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HomeMy WebLinkAbout05-19-97 WS MINUTES OF THE OCOEE CITY COMMISSION WORKSHOP WITH SUPERVISOR OF ELECTIONS COWLES HELD MAY 19, 1997 Mayor Vandergrift called the Workshop to order at 7:10 p,m. in the Commission Chambers. The roll was called and a quorum declared present. PRESENT: Mayor Vandergrift, Commissioners Anderson, Howell and Parker. Also present were Orange County Supervisor of Elections Cowles, Orange County Senior Mapping Supervisor Willis, Orange County Elections Coordinator Lord, City Attorney Rosenthal and City Clerk Grafton. ABSENT: None. Mayor Vandergrift introduced Orange County Supervisor of Elections Cowles who advised he called the meeting to talk to the Commission in detail regarding how municipal elections related to the City. He then introduced Orange County Senior Mapping Supervisor Beverly Willis and Orange County Elections Coordinator Nancy Lord. Orange County Senior Mapping Supervisor Beverly Willis indicated a map that showed the City as on record by the Elections Office, and she asked City Clerk Grafton to check the map for accuracy. She explained the different overlays on the map and the complicated districts that influence assignments of precincts. She advised that all the areas were drawn according to census geography. Mr. Cowles explained that former Orange County Supervisor of Elections Betty Carter moved the cities off the county elections due to lack of ballot space. Two ballots were tried, but the number of people picking up city ballots compared to county ballots dropped significantly. The problem with having city issues on the same ballot as county issues is confusion to the voters and the logistics involved in getting the right issues on the right ballots. Thus there was no way the cities could go back to the November general election date. There was the thought of having the cities piggy-back an October election date, but if there were a run-off, it would be in the same time frame as the general election. When the issue first was raised, Orlando Mayor Hood was actively involved in trying to find a solution. The offered solution was that all municipalities piggy-back on the presidential preference primary election in March. Every four years, the cities would piggy-back with the county, and in the other three years, all the cities would have stand- alone elections. Mayor Hood made the offer, and Ms. Carter denied the request. If ten of the 13 cities in Orange County decide to hold elections the second Tuesday in March, Mr. Cowles could help by delivering voting equipment, helping in the training of poll workers and the counting of absentee ballots. During presidential election years, the cities would be able to use the county polling places for the elections. There would be the option of deciding whether to use the county precincts on the other years or continuing as had been done in the past few years and use one location. OCOEE CITY COMMISSION WORKSHOP WITH SUPERVISOR OF ELECTIONS COWLES MAY 19, 1997 Mayor Vandergrift asked if voting would one day be done via computer or telephone. Mr. Cowles replied that telephone voting did not test well. With those systems, there is no paper trail, and there is the potential for hackers and fraud. Eventually a voter might be able to vote at any precinct by having his ballot printed on demand. Mr. Rosenthal asked if the cities could again vote with the county in November if there were ballot-on-demand. Mr. Cowles said by the time the legislators write the standards to match the technology, the technology has already moved ahead. Mr. Shapiro asked how other counties were overcoming similar problems, and Mr. Cowles explained. Mayor Vandergrift asked if the City would be better served to go to the state and federal governments to tell them of the problems that had been created by the way things had been done, asking for a standard.. Mr. Cowles said it needed to be done, but he thought it needed to come from the cities. Commissioner Anderson asked about mail-out ballots. Mr. Cowles said the Legislature would not touch it. Their position is that candidates cannot be voted for by mail. Commissioner Anderson asked about cost to the City for an election day other than in March, and Mr. Cowles stated it would probably be less expensive to the City to have the election in March. Discussion followed regarding the funding of equipment by the cities, voter turnout and district lines. Commissioner Anderson asked Mr. Cowles if he would consider the possibility of two ballots, and he said he would. Ms. Willis said it was a good time to address the drawing of the district lines with the Legislature and impress them with the idea that they needed to use major roads as landmarks and to stay away from neighborhoods and small interior roads. She asked about interlocal agreements, and Mr. Shapiro suggested that Mr. Cowles might want to ask the communities for those agreements. With them he might be able to show the legislative delegation that many of the lines had already been set in some manner, which might be to his advantage. Discussion followed. Mr. Cowles said Windermere, Eatonville and Apopka were left on his schedule to visit. After he had completed those visits, he would complete a summary and mail it to all the municipalities. He had scheduled a meeting with the City Clerks in the early fall to receive feedback and then 2 OCOEE CITY COMMISSION WORKSHOP WITH SUPERVISOR OF ELECTIONS COWLES MAY 19, 1997 communicate with the cities. Discussion regarding runoff elections and their scheduling. Mayor Vandergrift thanked Mr. Cowles for meeting with the City. He expressed his desire to have the City, if the Commission so wanted, to lead the fight to say to the state and federal governments that they should get together and give more credence to precinct lines. He said he would have no problem moving to the March primary every four years to piggy-back the presidential preference primary. Commissioner Howell preferred a November election. He said if that were not possible, he hoped whatever they did would get more voters out. He had no opposition to the March primary date every four years. Commissioner Anderson preferred trying two ballots with one election day. Commissioner Parker wanted a November election date, if at all possible. If not, she had a better understanding of why the changes occurred. In the meantime, she would be willing to go with the March election. Mr. Shapiro thanked Mr. Cowles for his help. Mayor Vandergrift summarized the position of the Commission. Mrs. Fran Watts expressed her desire to have the election in November. Commissioner Howell commended Ms. Willis on the outstanding job she did with the map. Adjournment The meeting adjourned at 8:30 p,m. APPROVED City of Ocoee I i SSTIJ~1' . S. Scott Vandergrift, Mayor 3