City of Alexandria, Virginia
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MEMORANDUM
DATE: MAY 10, 2013
TO: THE HONORABLE MAYOR AND MEMBERS OF CITY COUNCIL
FROM: RASHAD M. YOUNG, CITY MANAGER /s/
DOCKET TITLE:
TITLE
Public Hearing, Second Reading and Final Passage of an Ordinance to Amend and Reordain Section 2-2-11 (Establishment of Central Absentee Voter Election District and Voting Place) by Adding Charles E. Beatley, Jr. Central Library as a Permanent Additional Absentee Voting Place for November Elections. [ROLL-CALL VOTE]
BODY
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ISSUE: Consideration of an ordinance to establish the Charles E. Beatley, Jr. Central Library as an additional in-person absentee voting location for November elections (Attachment).
RECOMMENDATION: That City Council hold the public hearing and adopt the ordinance to establish the Charles E. Beatley, Jr. Central Library as an additional in-person absentee voting location for November elections.
BACKGROUND: The Alexandria Electoral Board, which is comprised of three bipartisan members who are appointed by the Alexandria Circuit Court for staggered three year terms, is responsible for making recommendations to City Council concerning changes in precinct boundaries and for establishing new precincts, including the absentee voting precinct. City Council has the authority to make the recommended changes.
DISCUSSION: Registered voters in Virginia are eligible to cast an absentee ballot (in-person or by mail) for 45 days prior to each election if they meet any one of the requirements set by State law. These requirements include working and commuting 11 of the 13 hours that the polls are open, business or personal travel out of Alexandria on election day, status as a student or spouse at an academic institution, inability to get to the polls due to illness, and several other reasons that are posted on the Voter Registration and Election web site at www.alexandriavoter.org. The City provides in-person absentee voting at the Office of Voter Registration and Elections, which is located at 132 North Royal Street, Suite 100, during normal office hours (Monday through Friday: 8:00 a.m. to 5:00 p.m.), for 45 days prior to each election, and on the last Saturday before each election (two Saturdays for Fall elections). In addition, the Electoral Board keeps this office open for extended hours several evenings prior to each election for in-person absentee voting and these extended hours are posted on the Voter Registration and Election web site and are also advertised in the local section of the Washington Post prior to each election.
In recent years, there has been significant growth in absentee voting both in Alexandria and across the country, especially for Presidential Elections and other large turnout elections. Absentee voting for the Presidential Election in Alexandria increased from 4,110 absentee voters in 2000 to 16,171 absentee voters in 2012. To meet the increased demand for in-person absentee voting, which typically comprises 70 percent of total absentee voting, the Alexandria Electoral Board and City Council added a second in-person absentee voting location at the Charles E. Beatley, Jr. Central Library during the last nine days of absentee voting for the November 2012 Election. More than half of the in-person absentee voting typically occurs during this period. In 2012, Beatley Library was only open for in-person absentee voting for seven days due to poor weather conditions, but 4,009 absentee voters cast their ballots at this location. This compares with 7,583 voters who cast in-person absentee ballots at the Voter Registration and Election Office during the full 45 days absentee voting period.
By all accounts the Charles E. Beatley, Jr. Central Library in-person absentee voting location was a great success and the Library staff were extremely cooperative to voters, Election Officers and Election staff. In light of the success of this location and the growth in absentee voting, the Electoral Board recommends that City Council add Beatley Library as a second in-person absentee voting location for November elections in the future. In light of the varying demand for absentee voting, which corresponds to overall turnout, the City Attorney has drafted an ordinance that would give the Electoral Board the authority to determine the number of days that this second in-person absentee location would be open for each November election.
The Electoral Board recommends that City Council approve the ordinance that has been drafted by the City Attorney. If Council approves this ordinance, the United States Justice Department will also need to approve this request to provide voters in Alexandria with a second in-person absentee voting location for November elections. After this request is approved by the Justice Department, the Electoral Board would post notices about the additional absentee location on the Department's web site and in the local newspaper.
FISCAL IMPACT: It will cost approximately $5,000 to $15,000 to staff the Beatley absentee location each November with the cost depending on the size of the election and the number of days that this second absentee location is in operation.
ATTACHMENTS: 1. Information on Proposed Ordinance
2. Proposed Ordinance
STAFF: Donald E. Ledwig, Secretary, Alexandria Electoral Board
Susan B. Kellom, Chair, Alexandria Electoral Board
Bruce A. Brown, Vice Chairman, Alexandria Electoral Board
Rose T. Dawson, Director, Alexandria Library
James L. Banks, City Attorney
Tom Parkins, General Registrar
Eric Spicer, Elections Administrator
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