Extra Space Storage, Presidents Row Room
658 South Venice Blvd, Venice, 90291

AGENDA

1. 7:00 pm Call to Order – Roll Call

2. Approval of this agenda as presented or amended

3. PUBLIC COMMENT – 10 minutes on non-agendized items related to Election Procedures only.

4. NEW BUSINESS: DELIBERATION OF FOLLOWING ISSUE

Consideration & approval of the REC proposed Initiative Election Procedures for 2009 (below & in attached agenda).

5. 8:00 pm ADJOURNMENT

_________________________________________________________

Initiative Election Procedures for 2009
(Modified from Approved VNC 2007 Election Procedures) _________________________________________________________

INTRODUCTION

In preparation for the coming initiative election under Bylaws Article V Section A, the Rules and Elections Committee of the elected Venice Neighborhood Council (VNC) adapted the Election Procedures, properly vetted and approved by the Board and by DONE in a letter dated April 22, 2007 (used in the September 2007 election), to the requirements of this initiative election.

ELECTION DAY

The date of the Election is Saturday, February 21, 2009. The Election will take place at The Venice Library, 501 South Venice Blvd., Venice, CA 90291during the hours of 12:30 PM to 3:30 PM.

NEIGHBORHOOD COUNCIL AREA

Boundaries of the VNC shall follow the traditional boundaries for Venice, as set forth in the City of Los Angeles Venice Area Specific Plan and the City of Los Angeles Planning and Land Use Map for Venice, with one exception, as noted below. These traditional boundaries are approximately described as the City of Santa Monica to the North, the Pacific Ocean to the West, Marina del Rey (unincorporated County of Los Angeles) to the South, and Walgrove Avenue, the eastern edge of the Venice High School grounds, Culver City, Walnut, Del Rey and Lincoln Boulevard on the East. The exceptions to these traditional boundaries are:

The area between Walgrove Avenue and Beethoven Street contains many of the schools serving the Venice Community including Venice High, Mark Twain Junior High, Walgrove Elementary and Beethoven Elementary. The grounds of these schools shall be considered an overlap area with the Neighborhood Council established by the Mar Vista Community.

ELECTION TYPE

A. The election shall be a Prepared Ballot Election.

B. Vote-by-Mail, proxy voting or absentee balloting will not be allowed in this election.

C. The polling location is in compliance with the Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA). Any stakeholders unable to access the polling location may register to vote and submit a ballot with the help of a poll worker.

D. All persons who meet the criteria for the definition of stakeholder as outlined in the VNC bylaws and in Article IV, Section A of the Citywide Election Procedures shall be eligible to vote in the election.

VOLUNTEER ELECTION COMMITTEE

For the upcoming initiative election, the VNC Voluntary Election Committee (VEC) will consist of non-board volunteers from the Neighborhood Council community. Ivan Spiegel and Elizabeth Wright shall co-chair the committee and appoint additional members as needed. The committee will also include a Greeter who will be at the entrance to the polling place and explain the credentials that are necessary to register as stakeholders. This will speed up the registration and election process.

A. Responsibilities:

The VEC shall be responsible to oversee, and implement all activities related to the initiative elections including, but not limited to:

1. The verification of Stakeholder eligibility of all voters.
2. Overseeing all processes connected with the Election with the exception of publicity and notification, which will be the responsibility of the VNC Outreach Committee. These processes include, but are not limited to setting up the polls, providing the ballot box, administering the election, counting the ballots, setting up an area designated for observers to observe the counting and determining the outcome.
3. Preparing election materials as necessary for the Election except for the printing of all materials, which will be the responsibility of the Rules & Elections Committee.
4. Following up with all entities upon the conclusion of the Election (e.g. announcement of results, storage of election records until their transfer to the VNC Rules and Elections committee, post election evaluation of the election process).

B. Contact and Information:

Volunteer Election Committee (VEC)

For more information or to participate in the Elections Committee contact:

VEC Co-Chair: Ivan Spiegel parliamentarian@venicenc.org

VEC Co-Chair: Elizabeth Wright lizabethwright@gmail.com

C. Canvass of Votes, Issuance of Results and Ratification of the Election: The Election Committee will be responsible for:

a. Tabulating the ballots and announcing the unofficial results at the end of the election, or as soon thereafter as possible.

b. Collecting and tabulating provisional ballots separately. At the end of the election if the inclusion of all provisional ballots does not affect the outcome of either initiative confirmation, the election committee may announce unofficial results.

c. Verifying all Provisional ballots for inclusion in the Final Official Certified Canvass of the votes, if necessary.

d. Ensuring that the activities associated with the Final Official Certified Canvass are open to the public for observation, provided that the observers must not interfere with or attempt to influence the vote tabulation in any way.

e. Submitting a Final Election Reconciliation Report and Official Certified Canvass to the VNC Board of Officers.

VOTING AND STAKEHOLDER REGISTRATION

A. All individuals, who qualify as a Stakeholder under VNC Bylaws Article III Section A, shall be registered as a stakeholder and then entitled to vote.

B. Registration will occur during the election at the voting site.

C. In order to register as a VNC Stakeholder, a person must provide proof that he/she qualifies by presenting credentials as indicated below:

CREDENTIALS

•CA Drivers License (with an address within the VNC area)
•CA Residency Card (with an address within the VNC area)
•School ID Card (for a school within the VNC boundaries) plus proof-of-age (16)
•A business card (In combination with any of the following with a matching Venice address — Business license, business check, or pay stub).
•A recent utility bill (to registrant with an address within the VNC area)
•An imprinted check (including an address within the VNC are)
•Pay stub (from a business with an address within the VNC area)
•School report card (for a school within the VNC area) plus proof of age (16)
•Property tax bill (with an address within the VNC area)

FACTUAL BASIS CREDENTIALS

•Church/Religious Institution within the VNC area: Letter (on church letterhead with contact information) from Church/Religious institution attesting to stakeholder volunteer work.
•Nonprofit Organization within the VNC area: Letter (on organization letterhead with contact information) from nonprofit organization attesting to stakeholder volunteer work.
•Senior Group within the VNC area: Letter (on group letterhead with contact information) from senior group attesting to stakeholder volunteer work.
•Venice Beach Boardwalk Public Expression Permit
•Passport (only in combination with another credential item)

Previously registered stakeholders who are listed as such on the records available at the election must establish their identity and sign the record before being allowed to vote. All credentials and forms of identification must be valid at the time of the election.

E. Photographic identification shall not be the only means by which a stakeholder can verify his/her status.

F. No single stakeholder or group of stakeholders will be required to provide greater documentation of stakeholder status than any other stakeholder or stakeholder group.

G. Provisional Voting Voters can cast a Provisional Ballot if the voter’s eligibility to vote in the election cannot be determined in favor of the voter at the time the voter attempts to cast his or her ballot. This process must include the following provisions:

a. The provisional ballots will be identical to the regular ballots with the exception of color.

b. The only acceptable basis for challenging a voter’s right to vote at the polling site will be that the person is not a stakeholder as defined by the Neighborhood Council bylaws.

c. If a voter is refused a regular ballot on the basis that he/she is not a stakeholder eligible to vote in the election, the voter may produce any of the documentation outlined in these procedures prior to the closing of the polls, at which time the voter will be issued a regular ballot.

d. If a voter cannot produce the required documentation, then the voter will be offered the opportunity to vote a Provisional Ballot. The Provisional Ballot will be placed in the ballot box. in an unsealed envelop. On the outside of the envelop the voter will provide:
1. The voter’s name.
2. The voter’s address.
3. The voter’s stakeholder status.
4. The voter’s contact number(s).

e. When a voter casts a Provisional Ballot, the voter will be issued instructions that explain what steps the voter must take to qualify the provisional Ballot including documentation required to be submitted, where the documentation is to be submitted, and a contact number to request assistance or seek additional information. The deadline for submission of acceptable documentation shall be three (3) days after the Election Day. Documentation will be submitted to:
Councilmember Bill Rosendahl’s Office
7166 W. Manchester Ave.
Westchester, CA 90045

f. The Election Committee will be responsible for the verification of the Provisional Ballots.

POLLING PLACE OPERATIONS

A. The election site shall:

1. Be of sufficient size to accommodate the voter sign-in process, actual voting, and any allowable campaign activities.
2. Have sufficient parking.
3. Be convenient for those utilizing public transportation.
4. Be accessible for the disabled or procedures must be in place to accommodate disabled voters.

B. The Neighborhood Council bylaws and approved Election Procedures shall be posted at the polling site for stakeholder review.

C. Campaigning/electioneering shall not be allowed in the library, in the library parking area, in the park adjacent to the library east of the parking area, or the sidewalk surrounding the library building.

D. The Chair of the Election Committee will announce in a loud voice in front of the polling site(s) at the appointed time that the polls are open.

E. The Chair of the Election Committee will announce in a loud voice in front of the polling site(s) 10 minutes before the close of polls that the polls will close in ten (10) minutes.

F. Any persons in line outside of the poll at the time of the closing of the polls will be allowed to vote.

H. Only the Election Committee shall be allowed to issue, receive or process ballots from the voter.

I. A voter needing language translation help may designate another person to assist them in the voting process.

J. A voter with physical disabilities may request aid from the Election Committee to assist them in the voting process.

TRANSLATION & INTERPRETATION SERVICES

A. The ballots will be translated into Spanish.

PUBLIC OUTREACH AND NOTICE OF ELECTION

A. To be fair and inclusive, efforts will be made to inform as many stakeholders as possible about the Election proceedings and the opportunity to participate.

B. Outreach efforts shall be made to inform and solicit participation.

C. Both Initiatives will appear on the VNC website. Each initiative will be allowed a 250 word statement from it’s author to be provide elaboration of its purpose and/or meaning.

NOTIFICATION OF ELECTION RESULTS: An announcement will be posted on the VNC web site at www.venicenc.org within 72 hours of the Final Certification of the election.

Location(s)

See map: Google Maps, Yahoo! Maps

Attachment	Size
090127VNCAdComAgenda.doc	693.5 KB