Blue Ribbon Review Panel on Ranked Choice Voting

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Blue Ribbon Review Panelon Ranked Choice Voting
Pierce County Auditors Office May 23, 2007
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Agenda

• Welcome and Introductions
• Review Considerations
• Pro and Con exercise of each voting option
  scenario
• Discuss Minor/Independent Party Proposal from
  Ruth Bennett
• Break
• Introduce Pierce County Director of
  Communications
• Ron Klein
• Discussion Topic No. 4
• Voter Education
• Questions and Comments

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Welcome Back!
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Staff Introductions

• Joanne Inglett
• Election Center Floor Manager
• Michelle Ackers
• Election Specialist
• Geri Powers
• Poll Worker Coordinator

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Blue Ribbon Review Panel

• Discussion Topic No. 3
• Voting Options

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Discussion Topic 3 Considerations

• Minimize complexity/confusion
• Poll Workers
• Voters
• Election Staff
• Public
• Avoid barriers to voter participation
• Maintain voter confidence

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Voting Option Scenarios

• Scenario No. 1
• Keep current level of service
• Scenario No. 2
• Create something new
• Vote Centers
• Scenario No. 3
• Conduct all elections by mail

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Scenario No. 1 Keep Current Complex System

• Continue to provide a wide range of voting
  options
• Motto Have it Your Way!
• Early Touch Screen Voters
• Auditors Office
• Absentee Ballot Voters
• Mail
• Express Booth
• Polls
• Polling Place Voters
• Touch Screen (DAU)
• Optical Scan
• Provisional
• UOCAVA Voters
• Mail
• Email
• Pros and Cons

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Scenario No. 2 Create Something New

• Vote Centers
• A regional location where any voter can vote
  their correct ballot on Election Day
• Voter Centers will require
• Touch Screen Voting Machines
• Electronic Poll Books
• Develop county-wide regional location plan
• Determine the level of service
• Close current polling locations (58)
• Notify voters with options
• Vote by mail
• Vote at a Vote Center
• Pros and Cons

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Scenario No. 3 Conduct Elections by Mail

• Provide one main voting option for Pierce County
  Voters
• Maintain accessible voting options
• Pros and Cons

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Any New Scenarios?

• Pros and Cons

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Discuss Minor/Independent Party Proposal from
Ruth Bennett

• See handout
• Modify Section 4.15 of the Pierce County Charter
• Replace subsection 3 with the following
• The County Executive Committee, or, if there is
  none, the State Executive Committee of each minor
  party who files with the State Public Disclosure
  Commission shall determine which candidates may
  use their party label for each county level
  office.

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Break

• 10 minutes

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2nd Half Agenda Voter Education

• Overview of current voter education
• Introduce Discussion Topic No. 4
• Voter Education

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Welcome

• Pierce County Director of Communications
• Ron Klein
• Pierce County Chief Deputy Auditor and Voter
  Outreach Coordinator
• Keri Rooney

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Pierce County Voter Education Efforts

• Voting is Cool
• Voter Hall of Fame
• Summer Young Adult Outreach
• County-wide Mailings
• National Voter Registration Act required every
  two years
• Nursing Homes
• High Schools
• Military Bases
• Public Presentations and Voter Outreach Offices
• Service Clubs, Neighborhood Councils, Advocacy
  Groups, Ethnic Fest, etc.
• Voter Pamphlets
• Ballot Inserts
• Posters
• Advertising
• Website
• Not a one-time cost!
• New voters move to our county every day.

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Straight Arrow Program 2001

• This education campaign focused on teaching
  voters how to properly complete the arrow when
  marking their ballot
• The goal of the program was to reduce the number
  of improperly marked ballots
• Posters at Polls, t-shirts for election staff,
  commercial on RCC, voter pamphlet, ballot
  inserts, and pins for poll workers
• Approximately 15,000 to Pierce County

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Pick-a-Party Primary 2004

• As easy as 1, 2, 3
• The goal of this campaign was to reduce voter
  confusion with implementing a new primary
• Focused on the need to affiliate with a political
  party and then vote for candidates of that party
• TV commercials, radio, transit advertising, print
  media advertising and countywide mailing
• Joint effort by Secretary of State, Pierce, King,
  Snohomish and Kitsap County Auditors
• Estimated statewide costs 4 million
• Over 100,000 to Pierce County

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Restoring Voter Confidence 2005

• The goal of this campaign was to restore voter
  confidence after the 2004 Gubernatorial Election
• TV advertising, transit advertising, print media
  advertising and a countywide mailing
• Joint effort by Secretary of State, Washington
  State Association of County Auditors, and the
  Pierce, King, Snohomish and Kitsap County
  Auditors
• Estimated statewide costs 4 million
• Over 60,000 to Pierce County

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Restoring Voter Confidence
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Blue Ribbon Review Panel

• Discussion Topic No. 4
• Voter Education

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Discussion Topic No. 4 Considerations Voter
Education

• To inform and educate all Pierce County voters
• Broad spectrum of voting populations
• To support and enhance voters comprehension
• To promote ballot marking effectiveness and
  accuracy
• Promote confidence in the process and minimize
  voter error

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Voter Education Priorities

• The cornerstone of our voter education plan
  should focus on
• Preparing voters to expect multiple ballot pages
  in RCV elections
• Encourage voters to vote and return all ballot
  pages
• Ensuring that Pierce County voters understand how
  to properly mark an RCV ballot page
• Illustrate the differences on how to vote the
  traditional ballot page vs. the RCV ballot page(s)

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Proper Voter Education is Important!
Panel Cites Voter Error, Not Software, in Loss
of Votes The New York Times By CHRISTOPHER
DREW Published February 24, 2007 Florida
election officials announced yesterday that an
examination of voting software did not find any
malfunctions that could have caused up to 18,000
votes to be lost in a disputed Congressional
race in Sarasota County, and they suggested that
voter confusion over a poor ballot design was
mainly to blame.
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Voter Education Scenarios

• Scenario No. 1
• Reach all voters at least five times
• Scenario No. 2
• Reach all voters up to three times
• Scenario No. 3
• Reach all voters once or twice

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Education Marketing Strategy Goal

• Reach all registered Pierce County voters with
  timely, understandable information about Ranked
  Choice Voting.

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Scenario No. 1 Reach all registered voters five
times

• Frequency of
• Individual Contacts 5
• Estimated cost of
• production and media 450,000 - 500,000

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Scenario No. 1Educational Materials and Programs

• Educational Materials and Programs that explain
  the
• history behind RCV and provide a step-by-step
• demonstration of the voting process
• Enhanced Voters pamphlets
• Insert in Tacoma News Tribune
• 10-15 minute instructional program produced for
  county cable channel, TV Tacoma and KBTC Public
  TV
• Public relations campaign in partnership with
  local media
• Instructional pamphlets distributed to government
  buildings, libraries, colleges, and other
  locations
• Auditors Web page illustrating voting procedure
• Streaming of 10-15 minute instructional program
  on Auditors web page
• Speakers bureau including DVD of instructional
  program and/or Power Point program presented at
  Rotary, City Club, Senior Centers and other
  community organizations

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Scenario No. 1Awareness Campaign

• Awareness Campaign that alerts voters of new RCV
• ballot and tells them where to access educational
• materials and programs.
• Radio commercial on local stations
• Billboards
• Transit campaign
• Postcards (direct mail)
• Posters
• Newspaper ads
• TV public service announcement
• Community events
• E-mail through government, non-profit and
  business networks
• Sample ballots

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Scenario No. 2 Reach all registered voters
three times

• Frequency of
• Individual Contacts 3
• Estimated cost of
• production and media 325,000

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Scenario No. 2Educational Materials and Programs

• Educational Materials and Programs that explain
  the
• history behind RCV and provide a step-by-step
• demonstration of the voting process
• Enhanced Voters pamphlets
• Insert in Tacoma News Tribune
• 10-15 minute instructional program produced for
  county cable channel, TV Tacoma and KBTC Public
  TV
• Public relations campaign in partnership with
  local media
• Auditors Web page illustrating voting procedure
• Streaming of 10-15 minute instructional program
  on Auditors web page
• Speakers bureau including DVD of instructional
  program and/or Power Point program presented at
  Rotary, City Club, Senior Centers and other
  community organizations

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Scenario No. 2Awareness Campaign

• Awareness Campaign that alerts voters of
• new RCV ballot and tells them where to
• access educational materials and programs.
• Radio commercial on local stations
• Postcards (direct mail)
• TV public service announcement
• Community events
• E-mail through government, non-profit and
• business networks

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Scenario No. 3 Reach all registered voters once
or twice

• Frequency of
• Individual Contacts 1-2
• Estimated cost of
• production and media 175,000

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Scenario No. 3Educational Materials and Programs

• Educational Materials and Programs that explain
  the
• history behind RCV and provide a step-by-step
• demonstration of the voting process
• Enhanced Voters pamphlets
• 10-15 minute instructional program produced for
  county cable channel, TV Tacoma and KBTC Public
  TV
• Auditors Web page illustrating voting procedure
• Streaming of 10-15 minute instructional program
  on Auditors web page
• Speakers bureau including DVD of instructional
  program and/or Power Point program presented at
  Rotary, City Club, Senior Centers and other
  community organizations

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Scenario No. 3Awareness Campaign

• Awareness Campaign that alerts voters of new RCV
• ballot and tells them where to access educational
• materials and programs.
• Postcards (direct mail)
• E-mail through government, non-profit and
• business networks

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Homework Assignment

• Review these three scenarios
• Brainstorm other scenarios
• Provide feedback and input
• The Pros and Cons of each scenario
• Come to the meeting on May 30th prepared to
  discuss voter education

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Blue Ribbon Review Panel

• Questions
• and

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