Agenda Packets - 1997/04/14 - Laserfiche WebLink

Home Browse Search

Item No. 1 Staff Report No.Cri-4R05a Meeting Date: 4/14/97 • Type of Business: Special Order of Business WK: Work Session;PH:Public Hearing; CA:Consent Agenda;CB: Council Business City of Mounds View Staff Report To: Honorable Mayor McCarty and City Council members From: Bruce Kessel\Lynnette Morgan Item Title/Subject: Election Summary and Commendation Date of Report: April 10, 1997 Summary of experience with mail in ballots. There was a relatively short period of time from when it was decided to conduct a mail in election to the date of the actual election. This created several problems relating to obtaining the necessary supplies (secrecy envelopes, absentee envelopes, and mailing envelopes) and preparing the balloting information for mailing (return addresses, postage, etc.). In addition, if we would have had more time, we may have been able to find a lower cost supplier and may have been able to use a business reply envelope for the returning ballots verses affixing postage to all return envelopes. • The intent of the mail ballot election was to make the election as easy as possible for voters and to increase voter participation. Our experience was that the majority of the ballots were dropped off at City Hall or the Bel Rae by the voters verses mailing the ballots. Since voters had only approximately one week from the date the ballots should have been received to when we needed to receive them(ballots were mailed on Wednesday, March 26 and needed to be received by us on Saturday, April 5), it is unclear whether the voters were uncomfortable with the mail service, unsure of the ballots being received by us by April 5, or were uncomfortable with the process in general. It is estimated that we received approximately 1000 ballots in the mail, 900 ballots were dropped off at the Bel Rae or City Hall, and 300 people actually voted at the Bel Rae. The total number of ballots mailed was 7,513, therefore it appears that postage was not used on 6,513 at a cost of$2,084; if a mail ballot is ever used in the future and there is adequate time available, a business reply envelope could be used resulting in us paying postage only on the ballots actually returned. Since we do not know what the voter turnout would have been using standard election results, it is unclear whether the added cost of the mail ballot was offset by higher voter participation. A thank you letter will be mailed to all those individuals who participated with election. In addition to the election judges and volunteers, City Staff and Public Works provided an abundance of assistance and support. A few of the activities included stuffing ballots, answering • calls, and setting up the Bel Rae. If you would like the list of the volunteers and election judges,please let us know.