Voice for Democracy Spring 2003 Newsletter of Californians for Electoral Reform IN THIS ISSUE: Save the Date Presidents Letter Call for Nominations Help Lobby For AB 1039 Bill Number AB 1039 Introduced H.R. 415 Introduced in Congress Local Chapters & Contacts ------------- Save the Date ------------- Mark your calendars now for the CfER Annual General Meeting from 1:30pm to 4:30pm Saturday May 31st (with party to follow). Also, the CfER Annual Leadership Retreat will be all day Sunday, June 1st. More details will be mailed to members in early May. ------------------ President's Letter ------------------ This is going to be a short note, as we need the space in the newsletter to tell you about AB 1039. Suffice it to say that we have a bill in the state legislature that will give to general law cities the same freedom to choose their election method as do charter law cities. (We intend to amend it to apply to general law counties, as well as school districts, special districts, etc.) Please read about the bill and do as many of the lobbying activities as you can. Let us know what you can accomplish. We are a grassroots organization and we rely on you, the grass roots, to do the heavy lifting at times like this. Also, please consider running for the Board. Information on how to do this appears elsewhere in the Newsletter. Finally, please plan on attending the Annual General Meeting May 31st from 1:30pm to 4:30pm, with a party afterwards. The location is still being pinned down as I write this but it will probably be in Berkeley. Full information will be in the election mailing that will go out in early May. Thanks! --Steve Chessin President, Californians for Electoral Reform -------------------- Call for Nominations -------------------- We will be electing our nine-member Board of Directors at our Annual General membership meeting in May. While I expect that many of the current Directors will run for re-election, I know that at least one is stepping down. This means we will have at least one open seat so this is a good opportunity for someone who wants to increase their level of activity with CfER. Also, we elect our Board using proportional representation (we practice what we preach!) and PR only works if the election is contested. The Board itself meets in person every three months, and by conference call in the in-between months. Board members are encouraged (but not required) to get involved with some area of interest, such as membership development, outreach, communication, chapter coordination, finance, lobbying, or education. Candidates may be self-nominated. To nominate yourself, send your name and a statement of up to 250 words to CfER Elections, c/o Steve Willett, 6422 Irwin Court, Oakland, CA 94609. You may also send your name and statement via email to stevew @ initcomp .com. Nominations and statements must be received by April 19th, 2003, in order to guarantee appearance in the ballots that will be mailed to all members prior to the AGM. (If you use US mail, we recommend you mail your statement by April 12th, 2003, to guarantee timely delivery.) [Note: this is two weeks earlier than the dates in the Winter 2003 newsletter.] So consider running for the Board. It's fun, and you get to help set the direction of the Electoral Reform movement! Members from Southern California and newly active members are especially encouraged to run. --Steve Chessin President, Californians for Electoral Reform ---------------------- Help Lobby For AB 1039 ---------------------- Assemblywoman Loni Hancock (D-14; Berkeley) has introduced AB 1039 on Municipal Election Voting Methods. This is a "home rule" bill that will allow general law cities the same freedom that charter law cities have to choose their own method for electing their local government. A hearing on AB 1039 has been scheduled in the Assembly Committee on Elections, Reapportionment, and Constitutional Amendments (ERCA) for Tuesday, April 22nd, 2003. The committee meets in Room 444 at 1:30pm in the Capitol in Sacramento. We need all CfER members to help lobby in favor of AB 1039. Here are the things we need you to do, preferably before April 22nd: 1. Contact your local Assemblymember and ask her or him to become a co-author of AB 1039. You can locate your Assemblymember by going to http://www.assembly.ca.gov/defaulttext.asp and clicking on "Find my District". (If it gives you more than one, you can call their district offices to find out which one is yours.) The best approach is to write a letter; fax it or mail it to the Assemblymember's Sacramento office. Next best is to make a phone call. Third best is to send email. Your letter can be short. It can be as simple as: The Hon. ___________ State Capitol Sacramento, CA 95814 Dear ____________ I am writing to ask you to become a co-author of AB 1039 on Municipal Election Voting Methods. It is a "home rule" bill that will allow general law cities the same freedom that charter law cities have to choose their own method for electing their local government. Please let me know if you will co-author this bill. Sincerely,If you don't get a response within a week, follow up with a phone call. (You can call their district office if you don't want to call their Sacramento office.) 2. If you live in a general law city yourself, ask your city council to pass a resolution expressing support for AB 1039. If you're not sure if you live in a general law city, you can find a list of chartered cities at http://www.fairvoteca.org/campaign/chartercountycity.htm If your city isn't listed, then it's a general law city. Such a resolution can be as simple as: Whereas, the City of is a general law city, and is restricted in its choice of voting methods by the laws of the State of California; and Whereas, chartered cities have the freedom to choose their own voting method; and Whereas, AB 1039 (Hancock) is a "home rule" bill that would would give to general law cities the same freedom of choice in voting method as do chartered cities; Therefore, Be It Resolved That the City of supports and endorses AB 1039; and Be It Further Resolved That the City of asks its state representatives to co-sponsor AB 1039; and Be It Further Resolved That the City of asks the League of California Cities to endorse AB 1039; and Be It Further Resolved That the City of respectfully requests that the County Registrar ensure that any new voting equipment used in the county be compatible with all of the voting options included in AB 1039; and Be It Further Resolved That the City of will send a copy of this resolution to its state representatives; the author of AB 1039 (Assemblymember Loni Hancock); the Assembly Committee on Elections, Reapportionment, and Constitutional Amendments; the League of California Cities; and the Registrar of Voters. 3. Whether or not your City Council passes the above resolution, find out if any of the Councilmembers are interested in the bill. If so, ask them to send an individual letter asking their Assemblymember to become a co-author, and to send an individual letter of support to Assemblywoman Loni Hancock in Sacramento. They should also send a copy to the Chair of the ERCA committee, and to each of the committee's members, and to the League of California Cities. (Addresses appear below.) 4. If you belong to an organization, get your organization to endorse AB 1039, and have them send a letter of support to Loni Hancock and to the members of the ERCA committee. A resolution from an organization could look like this: Whereas, general law cities are restricted in their choice of voting methods by the laws of the State of California; and Whereas, chartered cities have the freedom to choose their own voting method; and Whereas, AB 1039 (Hancock) is a "home rule" bill that would would give to general law cities the same freedom of choice in voting method as do chartered cities; Therefore, Be It Resolved That supports and endorses AB 1039; and Be It Further Resolved That asks its state representatives to co-sponsor AB 1039; and Be It Further Resolved That asks the League of California Cities to endorse AB 1039; and Be It Further Resolved That requests that the County Registrar ensure that any new voting equipment used in the county be compatible with all of the voting options included in AB 1039; and Be It Further Resolved That will send a copy of this resolution to its state representatives; the author of AB 1039 (Assemblymember Loni Hancock); the Assembly Committee on Elections, Reapportionment, and Constitutional Amendments; the League of California Cities; and the Registrar of Voters. Here are the relevant addresses: Hon. Loni Hancock State Capitol, Room 4139 Sacramento, CA 95814 Phone: (916) 319-2014 Fax: (916) 319-2114 Hon. John Longville, Chair, Assembly Committee on Elections, Reapportionment, and Constitutional Amendments State Capitol P.O. Box 942849 Sacramento, CA 94249-0001 Phone: (916) 319-2062 Fax: (916) 319-2162 Hon. Steven N. Samuelian, Vice Chair, Assembly Committee on Elections, Reapportionment, and Constitutional Amendments State Capitol, Room 4153 Sacramento, CA 95814 Phone: (916) 319-2029 Fax: (916) 319-2129 Hon. Jerome Horton, Member, Assembly Committee on Elections, Reapportionment, and Constitutional Amendments State Capitol, Room 2163 Sacramento, CA 94249-0001 Phone: (916) 319-2051 Fax: (916) 319-2151 Hon. Lloyd E. Levin, Member, Assembly Committee on Elections, Reapportionment, and Constitutional Amendments State Capitol, Room 6011 Sacramento, CA 95814 Phone: (916) 319-2040 Fax: (916) 319-2140 Hon. Fabian Nunez, Member, Assembly Committee on Elections, Reapportionment, and Constitutional Amendments State Capitol, Room 2117 Sacramento, CA 95814 Phone: (916) 319-2046 Fax: (916) 319-2146 Tony Strickland, Member, Assembly Committee on Elections, Reapportionment, and Constitutional Amendments State Capitol, Room 4098 Sacramento, CA 95814 Phone: 916-319-2037 Fax: 916-319-2137 League of California Cities 1400 K Street, Suite 400 Sacramento, CA 95814 Phone: (916) 658-8200 Fax: (916) 658-8240 ------------------------------ Bill Number AB 1039 Introduced ------------------------------ INTRODUCED BY Assembly Member Hancock FEBRUARY 20, 2003 An act to add Section 10105 to the Elections Code, relating to municipal elections. LEGISLATIVE COUNSEL'S DIGEST AB 1039, as introduced, Hancock. Municipal elections: voting methods. Existing law provides procedures for the nomination of candidates for elective offices in general law cities. It specifies the procedures for the conduct of the election, the canvass of ballots, and certification of persons elected to office. Related provisions require the holding of a runoff election if no candidate has been elected at the municipal election. It provides that a vacancy in an elective office may be filled by appointment, at a special election, or at the next regular municipal election, as specified. This bill would provide that, notwithstanding any provision of law, a city may elect officers or fill vacancies in elective offices by means of a method of cumulative voting, limited voting, choice voting, or instant runoff voting. It would require the Secretary of State to adopt regulations for the conduct of elections and the counting of ballots by each of these voting methods. It would permit a voting method authorized by this bill to be enacted by ordinance enacted by any of three specified ways. Vote: majority. Appropriation: no. Fiscal committee: yes. State-mandated local program: no. THE PEOPLE OF THE STATE OF CALIFORNIA DO ENACT AS FOLLOWS: SECTION 1. Section 10105 is added to the Elections Code, to read: 10105. Notwithstanding any provision of law, a city may elect officers or fill vacancies in elective offices by means of a method of cumulative voting, limited voting, choice voting, or instant runoff voting. The Secretary of State shall adopt regulations for the conduct of elections and the counting of ballots by each of these voting methods. A voting method authorized by this section may be enacted by any of the following ways: (a) By ordinance enacted by the legislative body of the city. (b) By approval of a proposition submitted to the voters at any general or special election, without a petition therefor, by the legislative body of the city. (c) By initiative ordinance adopted pursuant to Chapter 3 (commencing with Section 9200) of Division 9. ------------------------------- H.R. 415 Introduced in Congress ------------------------------- H.R. 415, the "Congress 2006 Commission Act", was introduced into the 108th Congress on January 28th, 2003, by Representative Alcee Hastings of Florida (D-23). It would establish a commission to study both the size of Congress and the method by which it is elected, and consider alternatives, "including cumulative voting and proportional representation," to determine if such alternatives would make the House of Representatives a more representative body. It is currently in the House Judiciary Committee, whose California members include Elton Gallegy (R-24), Howard Berman (D-28), Zoe Lofgren (D-16), Maxine Waters (D-35), Adam Schiff (D-29), and Linda Sanchez (D-39). Please call or write your Representative and ask them to become a co-sponsor of H.R. 415. You can find the contact information for your respresentative by looking in the Government pages of your phone book, or by visiting http://www.house.gov/writerep/ . Such a letter can be as simple as: The Hon. ___________ U.S. House of Representatives Washington, DC 20515 Dear ____________ I am writing to ask you to become a co-sponsor of H.R. 415, the Congress 2006 Comission Act. It would establish a commission to study both the size of Congress and the method by which it is elected, and consider alternatives including cumulative voting and proportional representation. The size of Congress hasn't changed since 1913, and our plurality election system doesn't produce a representative body. It is important that these issues be addressed. Please let me know if you will co-sponsor this bill. Sincerely, ------------------------- Local Chapters & Contacts ------------------------- East Bay David Greene (510) 526-5852 dmgreene @ igc . org El Dorado County Paula Lee (530) 644-8760 paulalee @ softcom . net Los Angeles Area Casey Peters (213) 385-2786 democracy @ mail2world . com Monterey County Nat Lerner (831) 442-1238 natscottl @ yahoo . com North Bay Wayne Shepard (707) 552-5317 pauldebits @ juno . com Sacramento County Pete Martineau (916) 967-0300 petemrtno @ bigfoot . com San Diego Area Ed Teyssier (858) 546-1774 edward @ k-online . com SF County Betty Traynor (415) 558-8133 btraynor @ energy-net . org Santa Clara County Jim Stauffer (408) 432-9148 jimstauffer @ sbcglobal . net Voice for Democracy is published by Californians for Electoral Reform. Copyright (c) 2003. All rights reserved. P.O. Box 128 Sacramento, CA 95812 Phone: 916-967-0300 E-Mail: info @ fairvoteca . org Web: www.fairvoteca.org Our Mission Statement... The primary purpose of this organization is to promote the implementation of election methods such as instant runoff voting and forms of proportional representation.