviewed later to track custody of the ballots.
Transporting and Securing Vote-Recording Devices after the Polls Close
Memory Packs
The optical scan voting equipment used at the polling places contains a memory device called a “memory pack” that records votes in those specific polling places cast for candidates and for and against ballot measures. After the polls close, poll workers print two copies of a report from the optical scan voting machine of the votes cast at that precinct and one audit log for the machine. After printing these reports, poll workers must break a security seal on the machine and remove the memory pack. Poll workers enclose the memory pack with one copy of the report and the audit log in an anti-static bag and then affix and sign a seal. The second report is posted outside the polling place and left for public inspection. Parking Control Officers (PCOs) from the Department of Parking and Traffic who work under the direction of the Sheriff’s Office will retrieve the memory packs from the polling places and transport them to City Hall. At the McAllister entrance, staff logs the arrival of each memory pack and afterwards will upload the vote totals stored in each memory pack for tallying.
Voter Verified Paper Audit Trail and Results Cartridges
Conditions from the Secretary of State placed on the use of the voting system require the Department to transfer the votes cast on the touch screens onto paper ballots and then to process the ballots on the tabulation equipment located in the Department’s computer room in City Hall. As well, the touch screens may not tally votes, so the Department will not ask poll workers to post the tallied results from each touch screen at the polling sites. Instead, the poll workers will post the number of people who voted on the touch screen equipment. The Department will transfer votes from the touch screens’ paper audit trail onto paper ballots at Pier 48 after Election Day.
After the number of touch screen voters is recorded, the PCOs will retrieve “results cartridges” that the touch screen machines use to record voting results. The PCOs, who travel prearranged routes, will obtain the results cartridges from the poll workers and place them in a special anti-static bag. After completing routes that consist of no more than ten stops, the PCOs will transport the results cartridges along with the memory packs to the McAllister entrance of City Hall.
Ballot Processing
Vote-by-Mail Ballots
The Voter Services Division will verify voters’ signatures on the vote-by-mail envelopes for all ballots arriving in the mail and for those that voters deliver to polling places. After this verification, the still-sealed vote-by-mail envelopes are moved from City Hall Room 48 to Room 59, where the envelopes are opened and the ballots are removed. Vote-by-mail ballots are extracted from their corresponding envelopes by placing the side with the return address face down to avoid viewing voters’ names and information. The ballot cards are moved to the Department’s computer room, where they are tallied using optical scan equipment. Although these ballots are read before Election Day, state elections law prohibits the Department of Elections from tallying and reporting any results until after the close of the polls.
Tallied vote-by-mail ballots are secured and stored in City Hall Room 59. Deputy Sheriffs provide security for all vote-by-mail ballots and envelopes until the Department completes the official canvass and the election results are certified.
Damaged or Unreadable Vote-by-Mail Ballots
When ballot cards are damaged or contain stray marks that may interfere with processing by the vote tabulation equipment, Department staff duplicates voters’ marks on new ballot cards so that the votes can be counted (California Elections Code § 15210). Each “remade” card is cross-referenced with the original, damaged ballot card, in accordance with state law. The process of remaking vote-by-mail ballots can begin as early as May 28, and is conducted in the Department’s conference room. After the remake process, the ballots are tabulated on the optical scan machines in the Department’s computer room and then stored in City Hall Room 59.
Votes Cast on Accessible Voting Equipment
For this election, the Secretary of State’s office has conditionally certified the voting system for use in San Francisco. One of the conditions is that the Department must transfer all votes cast on the touch screen equipment onto paper ballots. This process will be very similar to the remake process except the votes will be remade onto paper ballots from the Voter Verified Paper Audit Trail (VVPAT) and will take place in the Department’s warehouse on Pier 48 rather than in City Hall. These remade ballots from the VVPAT will be transported to City Hall under Deputy Sheriff escort for tabulation using the optical scan equipment in the Department’s computer room.
Provisional Ballots
Voters whose names do not appear in rosters specific to each precinct can still vote by using a “provisional ballot.” Provisional ballots are identical to the regular precinct ballots but after voters mark their selections, the ballot cards are sealed in large pink envelopes and placed in a sealed red ballot box rather than inserted into the optical scan machine at the precinct. Before counting provisional ballots, Department staff must verify voters’ eligibility to vote according to the information voters provide on the envelope that contains the ballot cards. The verification process is similar to the process described above for verifying vote-by-mail ballots. The Department will tally provisional ballots in its computer room in City Hall after the Department has determined the eligibility of each voter who cast a provisional ballot.
Staging Voted Ballots Before, During, and After Processing
Voted ballots from the polling places arrive at Pier 48 and will remain at Pier 48 for canvassing and for the full retention period required by state election law. After processing the voted vote-by-mail ballots, the Department will send these ballots to Pier 48 for the retention period. After the polls close, Deputy Sheriffs will bring to Pier 48 the Voter Verified Paper Audit Trail (VVPAT) along with the voted and unvoted ballots. During the canvass, in accordance with the conditional certification of the voting system by the Secretary of State, the Department will transfer the results on the VVPAT onto paper ballots and then transport these ballot cards to the Department’s computer room in City Hall for processing. All VVPAT records will remain at Pier 48 for the mandatory retention period of at least 6 months.
Additional Information
Resources for Voters
The Department of Elections website contains many resources for voters, including:
• an on-line application to request a vote-by-mail ballot;
• a polling place look-up allowing voters to find the location of the their polling places;
• a vote-by-mail status look-up to determine when ballots were mailed and if the Department received the voted ballots;
• a registration look-up that indicates whether people are registered in San Francisco;
• a provisional ballot status look-up which indicates if a voter’s provisional ballot was counted;
• an electronic copy of the Voter Information Pamphlet; and,
• electronic files of most of the Department’s outreach materials
For more information, please visit www.sfelections.org, or call the Department of Elections’ Voter Information Phone Bank: 415-554-4375 (English); 415-554-4367 (Chinese); 415-554-4366 (Spanish).
cc: Dennis Herrera, City Attorney
Ben Rosenfield, Controller
Edwin Lee, City Administrator
Steve Kawa, Chief of Staff, Mayor’s Office
Greg Wagner, Budget Director, Mayor’s Office
Angela Calvillo, Clerk of the Board of Supervisors
Sabrina Butler, Chief, Sheriff’s Department
Matthew Freeman, Captain, Sheriff’s Department
Robert Reiter, Building Manager, City Hall
Mollie Lee, Deputy City Attorney
Elections Commission