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HomeMy WebLinkAbout1993 Election Commission MinutesCity of Lansing - Election Commission Minutes of Meeting 9th Floor Conference Room February 4, 1993 PRESENT: Marilynn Slade, Marion Hahn, Robert Alim-Young, Alvan Knot (arrived at 9:05 A.M.), Harold Leeman . [529 N. Francis] ABSENT: None Meeting was called to order by Chairperson Slade at 8:58 A.M. Chairperson Slade asked if there were any public comments at this time. Harold Leeman stated that he would like to see the Commission meet on a regular basis and have a posted schedule of meetings. Mr. Leeman stated that at a City Council meeting Councilmember Beal brought up $3,500 which was spent for outside legal counsel on legal matters relating to the Citizens for a Better Lansing term limitation petition drive. He asked Al Knot for an explanation of this expenditure, who hired Tom Downs, and from whose budget was the money spent. Al Knot responded that if former City Clerk Blair hired Tom Downs, it was a violation of the City Charter. He stated that Mr. Leeman sent a Freedom of Information request already regarding this issue and that he received a response from the City Attorney's Office providing a full accounting. Mr. Knot stated that former Clerk Blair told him that he was consulting with Tom Downs on his own to see what figures the City should give to the Citizens for a Better Lansing and to help him determine what State Election Law was with regards to this petition drive. All Mr. Blair told Mr. Knot was that he had a meeting with Tom Downs to discuss the issue since the numbers seemed to be confusing so he wanted to find out on behalf of the city what was correct. Mr. Knot stated that the City Attorney's Office did not seek outside counsel to stop the issue from going on the ballot. The money to pay the outside counsel came from the Law Department professional services account. Mr. Leeman asked Mr. Knot who asked for this help and why. Mr. Knot responded that he asked on behalf of the City to see whether what Tom Downs might be saying on behalf of the City was correct or not. The counsel hired by the City was not Tom Downs but was Miller Canfield. Mr. Knot stated that he was not comfortable with the information being given to him and,.A%tjection Commission by former Clerk Blair. ��c1 _3 t•' Mr. Leeman stated that he would like to know if the City Clerk's Office spent any money to pay Tom Downs for his services in this matter. Al Knot stated that he would like to know if Jim Blair ever even asked Tom Downs for information on this matter [placing Citizens for a Better Lansing issue on ballot]. Mr. Knot wanted to make sure that information being given on behalf of the city was correct because he felt that the city might be faced with a lawsuit over the matter. The simple explanation was that Bob Alim-Young [Clerk's Office Election Co- ordinator] was on vacation and Jim Blair didn't know how to read the numbers that were on the computer print out. Mr. Leeman requested Mr. Knot provide him with a letter detailing this matter that he could take to the Citizens for a Better Lansing group to explain what happened. Mr. Knot agreed to write such a letter. Al Knot asked that the Election Commission establish rules of procedure for the Commission which has never been done. He stated that he would like to see the Commission meet more regularly and serve as a buffer between Council, the Mayor and the Clerk's Office relative to elections. Motion by M. Slade that City Attorney's Office be asked to draft proposed rules of procedure for the Election Commission and that the Commission adopt a meeting schedule to be posted in the Clerk's Office which would include bi-monthly meetings and meetings at least 30 days prior to an election and within 30 days after an election. Carried 3-0 Approval of Minutes of 8/24/92 Motion by Marion Hahn to accept the minutes of the August 24, 1992 meeting. Carried 3-0 Correspondence Received and Sent Since Last Meeting Chairperson Slade discussed a letter received from Dorothy Jones regarding City Clerk's procedure and status for removal of inactive voters from the voter registration system. Responses to Mrs. Jones were provided and Chairperson Slade reported that as of January 5, 1993, the Clerk's Office was in full compliance with State Election Law regarding removal of inactive voters from the lists. 2 Old Business None New Business Chairperson Slade and Election Co-ordinator Alim-Young reviewed methods used by various jurisdictions in the area of canvassing of nominating and other petitions. The consensus was that most of them have either a filing fee for candidates to be placed on the ballot or require a very small number of signatures to be collected on petitions [around 50] . The State of Michigan uses a mathematical model for randomly canvassing signatures for petition drives but reported that it cost them tens of thousands of dollars for this model. The State also reported that these models are based upon the specifics of each petition drive and that several would be needed for City of Lansing candidates and petition drives. Chairperson Slade reported that she talked with Jeff Blaine, head of the Election Department for the City of Detroit regarding the method they use for canvassing of petitions. He stated that they have used a random method for the last twenty years. The random method used is that they check only specific signatures on each petition page filed. He stated that candidates and circulators of petition drives always have the right to challenge a canvass and that they have never had any problem with using this random approach. He stated that they simply do not have the staff or the funding to canvass petitions on a line by line basis. Chairperson Slade then discussed a proposed method that she would like the Commission to adopt for canvassing of petition drives in the City of Lansing. The Commission made several suggestions for changes to this proposed method: 1 / That the random method to be used would involve at least two of the Commission members getting together and drawing a random beginning number from which the count of the sequentially numbered pages would begin. That 10% of the signatures be the figure to be used for the number to be canvassed for each filing. Therefore, every 10th signature after the number selected in the random drawing would be selected for canvassing. 3 2/ Mr. Leeman suggested that a schedule be developed and provided to each candidate as well as being posted in the Clerk's Office regarding when candidates could be guaranteed that the canvass would be completed if they submitted petitions by a designated date. This would reassure candidates that they would have time available to collect additional signatures before the filing deadline if they met the designated earlier date. 3/ That the Clerk's Office produce a check off form for each filing which clearly shows that all steps of the procedure have been followed for the filing. 4/ That candidates or petitions groups will be notified in writing if they do not have the required number of signatures; both if they filed before the early filing deadline and if they filed before the mandated filing deadline. 5/ That City Clerk's Office will research retention requirements for all types of petition drives and include in the procedure to be adopted by the Commission how long these petitions must be retained in the Clerk's Office. 6/ That wording will be included in the procedure to specify that signatures on petitions for ward offices will be based on number of registered voters in the ward at the time the petitions are filed with the City Clerk's Office. It was agreed that these changes will be made to the proposed procedure and will be returned for consideration at the next Election Commission meeting. Commission recessed at 10:20 A.M. Commission reconvened at 10:37 A.M. El Discussion was held on requiring affidavits from candidates for city offices affirming that they meet City Charter eligibility requirements. It was agreed that City Attorney Knot will draft a letter to go to the Mayor and to City Council stating that the Commission is working on such an affidavit and that such a process should also be put into place for department heads and individuals appointed to city boards. It was agreed that the next Commission meeting should be in the next two weeks. Chairperson Slade will poll the members to set up a date for this meeting. Motion by Marion Hahn to adjourn the meeting. Motion carried unanimously. Meeting adjourned at 11:30 A.M. Respectfully submitted, Marilynn Slade;1 Chairperson, Election Commission k:\wp data\mms\e1ection\e1eccom4. min J City of Lansing - Election Commission Minutes of Meeting 9th Floor Conference Room' February 12, 1993 G`' f 70 7 m PRESENT: Marilynn Slade, Marion Hahn, Robert Alim-Young, Alvan Knot, HaroffLeemaii r [529 N. Francis]; Lloyd Teets [116 E. Elm] s 1. ;. ABSENT: None r._.. Meeting was called to order by Chairperson Slade at 10:08 A.M. Chairperson Sladeask there were any public comments at this time. o rn Harold Leeman stated that he hoped the minutes of the last meeting reflected his request for a letter from Al Knot explaining why an attorney was hired with reference to the Citizens for a Better Lansing petition drive. Mr. Leeman was assured that this reference was in the minutes. Mr. Leeman also wanted to know if Marilynn checked regarding Tom Downs to see if any money was spent from City Clerk Office accounts to pay Mr. Downs regarding the Citizens for a Better Lansing petition drive. Chairperson Slade responded that Mr. Downs has not received any money from the City Clerk's Office accounts. She reported that she also checked regarding Harold's other question about circulators and that circulators need only be registered anywhere in the State, they don't have to be a registered Lansing voter. Lloyd Teets stated that he has grave concerns about this proposed method of canvassing petitions. He believes that one of the jobs of the Clerk's Office is to canvass petitions and this job should be done. It is an insult to anyone who circulates petitions, runs for office, wants a petition or issue put on, not to have this done. When someone turns in petitions, are we going to create some kind of lotto and only check a portion of the petitions? Why not make a change to the City Charter and just not require as many signatures be canvassed? He feels this opens the door to possible fraud, possible inequities, possible unfairness. He stated that he believes that when he turns in his petitions, they will be thoroughly checked whether this procedure is in place or not. Al Knot asked him petitions for what position? Mr. Teets responded for City Clerk. Mr. Teets stated he is opposed to any lotto system. If it comes with the job and the City Clerk does not have the staff to do the job, she should hire temporary help to do it. He felt, quite possibly, that there may be a statute or something requiring petitions to be done line by line. It would appear to him that the law requires that petitions should be canvassed line by line. Al Knot responded that we are not talking about whether to canvass but how to canvass. He stated that he didn't hear the City Clerk say she wouldn't canvass petitions, we are only talking about how they would be canvassed. Al Knot stated that we got into this at the time of the term 1 limitation issue. In the past, the City Clerk's Office has canvassed on a line by line basis. Minutes from the August, 1992, meeting reflect that members of Citizens for a Better Lansing expressed a desire to do the sample method as opposed to the line -by-line canvass as it would cut costs and expedite the process. They felt that a line by line approach was a method to stall and a waste of city money. What the new City Clerk is attempting to do by this proposed procedure is balance economic efficiencies; otherwise the office would have to hire extra help every time because of the cutbacks in the city and have the staff work a large amount of overtime. The City isn't hiring new people. The current City Clerk is facing reality and trying to come up with an acceptable way to canvass petitions as required by Charter. She has thrown out this proposal, trying to balance the concerns of Citizens for a Better Lansing, to not spend a lot of overtime. There was also a concern raised by the Citizens for a Better Lansing over whether or not Council would approve to appropriate the extra money if they did not agree with the petition drive. This proposal would put an acceptable rule in place before the game starts being played. He feels that the proposal is an acceptable way to handle the canvass. It addresses the cutbacks in the staffing and other areas in the city. The concept the current clerk is trying to do is first of all to try to balance the concerns of city officials, city residents and elected officials; diverse interests there. If the proposed procedure is not adopted, the City will have to continue with line by line canvassing at a great expense. The only alternative is going for a substantial request for a transfer of funds. He thinks what we are seeing now is a substantial interest in elected positions, and that's not negative, and a shortage in staffing in the Clerk's Office and in overall funding. The City Clerk is trying to address those concerns and come up with a reasonable rule that the public can comment about before the rule goes into play. Leeman asked why couldn't petitions be checked when they are brought in? Is there a rule on it? Chairperson Slade responded that there is no established rule. Candidates can always bring petitions in early and staff tries to work on them before the deadline. If the new rule is adopted, the Clerk's Office won't start canvassing until the filing is complete or the selective canvass would not work properly. It is a benefit to the Clerk's Office and to the candidate involved to get petitions in early so they can be canvassed early. The proposed rule would provide a schedule whereby candidates would be guaranteed that their petitions would be canvassed by a certain date if received by a certain date. Lloyd Teets responded that games are played and games were played on the term limitation thing. He was not one of those . He denies that good government is a waste of money. He is a man of principle. If the City Charter requires so many signatures, part of the Clerk's job is to canvass them, and we should canvass them. During the term limitation petition drive, they asked Clerk Blair if they could turn petitions in as collected. He told the group that he wasn't going to waste staff's time until they had enough signatures. Mr. Teets stated that "I'm telling you, Al, that when I'm City Clerk you're not going to tell me how many voters there are. You're not going to play games with me when I'm City Clerk. We're going to end up in Court. The games are going to stop being played. As far as the current City Clerk not having enough help, it is her own fault as she gave up the position of Chief Deputy City Clerk just so she N would get this job and now its coming home to roost. And the job requires a Chief Deputy, Marilynn, and I [Mr. Teets] suggest you appoint one. I'm tired of the games that are played down here at City Hall. If you want to change the Charter, change the Charter. This was a violation of the City Charter which requires this position. If you don't have enough staff, get some more staff. If Council wouldn't give me the money to do the job, I'd take them to court." Al Knot asked Mr. Teets if he was saying that he was not part of the position taken by Citizens for a Better Lansing last summer when they felt that a "selected random" method of canvassing was acceptable. He asked if Mr. Teets was calling for a line by line at that time. Mr. Teets responded "That's right". He can't remember what he said, but as a matter of principle, he would not have gone along with that approach. He stated "You're not going to put me in a box, Al Knot." He stated he was not sure what the position of Citizens for a Better Lansing was at that time. Mr. Leeman stated that he would feel more secure if Richard and Donna Collins and Pat Murray responded on this as they are the spokespersons for the Citizens for a Better Lansing. Time constraints were involved and he thinks that was part the reason the group agreed to the different approach. It would have helped Citizens for a Better Lansing if the Clerk's Office would have started checking them on a weekly basis. Mr. Teets stated that he would like the record to show that if Citizens for a Better Lansing agreed to go along with this sort of lotto system of checking, he believes it was because the Clerk's Office wasn't going to start checking them until they had enough signatures were in the Office. Former Clerk Blair claimed it was physically impossible to get the issue on the ballot unless they did a sampling. Basically, Blair put them in a box that if Citizens for a Better Lansing wanted it on the ballot, they pretty much had to make some concessions. Chairperson Slade stated that there are always terrible time constraints on petition drives. That's always the case. Al Knot read from the minutes of August 24th meeting regarding this issue: "Chairperson Blair stated that 4,895 signatures were submitted by Citizens for a Better Lansing. Al Knot moved that ballot wording be sent to the County by August 27, 1992, that Citizens for a Better Lansing be allowed to review the wording before it is sent, that the City Clerk's Office resume the canvassing of the petitions as a #1 priority and notify the Commission when the canvass is completed. Al Knot moved that the Clerk's Office is authorized to spend up to $2,500 in overtime to canvass these petitions and, if additional funding is required, to request City Council to authorize these funds. " Al Knot stated he wants it straight that the Election Commission did their job. The Election Commission even requested additional money from City Council so that they could do their job. 3 Mr. Teets stated that he has no problem with the Election Commission; he has a problem now that we're doing a flip-flop. Chairperson Slade stated historically, the Clerk's Office has canvassed line by line. The law does not specify how the canvass is to be completed other than certain basic things that have been built into the proposed procedure, such as verification that circulators are registered, that certain fields of the nominating petitions are filled out. These mandated requirements are in the procedure. To her knowledge, it never says anywhere that you have to check every signature or every line. She stated that she agrees that the Charter should be changed to lower the requirement for numbers of signatures on petitions. She feels this will especially have to be done if the federal Motor Voter bill is passed. This bill would put the Clerk's Office back into the position of having 150,000 registered voters in a very short period of time. This bill says you can only cancel a voter if they are dead or you can prove they have moved out of the city. So, in a very short period of time, candidates for city offices will have to have 2,500 or 3,000 signatures on their petitions instead of the 1,600 currently required. This will put the Clerk's Office in an even worse situation to canvass these petitions. In addition, no-one will want to run for a city office because of the large number of signatures required. Chairperson Slade stated that, in calling all the jurisdictions in the Tri -County area, none have such a large number of signatures required. Most have around 50-100 signatures required or candidates have to pay a filing fee. According to the head of the Election Bureau for the City of Detroit, the most signatures they require for any office is 800. The City of Detroit uses a method that is almost exactly like what we are proposing to selectively canvass their petitions. They have used it for 20 years and have never had any problem with it not being held to be legal, according to the head of their Election Bureau. Sure, we could spend the money, but is it the reasonable thing to do to spend $35,000 when we can get a good product in her [Ch. Slade's] judgement by the proposed process. We're talking about a process that has very detailed check -off sheets and has to be initialled at every step of the way by the person performing the step. Chairperson Slade stated she is just trying to offer an alternative to spending a lot of money because she doesn't think the taxpayers are going to be thrilled with spending this kind of money for this thing. It's up to this Commission to decide this issue. Chairperson Slade stated that she would also like to respond to Mr. Teet's statements about her giving up her Chief Deputy - his statements were incorrect. The Clerk's Office had to cut one position from their staffing. The Elections Unit of the Office has only three people in it and an unbelievable workload. She gave up the Chief Deputy so that she could hire another person in the Election Unit. She did not cut the position, the staff was already cut from her budget. She just decided which position would be cut. Mr. Teets says it all sounds good but he would like to read section 4-502 of the City Charter which states: "The City Clerk shall designate one member of the office of the City Clerk to be the Chief Deputy City Clerk who shall retain that designation at the pleasure of the City Clerk. In the absence or disability of the City Clerk, or while the 4 position is vacant pending action by the City Council, the Chief Deputy City Clerk shall exercise all powers and perform all of the duties of the City Clerk to the full extent permitted by law." So, Mr. Teets stated, you do not have by the City Charter an option to give up the Deputy. Chairperson Slade responded that she will have an individual who is designated as Chief Deputy City Clerk; she does not have to have someone being paid $41,000 for this designation. There is a current posting which you can see up on any board in any office for a Licensing/Election Specialist. There is one line on this posting, that states this person shall have the designation of Chief Deputy City Clerk to serve as City Clerk in the absence or disability of the City Clerk. If the person filling this position would have to assume that duty for 30 days, they would be working out of class, and there would be an adjustment in their salary. Lloyd Teets stated that someone in your office is doing a lot of the work of the Chief Deputy Clerk and just not being paid for it. Chairperson Slade asked who that would be. Mr. Teets said he didn't know. Chairperson Slade said she would -like Mr. Teet's to pull the position description of the former Chief Deputy Clerk and see if he could say who that would be - she would be real curious to see who that is. Harold Leeman asked, just for clarification, is the title of the job posted that of Chief Deputy Clerk? Chairperson Slade responded, no, the title is Licensing and Election Specialist. Harold Leeman then asked, "And right now neither Debbie or Bob are designated as Chief Deputy?" Chairperson Slade responded "No." AL Knot stated that former Clerk Blair did not deal with the Chief Deputy position the way it had been handled historically or the way the Charter intended. What Marilynn will be doing is to have someone in the office designated as Chief Deputy City Clerk. That does not mean that the person has to do all of the jobs that the City Clerk does because as long as the City Clerk is there, the City Clerk is doing the job. It only becomes operative when the person designated takes over the Clerk's functions because of disability or vacancy. Then, according to compensation rules, after performing those duties for 30 days that person automatically is paid the City Clerk's salary. This is exactly what happened to Marilynn when she served as Acting City Clerk. She was the designated Chief Deputy and she wasn't paid the salary of the City 5 Clerk during that time because she was appointed Clerk before 30 days transpired. This designation complies with the Charter and I think Marilynn should be commended for trying to save the city some money. Chairperson Slade asked Mr. Teets if he was City Clerk and had to eliminate a position in the Office, what position would he eliminate? Mr. Teets said he wouldn't eliminate one he felt was that important. He responded that he's not sure he would eliminate any. Chairperson Slade said she doesn't want to have to eliminate a position either but the reality is, you have to make cuts. Lloyd Teets stated that should he win the position of City Clerk, he would be concerned because of the level of expertise that has been lost in that office. It is an important office and should be properly staffed. And he feels that it's not properly staffed right now. If he felt he didn't have enough staff, he would simply tell Council that the Charter requires the Clerk's Office to do this work and that they would have to give him the money to get the job done. Mr. Leeman stated that he feels changes should be made to the petition process. He fees that we should deal with reality and have a different requirement for fewer signatures or have a $100 filing fee. He would like to see some of the concerns addressed to make it easier for people to apply and compete for office. Al Knot stated that he would like to see, down the road, a resolution from the Election Commission to Council to put the issue on the ballot. The resolution would require either a filing fee or a smaller number of signatures. He thinks that this type of ballot proposal would have a better chance of being approved in a couple of years. Mr. Teets stated he thinks, nothing changes overnight, a Charter Amendment should just be passed. The City Clerk should ask for extra money, explain to the voters that line by line canvassing is an expensive process, and we need to change it. He stated that he does not believe his position will prevail. Mr. Knot stated that the only way the Charter can be changed is by a voter referendum. Council or a petition drive could put it on the ballot, but the voters have to pass it. Mr. Leeman suggested the Commission submit the proposal to City Council - whether we should canvass the old fashioned way or the proposed method. If they choose the line by line old fashioned way, then they would have to appropriate funding. Chairperson Slade and Al Knot both stated that the method of canvassing to be used is not in the jurisdiction of City Council - the City Clerk and Election Commission would make these decisions. Regarding the proposed procedure, Mr. Leeman suggested that the person filing the petitions or a member of his campaign could be invited to participate in the drawing of the random beginning number and in placing the numbers in the drawing mechanism. This would be a reassurance to 6 them that the method was fair. It was agreed to incorporate this suggestion in the procedure. Approval of Minutes of 2/4/93 Motion by Al Knot to accept the minutes of the February 4, 1993, meeting. Seconded by Marion Hahn. Carried 3-0. Correspondence Received and Sent Since Last Meeting None Old Business Chairperson Slade reviewed, paragraph by paragraph, the proposed procedure for canvassing of petitions. The following suggestions will be incorporated into a new draft of this procedure: -change numbers to be drawn from number 1 thru 10 only -notify candidate or their committee of the time of the drawing of the beginning number to be used so they can observe the placing of the numbers in the drawing mechanism and the drawing of their own beginning number, if possible -in years when the City Clerk is filing nominating petitions, have both other members of the Election Commission present at the drawing of the beginning number for all candidates for City Clerk -that the third paragraph be clarified to stated that we will utilize the number of registered voters in a ward as of the Friday of the week of the initial filing of the petition -that procedure will reflect that the State Election Law will be utilized as the guideline for determination as to whether signatures are valid/invalid -that contact be made with Cable Television Channel 28 to see if they could show the chart of filing deadlines for elections. That a notice be put in the Lansing State Journal notifying candidates of the 4:00 P.M. May 11, 1993, filing deadline. -if additional signatures are submitted because a candidate is notified of a shortage, pages of the second submission would be numbered and a new beginning number would be drawn for second submission The Election Commission then moved to a discussion of the draft affidavit under Old Business. Al Knot stated that this affidavit is something that has never been done even though the Charter 7 has required it since 1978. The affidavit affirms that a candidate meets the eligibility requirements specified in the Charter for that office. The affidavit is an attempt to not embarrass a candidate or the city; we want to get an acknowledgement up front that the candidate understands what the requirements are and meets those requirements. A discussion was held on a definition of public trust. Al Knot responded that it is a misuse of money entrusted to a third party; i.e. bailor/bailee, embezzlement, trustee or other instances of a 3d party handling another's money. It would have to be a criminal conviction. Lloyd Teets stated he has a problem with the section on default because of alleged unpaid parking tickets that he has. The Board of Water & Light also has obtained a judgment against him which has not been paid. The judgment contained a stipulation that Lloyd would settle the Board's claim against him at a specified date in Circuit Court. He wants it on the record that this may be a problem. Al Knot stated that if you have an outstanding unpaid judgement and you have not filed a protest; you are technically in default. You could be default if you have not paid a sewer bill assessment, parking tickets, property taxes, income tax, other assessments from the city. The Election Commission would have to rule on whether or not the Board of Water and Light is considered to be a part of the city for the default portion of this Affidavit. He stated that Lloyd should submit a request to the Election Commission for a ruling on his problem with the Board of Water and Light. It was agreed that a rule needed to be established by the Election Commission regarding how long a candidate must be a resident of a ward before they can run for that ward council office. It was agreed by the Commission that the rule would be that a candidate must be a resident of the ward in which they are running at the time they file their petitions with the City Clerk's Office. Discussion was also held that the Affidavit should clarify that a candidate must be a registered voter at least 30 days prior to the election for which they are a candidate. Lloyd Teets said that he knows people can have problems with residency in wards as they may move into a different ward and just not change their address. He stated that he moved from Ingham Rd. which was in ward 3 to his present address which is in ward 1 and did not change his voter registration for six years. Due to the length of the meeting, It was agreed that the Commission will review the proposed By -Laws submitted before the next meeting. New Business Motion by Al Knot; seconded by M. Hahn to adopt the 1993 Schedule for Election Commission meetings. CARRIED 3-0. A special meeting was scheduled for Tuesday, 2/16/93 at 2:00 p.m. in the 9th floor conference 8 room to review changes discussed to proposed canvassing procedure, changes to the Affidavit and the proposed By -Laws. Meeting adjourned at 12:55 P.M. Respectfully submitted, j Marilynn lade; hairperson, Election Commission Minutes Approved on 12/16/93 by vote of 3-0 k:\wpdata\rrirns\election\eleccom5.min r1 CM City of Lansing - Election Commission c0 Minutes of Meeting -� s r:; 9th Floor Conference Room r February 16, 1993 PRESENT: Marilynn Slade, Marion Hahn, Robert Alim-Young, Deborah Miner, Harold Leeman [529 N. Francis], Lloyd Teets �ljl E. Elm] ABSENT: Alvan Knot (arrived 2:40 P.M.) Meeting Called to Order by Chairperson Slade at 2:00 P.M. She asked if there were any public comments at this time. Lloyd Teets of 116 E. Elm St. spoke in opposition to the proposed method for canvassing signatures. Candidates do a lot of work to get these signatures and the Clerk should do the work to canvass them. Harold Leeman of 529 N. Francis said that Councilmember Lilly indicated to him that he would approach Council to request that they put on the ballot the issue of making nominating petition signatures more `user friendly' by possibly using a filing fee and/or a smaller signature requirement. Lloyd Teets said it might be best if the Election Commission were to begin this kind of action rather than have it come from one of the Councilmembers. It would seem less politically motivated. There are any number of ways this could be handled; it could be a percentage of the number of people who voted in the last election rather than the number of registered voters in the city. Any change would be welcome by him. This process is too cumbersome as it is now. Chairperson Slade said she checked with the State Election Bureau about their model. They do not check any signatures on nominating petitions. All they do is count them and do a check to make sure that all basic information is correct and that the required number of signatures have been submitted. They do not canvass individual signatures at all. Marion Hahn said it would be a little more difficult to send these petitions back to all over the state. Lloyd Teets said it is difficult when you are running for a State Office. You could have a lot of people sign your petitions who are not registered voters. Marion Hahn said that at the last meeting Mr. Knot mentioned that he would like to see a change in requirements on the ballot. 1 Harold Leeman said Councilmember Lilly was talking about opening this up [changing Charter regarding filing requirements for petitions] and making it easier for the citizens of the city to run for office. Lloyd Teets said it could be a hot issue; he will make it a hot issue if the Clerk's Office does not canvass petitions line -by- line. Chairperson Slade outlined the following changes made since the last meeting to the proposed method of canvassing: Page 1: The Clerk's Office will submit a request for a weekly count of registered voters in Ward 2 and Ward 4 to the Data Processing Department. Page 2: This did not cover all the bases about the post office field being completed. For petitions that cross jurisdictional lines, the post office field must be completed. For City of Lansing only petition drives, the post office field does not have to be completed. Lloyd Teets said he had one signature on his petitions that used a post office box. This person lives in a motel and uses a P.O. Box as his address. Is this signature going to be okay? Chairperson Slade responded that the Clerk's Office cannot mail an I.D. card to a P.O. Box but it could be used on a petition in cases such as Mr. Teets cited. Harold Leeman asked about people in Lansing Township. How would these people be eliminated? Chairperson Slade said they would be eliminated on the physical boundary requirement. Mr. Leeman inquired about the older gentleman who came to the meeting last night who wanted to know the boundaries of the wards. What kind of educational thing could the Clerk's Office do to help people be aware of the boundaries? Chairperson Slade responded that they are trying to develop a small ward and precinct map but it is difficult for the Public Service Department to do a smaller map. Once it is developed, it could be used for a handout. Item B, Page 2: If time allows, the candidate will be notified by phone, or in writing, of the date set for the drawing of the beginning number for his/her petitions so that they may be allowed to observe the drawing. In years in which the present City Clerk is running for election, both other members of the Election Commission must be present to witness the drawing of the beginning number for all candidates for City Clerk. Harold Leeman inquired when does processing begin after a candidate brings in his/her petitions? Chairperson Slade responded that a schedule will be posted in the Clerk's Office. 2 Robert Alim-Young stated that the first thing that has to be done is the cursory check to make sure information regarding the candidate is correct, circulators are checked, etc. It will take about 1/2 day to complete this initial check. Chairperson Slade asked about the random drawing of one number from 1-10, does anyone have any trouble with this method or is it okay now? Marion Hahn said he thinks it looks good. Item 5 (a): Added "Additional filings by the candidate/group will be separately numbered and a new beginning number drawn." Item 5 (b): Added "If adequate signatures have not been filed, City Clerk sends. letter to individual/ group notifying them of this fact." Item 7: This entire item has been added to cover rules regarding challenges. Basically, a candidate/group has seven days after the filing deadline of May 11, 1993 at 4:00 P.M. to file a challenge with the County Clerk. The County investigates and turns it over to the City Clerk for investigation and response. Harold Leeman asked "Is there enough time to do this? And, who picks up the tab?" Chairperson Slade answered no one gets charged for challenges. Robert Alim-Young added the only time charges are involved is when recounts are requested. If a challenged signature is determined to be invalid, the Clerk's Office does not have to canvass line -by-line, the beginning count is just adjusted for successfully challenged signatures. Harold Leeman asked "What is the last paragraph about Peter Spagnuolo?" Chairperson Slade answered that this was added to be sure that all signatures he turned in are covered because he obtained signatures before this method was developed. Lloyd Teets said he has problems with the five months in the first paragraph. It would be much easier to get signatures in warm weather rather than in bad weather. Chairperson Slade said If the Charter is changed then candidates/ groups will not have to obtain many signatures. If you get signatures too far in advance of an election, you may have signatures that are not valid as signers no longer reside in the city. Harold Leeman asked what the Clerk's Office is going to do to educate people who are filing petitions? Will they have a workshop or something? 3 Chairperson Slade said we have talked about it. The Clerk's Office is hoping to put together three classes for candidates for city of f ices. Approval of Minutes of 2/12/93 Motion by Marion Hahn to accept the minutes of the February 12, 1993 meeting as written. Supported by Chairperson Slade. Carried 2/0 Correspondence Received and Sent Since Last Meetina None Old Business At this point, Al Knot arrived at the meeting and stated that he would like to make the following corrections to the February 12, 1993 minutes: Page two, third line down: `were in favor of a lotto type approach of canvassing as it would cut costs and expedite the canvassing process. They felt that a line by line approach was a method to stall and a waste of city money.' I do not believe I said that. I thought I said `members of Citizens for a Better Lansing expressed a desire to do the sample method as opposed to a line -by line -canvass.' Page three, in the last paragraph: `They even went after City Council... etc.' Correct this to say `The Election Commission even requested additional money from City Council so that the Commission could do their job.' Page four, at the top: Emphasize Mr. Teets' statement that `he has no problem with the Election Commission.' Motion by Al Knot to re -adopt the minutes as amended. Supported by Marion Hahn. Motion carried 3/0. Proposed Method for Canvassing of Petitions Harold Leeman advised Mr. Knot that Councilmember Lilly has expressed an interest in a Charter amendment ballot proposal to use a filing fee and/or lower number of signatures for petitions. He (Leeman) told Lilly he should bring this before the Election Commission. Al Knot said he told Councilmember Lilly that the Commission would be happy to draft the language for the concept and present it to the Council. 4 Harold Leeman said we have to get something on the ballot by August. City Council should put it on the ballot if they endorse it. Motion by Marion Hahn to adopt the proposed method of canvassing petitions. Supported by Chairperson Slade. Al Knot said he would like a friendly amendment "To adopt this process for this 1993 Election Year and, in addition, that the Election Commission work on proposed charter amendment language that would change the method in which candidates would get on the ballot for future elections." Chairperson Slade asked "Do you want to just say candidates? What about initiative and referendum petition drives?" Motion by Al Knot "To adopt this process for this 1993 Election Year and, in addition, that the Election Commission work on proposed Charter Amendment language that would change the method in which candidates and local initiative and referendum petitions would be placed on the ballot for future elections." Motion carried 3/0. Lloyd Teets said he is concerned that Mr. Knot will say that he is not eligible to run for office because he's in default to the City. Al Knot said for the record "the Election Commission recommended at the last meeting that Mr. Teets submit a letter to the Commission regarding this concern." The Commission will research the issue and respond to Mr. Teets. Mr. Teets stated that he will be submitting a letter. Chairperson Slade stated that she will contact Mr. Spagnuolo to set up a time for the drawing of the beginning number for his petition filing. She will try to set it up for February 17th and will get with other Commission members to verify the time. A discussion was then held on the draft from the City Attorney of Rules of Procedure for the Commission. Al Knot said these rules are modeled after the rules in existence for most city boards; they have been modified only in terms of number of members and the Chairperson. He suggests that we provide for a Vice -Chairperson. Harold Leeman asked if we can have public members on the Election Commission? This would eliminate any suspicion that they are doing an inside job. How would we go about doing this? 5 Al Knot answered that the Rules of Procedure could recommend non- voting Ex -officio members. They would receive copies of everything, attend meetings and have input on issues. Lloyd Teets said "For the record, I am not opposed to having public members on the Election Commission but I would recommend that it be in the form of a Charter change. I want to commend the Commission for allowing more citizen participation than any other board I have ever attended." Next Meeting February 23, 1993 2:00 P.M. Adjournment Motion to Adjourn by Al Knot at 3:30 P.M. Respectfully submitted Marilyhn Slade, Secretary CITY OF LANSING, MICHIGAN ELECTION COMMISSION RESOLUTION PROCESS TO BE USED FOR CANVASS OF PETITION DRIVES RESOLVED that nominating petitions for City of Lansing offices can be filed with the City Clerk's Office from five months before the deadline for filing established by the State of Michigan up to the filing deadline. All other types of petition drives must be filed according to process established by City Charter and State of Michigan law. RESOLVED that the City Clerk's Office will post a schedule for each election for which nominating petitions are required for city offices. This schedule will establish dates when candidates will be guaranteed to have the results of the canvass of their petitions if they submit early filings of their petitions to the City Clerk's Office. RESOLVED that the Election Commission will utilize the number of registered voters in a ward as of the Friday of the week of the initial filing of the petitions as the basis for determining number of signatures required on nominating petitions for City of Lansing ward offices. RESOLVED that the City Clerk's Office shall canvass nominating and initiative petitions in the following manner: 1/ Upon receipt of final filing of these petitions, the City Clerk's Office staff will: (a) Sequentially number all pages of petitions submitted for the filing. Total the number of signatures included on these pages. Invalidate the filing if it contains more than the maximum number of signatures required for the office [per City Charter, Article 2]. (b) Check to ensure that all circulators of the petition were registered voters in the State of Michigan at the time the petition was signed. Invalidate any N signatures on the petition whose circulators are not registered voters. Subtract these from total count of Cn signatures submitted. r- -I CL= (c) Check that all circulators have signed each petition page and entered the date signed. Check to ensure that "CIRCULATOR" portion of each petition page was completed properly. Invalidate any signatures on the LIAi petition which are dated after the date on the C'3 circulator's certificate. Subtract these from total =r rn count of signatures submitted. (d) Check to make sure that all signers have an address within the physical boundaries of the City of Lansing. Invalidate and subtract from the total count of signatures submitted any that do not have a valid Lansing address. 1 (e) Invalidate any signers who have not completed information required - "NAME", "STREET ADDRESS" AND "DATE OF SIGNING". Subtract these from total count of signatures submitted. The field titled "POST OFFICE" must also be completed on any petitions that involve more than one jurisdiction. If the petition involves Lansing only and the City of Lansing is shown at the top of the petition page, it is not necessary that the "POST OFFICE" be completed on each signature line. (f) Obtain a revised count of the number of signatures submitted after adjustments have been made in steps (a) - (e) . (g) Give petitions and revised count of number of signatures to City Clerk. 2/ The City Clerk: (a) makes a determination as to the minimum and maximum number of signatures required for each individual filing submitted. The City Clerk then determines whether the revised count of signatures still meets the minimum number of signatures required for the office or for the petition drive. If the signatures do meet the minimum number of signatures, City Clerk determines number of signatures to be canvassed [established at 10% of the maximum number required]. (b) City Clerk then assembles at least two members of the Election Commission for a random drawing of one number from 1-10. If time allows, candidate is notified by phone or in writing of the date set for the drawing of the beginning number for the canvass of his/her petitions. If candidate is present, candidate will observe placing of the numbers from 1-10 in the drawing mechanism and the drawing of the beginning number for their own petitions. The two members of the Election Commission will initial as witness to the placing of the numbers from 1-10 in the drawing mechanism and will draw the beginning number for the filing. The number drawn will represent the beginning point on page one of the sequentially numbered pages from which a count will be done. Every 10th signature on the sequentially numbered pages from this beginning point will be highlighted. Only highlighted signatures will be canvassed on the filing. Each highlighted signature will then be verified through the following steps. The two members of the Election Commission present will sign and date the form for the filing attesting to the number drawn for that filing. In years in which the present City Clerk is submitting a petition filing, both other members of the Election Commission must be present to witness the drawing of the beginning number for all candidates for City Clerk. 3/ City Clerk's Office staff begins canvass of each filing based upon guidelines in State Election Law to include: (a) Check of the mainframe computer voter registration system to see if the highlighted voters are registered to vote in the City of Lansing. If not registered, enter "NR" next to voter's name on the petition. (b) Check the master voter registration card and compare the signature on the master voter registration card with that on the petition. If signatures do not match, enter "NM" next to voter's name on the petition. (c) Count the number of valid signatures of the highlighted voters and report to the City Clerk. 4/ City Clerk projects number of valid signatures against total number submitted to determine if the filing has the proper number of signatures to be placed on the ballot. [i.e. if 90% of signatures verified are valid and 1,200 signatures were submitted, projects total valid number of signatures as being 1,080]. If an adequate number of signatures has been received, proceed to step 116". 5/ If adequate number of signatures has not been obtained: (a) Make a determination if the candidate/group has additional time left to file more petition signatures. If so, notify candidate/group in writing of inadequacy and request additional signatures before filing deadline. Additional filings by the candidate/group will be separately numbered and a new beginning number drawn. (b) If filing deadline has passed, canvass the petition submission line -by-line until such time as it can be determined conclusively that candidate/group does or does not have the required number of signatures. If it is determined that adequate signatures have been filed, proceed to step 116". If adequate signatures have not been filed, City Clerk sends letter to individual/ group notifying them of this fact. 6/ City Clerk notifies individual or group filing petitions in writing if adequate signatures were filed to place their name/issue on the ballot. 7/ If the County Clerk receives a sworn complaint, in writing, questioning the validity of the registration or genuineness of the signature of the circulator or of a person signing a petition filed with the County Clerk for an office, the County Clerk shall commence an investigation and shall cause the petition that he or she considers necessary to be forwarded to the proper City Clerk to compare the signatures appearing on the petition with the signatures appearing on the registration record, or in some other proper manner determine whether the signatures appearing on the petition are valid and genuine. If the request has been made by the County Clerk, the City Clerk shall complete the investigation and report his or her findings to the County Clerk within 7 days after the request. The investigation shall include the validity of the signatures and the genuineness of a petition as is specified in the sworn complaint and may include any other doubtful signatures or petitions filed on behalf of the candidate against whose petitions the sworn complaint is directed, as the County Clerk considers necessary. A complaint respecting the validity and genuineness of signatures on a petition shall not be acted upon unless the complaint sets forth the specific signatures claimed to be invalid and the specific petition for which the complaint questions the validity and genuineness of the signature or registration of the circulator, and unless the complaint is received by the County Clerk within 7 days after the statutory date for the filing of the nominating petitions. Should it be found that challenged signatures are not valid, these would be subtracted from the beginning number of valid signatures shown in 3(c) of this procedure. 8/ Petitions relating to a nominating petition filing are retained within the City Clerk's Office until January 1st following the election for which the petitions were obtained. If candidate asked for these to be returned on their Affidavit of Identity Form, the petitions will be returned to the candidate. Otherwise, City Clerk's Office staff pulls and destroys the petitions. Retention of petitions related to other issues [initiate, referendum, charter amendment, etc.] vary according to the issue. Information regarding the retention for these types of petitions will be provided in writing upon request. RESOLVED to amend this resolution for the May 11, 1993, filing deadline only to accept the filing of Peter Spagnuolo who requested petitions on 8/26/92 and who has some signatures dated before the five months specified in paragraph one of this procedure. RESOLVED to adopt this process for the 1993 election year and, in addition, that the Election Commission will work on proposed City Charter amendment language which would change the way individual candidates and local initiative and referendum petitions get on the ballot. ADOPTED BY THE ELECTION COMMISSION ON: OZ -162-q3 (Date) CHAIRPERSON, ELECTION COMMISSION: — (S lgnature) 4 City of Lansing - Election Commission Minutes of Meeting 9th Floor Conference Room February 23, 1993 PRESENT: Marilynn Slade, Marion Hahn, Alvan Knot, Robert Alim-Young ABSENT: None 4 W Meeting was called to order by Chairperson Slade at 2:08 P.M. Public Comments {— o- None r Approval of Minutes of 2/16/93 0 COD W Motion by Al Knot to approve the minutes of the February 16, 1993, meeting. CARRIED 3-0. Correspondence Received and Sent Since Last Meeting A communication was received from Lloyd Teets of 116 E. Elm Street. It was agreed to request a copy of the judgement mentioned in this letter. Old Business The Commission reviewed the corrected Affidavit submitted by City Attorney Knot. It was agreed that additional changes will be made regarding: -to change the work and to or in the statement "I have been a resident of the City for one year immediately prior to the date I am executing this Affidavit; and -to have "Yes" and "No" columns for each item. -a statement added to the bottom that the Affidavit cannot be accepted by the City Clerk's Office unless each statement has been answered. -a statement added to the bottom that failure to complete this affidavit accurately may result in forfeiture of city elective office if elected or disqualification as a candidate for elective office. In addition, failure to complete this affidavit accurately may result in criminal prosecution, the penalty for which is up to 90 days in jail and/or $500. 1 -the Affidavit form will be printed in two copies so that the candidate can retain a signed copy of it. Motion by Al Knot to approve the Affidavit form with the above corrections. CARRIED 3-0 The Commission reviewed the Rules of Procedure for the Commission. The following changes were agreed upon: -to add under 1.2 that the Vice -Chairperson shall take office at the first meeting in January -to add under 3.6 ORDER OF BUSINESS a time limit of five minutes for Public Comments on Agenda Items and a time limit of three minutes for Public Comment on Non -Agenda Items -to change under 4.1 AMENDMENTS that The affirmative vote of two members present shall be required to amend the Rules of Administrative Procedure, instead of five. Motion by Chairperson Slade to approve the Rules of Procedure for the Commission with the above additions or changes. CARRIED 3-0 New Business None Next Meeting The next meeting will be held on March 16, 1.993 at 2:00 P.M. in the 9th Floor Conference Room. Meeting adjourned at 2:25 P.M. Respectfully submitted, Marilynn Slade, C,h 'rperson, Election Commission k:\wpdata\mms\election\eleccom6. min `a City of Lansing - Election Commission Minutes of Meeting 9th Floor Conference Room March 16, 1993 PRESENT: Marilynn Slade, Marion Hahn, Alvan Knot, Robert Alim-Young, Harold Leeman (529 N. Francis St.) ABSENT: None Meeting was called to order by Chairperson Slade at 2:10.M. Approval of Minutes of 2/23/93 Motion by Member Knot; seconded by Chairperson Slade to approve the minutes of the February 23, 1993, meeting. CARRIED 2-0. [Member Hahn did not arrive until after approval of the Minutes] Public Comments on Agenda Items Harold Leeman asked if the Chairperson would provide an update of what the new federal Motor Voter bill would encompass. Chairperson Slade responded that she would bring a report on this legislation to the next Commission meeting. Communications and Petitions None Reports from the Chairperson None-- Action Items �T Motion by Al Knot; seconded by Chairperson Slade to appoint Marion Hahn Vice Chairpersc for the Commission. v G: CARRIED 3-0 1 A discussion was held on the use of the wording "advisory capacity" in the Rules of Procedure adopted by the Election Commission on February 23, 1993. Motion by Member Knot; seconded by Vice Chairperson Hahn that the words "in its advisory capacity" be removed from the beginning paragraph of the Rules of Procedure that were approved at the February 23, 1993 meeting. CARRIED 3-0 Old Business It was agreed that Vice Chairperson Hahn would write a letter to Lloyd Teets requesting a copy of the judgment mentioned in his letter to the Commission. New Business None Public Comment on Non -Agenda Items Harold Leeman asked for the status of the Commission recommendation that City Council place a change in the requirement for signatures for nominating petitions/other petitions on the ballot this year. Member Knot responded that Councilmember Lilly has been working on bringing this forward at the Committee of the Whole but thus far it has remained in tabled status. Harold Leeman requested a letter from Chairperson Slade regarding the issue of residency in a ward vs requirement for signing petitions as a circulator - can a candidate move to the ward and remain registered at former address for the purpose of circulating petitions? Chairperson Slade responded that she would give Mr. Leeman a letter clarifying this issue. Next Meetine The next meeting will be held on May 4, 1993 at 2:00 P.M. in the 9th Floor Conference Room. 2 Adjournment Motion by Member Knot; seconded by Vice Chairperson Hahn to adjourn the meeting. Meeting adjourned at 2:55 P.M. Respectfully submitted, Marilynn ad , hairperson, Election Commission k:\wpdata\mxns\eleccom\marl693.n-iin 3 City of Lansing - Election Commission Minutes of Meeting 9th Floor Conference Room May 4, 1993 PRESENT: Marilynn Slade, Marion Hahn, Alvan Knot, Robert Alim-Young, Harold Leeman (529 N. Francis St.) ABSENT: None Meeting was called to order by Chairperson Slade at 2:04 P.M. Approval of Minutes of 3/16/93 Motion by Member Hahn to approve the minutes of the March 16, 1993, meeting. M , R 1111 Public Comments on Agenda Items Harold Leeman asked if the Chairperson would provide an update of what the new federal Motor Voter bill would encompass. Chairperson Slade responded that she would bring a report on this legislation to the next Commission meeting. Communications and Petitions Letter from Marion Hahn to Lloyd Teets dated 3/22/93 Response from Lloyd Teets dated 3/29/93 Reports from the Chairperson Chairperson Slade reported that the Commission recommendation to Council to place a ballot proposal on the ballot regarding the nominating petition process is in the General Services Committee of City Council. Chairperson Slade also provided updates on the National Voter Registration Act and the candidates for the August 3, 1993, primary election. She also reported that the Clerk's Office would have to purchase ballot bags for use in the June 2d election as there is not enough equipment available to cover both the June 2d and June 14th elections. She distributed a calendar for 1993 election dates to Commission members. 1 Action Items Motion by Al Knot that the Election Commission is directing City Clerk Slade to send the rules of procedure, as amended on March 16, 1993, to the City Council for approval. VOTE: 2-1; Chairperson Slade voting nay Old Business None New Business It was agreed that Chairperson Slade will bring a proposed procedure for challenges to nominating petitions to the next meeting. Public Comment on Non -Agenda Items None Next Meeting The next meetings will be held on May 7, 1993 and May 12, 1993 at 2:00 P.M. Adjournment Motion by Member Knot to adjourn the meeting. Meeting adjourned at 3:20 P.M. Respectfully submitted, -M, ' CA-y-ftU' Marilynn Slade, Chai o erson, Election Commission k: \wpdata\mms\e1eccom\may0493 . min 2 City of Lansing - Election Commission Minutes of Meeting 9th Floor Conference Room May 7, 1993 PRESENT: Marilynn Slade, Marion Hahn, Alvan Knot, Robert Alim-Young, Harold Leeman (529 N. Francis St.), Lloyd Teets (116 E. Elm St.) ABSENT: None Meeting was called to order by Chairperson Slade at 2:07 P.M. Action Items Chairperson Slade distributed a proposed procedure for challenges to nominating petitions for review by the Commission. Motion by Vice Chairperson Hahn to adopt the procedure for challenges to nominating petitions. VOTE: 3/0 Next Meeting The next meetings will be held on May 12, 1993 at 2:00 P.M. Adjournment Motion by Member Knot to adjourn the meeting. Meeting adjourned at 2:20 P.M. Respectfully submitted, C4 Marilynn Slade, 6hairperson, Election Commission i kAwpdata\mms\eleccom\may0793. min 1 City of Lansing - Election Commission Minutes of Meeting 9th Floor Conference Room May 12, 1993 PRESENT: Marilynn Slade, Marion Hahn, Alvan Knot, Robert Alim-Young, Harold Leeman (529 N. Francis St.), Lloyd Teets (116 E. Elm St.), Walter Jones, 215 Rumsey ABSENT: None Meeting was called to order by Chairperson Slade at 2:17 P.M. Public Comment Lloyd Teets described to the Commission the problems he has been experiencing with the Board of Water and Light and the reason why he entered a "?" in the default box on his Affidavit filed with his nominating petitions. New Business Member Knot stated that the Election Commission is not here to solve his prfoblem with the Board of Water and Light. A discussion ensued as to what constituted default. Chairperson Slade provided an update on candidates filing for the August 3, 1993, primary. Next Meeting The next meeting will be held on July 13, 1993, at 2:00 P.M. Adjournment Motion by Member Knot to adjourn the meeting. Meeting adjourned at 2:50 P.M. Respectfully submitted, Marilynn S a e, chairperson, Election Commission k: \wpdata\mms\eleccom\may 1293. min City of Lansing - Election Commission Minutes of Meeting 9th Floor Conference Room July 13, 1993 PRESENT: Marilynn Slade, Marion Hahn, Alvan Knot, Harold Leeman (529 N. Francis St.) ABSENT: None Meeting was called to order by Chairperson Slade at 2:21 P.M. Approval of Minutes of 5/4/93, 5/7/93 and 5/12/93 Motion by Member Knot to approve the minutes of the May 4, 1993, May 7, 1993, and May 12, 1993 meetings. CARRIED 3-0. Public Comments on Agenda Items Harold Leeman brought to the attention of the Commission the fact that many violations are occurring regarding placement of campaign signs by the various candidates for city offices. A discussion ensued regarding the placement of signs in the right of way, on trees or telephone poles in the right of way and on public property. The Commission directed Chairperson Slade to issue a letter to all candidates to provide them with the regulations regarding the placement of political yard signs. Enforcement of these provisions will be by the Public Service Department. Communications and Petitions None Reports from the Chairperson Chairperson Slade reviewed the June 2, 1993 and the June 14, 1993 elections. She also reported that City Council approved a resolution to place a proposal on the November 2, 1993, ballot regarding the method used for nomination to city offices. Action Items None Old Business None New Business None Public Comment on Non -Agenda Items None Next Meetinp- The next meeting will be held on September 14, 1993, at 2:00 P.M. Adjournment Motion by Member Knot to adjourn the meeting. Meeting adjourned at 3:10 P.M. Respectfully submitted, F � Marilynn Slade, C airperson, Election Commission Date Approved: September 14, 1993 k:\wpdata\mms\eleccom\jull393.min 2 Ci ty of Lansing- Election Commission July 14, 1993 Jim Crawford 3424 Karen Lansing, MI 48911 Dear Candidate for City Office: W:� /2j�d,� It has been brought to the attention of the Election Commission of the City of Lansing that multiple violations of section 1022.01 and 1442.18 of the Code of Ordinances have occurred regarding placement of campaign signs in the public right of way or on public property. The right of way on any street in the city is the area between the sidewalk and the curb on streets with sidewalks. On streets with no sidewalks, the right of way is an area approximately 15-20' from the curb. Median strips are also in the public right of way. Pursuant to city ordinances, no campaign signs can be placed in the right of way areas described above. This includes any affixing of campaign materials to trees, telephone poles or other objects within the right of way. Please check the placement of your campaign signs to make sure you are in compliance with the Code requirements. Please also review these requirements with any of your campaign staff who are placing signage up on your behalf. . Effective July 19, 1993, the Public Service Department of the city will begin removal of any signage found in the right of way. This signage, if removed, will be taken to the O & M Division of the Public Service Department at 601 E. South Street. You will be contacted and allowed to pick up your signs at this location during normal working hours. Thank you for your expected cooperation in meeting the requirements regarding placement of your campaign signage. Copies of Sections 1022.01 and 1442.18 of the Code are attached. If you have any questions regarding this matter, please contact the City Attorney at 483-4320. Sincerely, CITY OF LANSING - ELECTION COMMISSION Marilynn Slade, City Clerk Alvan P. Knot, City Attorney Marion Mahn, City Assessor 7) 483-4130 City Clerk's Office, 124 W. Michigan Ave. Lansing, M148933-1695 City of Lansing - Election Commission Minutes of Meeting 9th Floor Conference Room September 14, 1993 PRESENT: Marilynn Slade, Marion Hahn, Alvan Knot (arrived after approval of the minutes), Harold Leeman (529 N. Francis St.) ABSENT: None Meeting was called to order by Chairperson Slade at 2:05 P.M. Approval of Minutes of 7/13/93 Motion by Vice Chairperson Hahn to approve the minutes of the July 13, 1993, meeting. CARRIED 2-0 (Member Knot absent for vote). Public Comments on Agenda Items Harold Leeman asked that the Commission discuss the federal "motor voter" bill, voter turnout for the August 3rd election, and what the Commission might be able to do to make the voters aware of Proposition A on the November 2nd ballot. Communications and Petitions None Reports from the Chairperson Chairperson Slade reviewed the August 3rd election. She also provided a calendar to Board members to cover the remainder of 1993. Members were given copies of Public Law 103-31, the "motor voter" bill which was adopted in May. Chairperson Slade reviewed some of the changes that would be made to voter registration procedures when this bill becomes effective in 1995. Chairperson Slade also discussed the potential that recall petitions may be filed in the next couple of weeks which would necessitate her placing additional staffing on to complete the canvass of these petitions within the 15 days allowed. Action Items None 1 Old Business None New Business None Public Comment on Non -Agenda Items Harold Leeman asked for a review of candidates who will be on the November 2nd ballot. Next Meeting The next meeting will be held on October 5, 1993, at 2:00 P.M. Adjournment Motion by Member Hahn to adjourn the meeting. Meeting adjourned at 2:45 P.M. Respectfully submitted, Marilynn Slade, ' hairperson, Election Commission Date Approved: October 5, 1993 k:\WPdata\mms\eieccom\sepl493.rriin 2 12-08-93A09:20 RCVD City of Lansing - Election Commission Minutes of Meeting 9th Floor Conference Room October 5, 1993 PRESENT: Marilynn Slade, Alvan Knot, Harold Leeman (529 N. Francis St.) ABSENT: Marion Hahn Meeting was called to order by Chairperson Slade at 2:15 P.M. Approval of Minutes of 9/14/93 Motion by Member Knot to approve the minutes of the September 14, 1993, meeting. CARRIED 2-0 Public Comments on Agenda Items Harold Leeman asked if any problems were expected with campaign yard signs for the November election. Communications and Petitions None Reports from the Chairperson Chairperson Slade reported that she will be publishing the wording of Ballot Proposals A and B for the November ballot in the Lansing State Journal. Action Items None Old Business None New Business 1 None Public Comment on Non -Agenda Items Next Meetine The next meeting will be held on December 7, 1993, at 2:00 P.M. Adjournment Meeting adjourned at 2:50 P.M. Respectfully submitted, Marilynn a , Chairperson, Election Commission Date Approved: 12/7/93 k:\wpdata\mms\eleccom\oct0593.min 2 4P05 City of Lansing - Election Commission Minutes of Meeting 9th Floor Conference Room December 7, 1993 PRESENT: Marilynn Slade, Alvan Knot, Marion Hahn, Robert Alim-Young, Harold Leeman (529 N. Francis St.); Tim Lewis (500 S. Pine) ABSENT: None Meeting was called to order by Chairperson Slade at 2:06 P.M. Approval of Minutes of 10/5/93 Motion by Member Knot to approve the minutes of the October 5, 1993, meeting. CARRIED 2-0; Vice Chairperson Hahn not voting as was not present at the 10/5/93 meeting. Public Comments on Agenda Items None Communications and Petitions Chairperson Slade stated that letters received from Frank Cremins and Kenneth Vaughan will be received and placed on file. Reports from the Chairperson None Action Items None Old Business None 1 New Business None Public Comment on Non -Agenda Items A discussion was held on the resignation of Sue Eby. Harold Leeman asked the City Attorney for his opinion regarding the designation of Chief Deputy City Clerk. Member Knot responded that any employee in the Clerk's Office can be designated to serve as the Chief Deputy City Clerk if such designation is given in writing by the City Clerk. Next Meeting A 1994 Schedule has not been completed. Adjournment Meeting adjourned at 2:45 P.M. Respectfully submitted, Marilynn Slade, hairperson, Election Commission Date Approved: 2/22/94 k: \wpdata\mms\eleccom\oct0593 . min 2