To the Agua
Dulce Town Council page To the
Vanguard News Home page I. ELECTION COMMITTEE
A. The Election Committee
Shall be formed in accordance with the Town Council Charter ("Election Committee") and with the Town Council Bylaws ("Article 12 Election Committee"). The Council shall make contact with the various civic organizations and shall write articles to encourage membership in the Election Committee. The Election Committee shall be completely independent of the Town Council subject to the following:
1. It shall review and fully comply with the provisions of the Charter, the Council Bylaws, and this voting procedure.
2 It shall respond to requests by the Council to report upon the status of activities.
B. Election Committee Membership:
1. The Election Committee shall consist of at least three (3) members. All committee members shall agree to be active, and they shall not be current Council members or candidates for the Council, or active advocates of any issues being voted upon.
2. Election Committee members' names shall be submitted to the Council by the Chair, for record purposes only. All Election Committee members must attend two (2) mandatory meetings prior to Election Day. The first designated meeting shall be when verification of candidates takes place.
C Election Committee members shall recognize and respect the importance of the following:
1. Confidentiality -
a Applicant information
2. Accuracy -
a Applicant Verification
b. Voter Verification
c. Ballot Count
D. Election Committee Chairs Duties
I . Understand and supervise the election of council members including the review and validation of all candidate applications, registration of voters, validation of ballots by mail, validation of voters at the polls, and publicity.
2. Use best efforts to publicize the following
a. Application Form for candidates
b. Candidate biographies/statement of issues
c. Candidate Forum Date/Town Hall
d. Ballots by mail
e. Absentee ballots
f. Election/Voting Day
g. Release of applicants' names upon filing
h. Post election results as soon as practical after the election.
A. Application form to include:
I. Applicant's name, address, phone
2. Number of years' residency in Agua Dulce
3. Brief profile and reason for running
4. Non refundable application fee to be determined by the Council.
5 Qualification rules -(See Charter)
6. Deadline for submittal
7. Instructions for mailing application
B. Applicant Verification Procedure
1. A minimum of the Election Committee Chair and two Election Committee members qualified to vote must be present to verify candidacy applications.
2. Applicants' residency and registered voter status must be verified. Residency means that the applicant has been eligible to vote in Agua Dulce for at least one year prior to filing for candidacy. The County Registrar's office can be called for status verification.
3. Each application shall be dated and signed by Election Committee members who verified candidacy.
4. In the event that a candidate is disqualified, the entire Election Committee shall be called to review the application before a final decision is reached.
5. Candidates will be notified by the Election Committee as to their eligibility.
6 The Election Committee Chairperson shall submit candidate information to the Council President or Secretary for their information.
Ballots shall be a separate document from the mailing envelope to ensure a secret ballot The outside of the mailing envelope shall contain the signature, printed name and address (not P.O. Box) of the voter, along with the P.O. Box of the Election Committee.
A. The Election Committee shall agree upon the absentee ballot format.
1. Selection of candidates
2. Mailing instructions
a. Mandatory signature/printed name and address of voter (not P.O. Box) on the outside envelope
b. Address to which absentee ballots are to be mailed
c. Location of ballot box for absentee ballots (if applicable)
d. Deadline date for receipt of absentee ballots is close of polls. (NOTE: Absentee ballots shall be allowed to be walked in, as per the Election Code, when polls are open).
3. Absentee ballots may be verified prior to Election Day, but are to remain sealed until all ballots are counted.
B. Absentee ballots
Shall be picked up by the Election Committee Chair and at least one Election Committee voting member every other day during the specified mailing period. Envelopes containing the ballots shall remain sealed until counted on the designated vote-counting day.
C. Absentee ballots shall be counted along with the walk-in ballots after the polls are closed.
A. The Election Committee shall provide the following materials:
1. Sign-in Log for voters (numbered)
2. Ballot Box (locked)
3. Current Voter Index sheets
4. Ballots
5. Voting booths or tables
B. The Election Committee shall strictly record on Voter Index Sheets all voters eligibility.
C. The ballot count must be done by a minimum of the Election Committee Chair and two voting Election Committee members.
D. The Election Committee Chair or a designated Election Committee member shall contact each candidate with election results.
E. Candidates, Council members, the press and any member of the public shall be allowed to be present during the ballot count, providing that they do not participate or interfere in any way. Anyone who is deemed disruptive by the Election Committee will be promptly removed. A designated area will be cordoned off for observers of the ballot counting process. The Election Committee may video tape the ballot count process.
F. Polls shall be open from 8AM to 7PM on election day.
G. All ballots, envelopes, sign-in sheets, and records pertaining to the election shall be kept for a period of one year by the Secretary of the Council.
The procedure shall be identical to the above except that
A. The ballot format and content shall be determined by the Council.
B. Where voting is to be entirely by mail, the procedure shall be identical to that of absentee ballots (IV above).
A. The Council and the Election Committee Chair shall jointly determine the "time line" of all events which shall be the basis of the schedule followed by the Election Committee Chair.
B. The Election Committee Chair shall obtain the most current Voter Index Sheets.
C. The Election Committee Chair shall work with all interested media (newspapers, etc.) to disseminate candidacy and election information.
D. One Election Committee member shall be designated as the treasurer for the following:
1. Deposit of candidacy application fees
2. Transfer of funds to the Council within 60 days after the Section is over ($100 to be kept in the account)
3. Maintain records of expenditures
E. The Election Committee shall
1. Review all election procedures
2. Instruct all new members.
F. The Election Committee Chair shall inform the Council as to the status of the various time-line events, and shall make a written report to the Council at the first Council meeting following the voting which shall consist of the Election Committee members who were present at the counting, who the observers were, the exact vote count, whether or not the procedure was videotaped, whether a hot line to the County Registrar's office was utilized, and any other pertinent information.
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