TO: Board of Supervisors
FROM: Minh Tran, County Executive Officer
REPORT BY: Nelson Cortez, Staff Assistant - BOS
SUBJECT: AB 759 (McCarty) - Elections: county officers.
RECOMMENDATION
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County Executive Officer, on behalf of the Sheriff, District Attorney, and Registrar of Voters, requests discussion and possible action regarding AB 759 (McCarty) relating to elections of county officers. (Unanimous vote required)
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EXECUTIVE SUMMARY
AB 759 (McCarty) as amended July 1, 2021, requires counties to hold elections for District Attorney and Sheriff along with the Presidential election cycle starting on January 1, 2023.
The Registrar of Voters, Sheriff, and District Attorney request the Board take an oppose position on AB 759. They will be available to provide background and answer any questions on potential impacts to Napa County.
PROCEDURAL REQUIREMENTS
1. Staff Reports
2. Public Comments.
3. Discussion, Motion, Second, Vote on Item.
FISCAL & STRATEGIC PLAN IMPACT
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Is there a Fiscal Impact? |
No |
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Where is it budgeted? |
N/A |
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Discretionary Justification: |
N/A |
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Is the general fund affected? |
No |
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Future fiscal impact: |
N/A |
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Consequences if not approved: |
N/A |
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County Strategic Plan pillar addressed: |
Effective and Open Government |
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Additional Information |
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ENVIRONMENTAL IMPACT
ENVIRONMENTAL DETERMINATION: N/A
BACKGROUND AND DISCUSSION
PURPOSE OF THE BILL
According to the author, local government, specifically county officers and their policies, has an immediate and direct effect on our daily lives. However, voter turnout for local elections fluctuates significantly depending on what year elections are held. For example, in Sacramento County voter turnout was 14-16% higher in presidential election years compared to gubernatorial election years. AB 759 will promote political equality and enhanced citizen participation in county elections by aligning those elections with the presidential election.
On July 1, 2021, was amended to apply to Sheriff and District Attorney elections, only.
COMMENTS
According to the Napa County Registrar of Voters, AB 759, will not increase voter participation and instead could decrease the number of people who vote for these officers. While presidential elections attract more people to participate, especially new and/or diverse voters, a significant number of voters do not complete the entire ballot. Presidential elections typically include several propositions, which makes the ballot longer than mid-term elections - when the Governor is elected. For example, the Governor’s race in 2018 saw the drop-off from Governor to next race - House of Representatives - was 8.34% while the drop off in the 2020 presidential election from the President to the House of Representative jumped to 43.7%.
Further, the Registrar of Voters states presidential primary ballots are complicated and confusing with separate ballot types by party and the ability of No Party Preference voters to cross over to certain partisan ballots.
Furthermore, with the Presidential Primary in March (as opposed to the Gubernatorial Primary in June) there is a 90-day longer lame-duck period if a new countywide officer were elected in the primary without a runoff in November.
IMPACT TO NAPA COUNTY
Moving even two countywide offices to the March Presidential Primary could lead to more ballot cards, increasing the cost to the County for printing and mailing.
SUPPORT & OPPOSITION
As of July 7, 2021, the California State Association of Counties (CSAC) and the Rural County Representatives of California (RCRC) have a “Watch” position.
SUPPORTING DOCUMENTS
Bill Text