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Home My WebLink About1980-06-11 EC PUBLIC HEARING' . 7: 00 p. m. AGENDA FOR THE ENGLEWOOD ELECTION COMMISSION June 11, 1980 Public Hearing - To hear citizen comments concerning possible election law reform. Please give: Name and address Election Law comment: :5 J (.) CO NSIDERATION FOR ELECTION COMMISSION (A) Monthly Meetings -permanent (1) First Wednesday of each month -5:30 p.m. (B) Public Hearing. (1) Date finalized. (2) Topic sheet for people to sign for those who wish to speak. (a) 7:00 P..-M. Recall Procedures -Have City Attorney there to give a short opening concerning recall. (b.) 8:30 P.M. Other topics -issues. JUNE 11, 1980 LIBRARY CONFERENCE ROOM JUNE 4, 1980 Election law briefing Election law reform . - . ( & ) ? u u I c_ H ~ ""--1 t-i' . ri) 011 TE (t rid; 2~ a - ~~\~ tlAuC. CfTy ftto~1vr 1 Co~ C £_i'-'v \\\, b l£(A q I fa<V) ~~~ ~ ~t-Aj) ~~ Cfa~~~ ~~ Highlights of public hearing -Election Commission public hear i ng - June 11, 1980. 2. Eric Johannisson presented city staff's recommendation to change "15: Nominations for Elective Municipal Office" to state that "petition forms supplied by the City Clerk may be supplied and signed not more than FIFTY days prior to the day of the election and shall be filed with the City Clerk not less than THIRTY days prior thereto". The recom- mendation would coincide the City election time schedule with the State Statute. This would be a housekeeping change that would simplify the time schedule for with- drawing, filling a vacancy and curing or remedying an objection. Jean Carlberg suggested the proposed change be well ad- vertised in the papers so that people know what the change involved. It was expensive to put amendment on ballot and many people won't pay any attention to it, if they are not well informed. 3. Jim Pratt suggested the recall procedure be modified so that recal to do. Mr. Pratt understood that ,r ]-----ge tting mo e to vote would increase the number of tJ bl , signatures required to recall a council member. 4. Jean Carlberg suggested submitting a letter on voter re- gistration to high school seniors along with their diplomas. Also, to set up voter registration booths at the high school. 5. 6. 7 . 8. 9 . Eric Johannisson noted the County Clerk's office has stated this was the County's function rather than the City's. Jim Pratt stated voter registration was conducted at Smoky Hill High School. Mr. Pratt suggested starting classes in election procedure through the school system. Julia Fitzpatrick suggested going to homes to solicit voter re- gistration. Eric Johannisson stated the Council goes to nursing homes and homes containing invalids to register people. Jim Pratt stated Denver had mobile units where booths are set up in shopping centers and grocery stores. Jo Ellen Turner suggested changing the qualifications for age residency to be able to run for Council and do so according to state law. Frances Howard suggested publishing articles in the newspapers explaining the need to change the age and residency requirements to run for Council for the purpose of conforming with state law. . ' 12. 13. 14. -2- Bernie Berardini stated the number of spaces on the ballot will determine what the City can request to be put on the ballot. This is determined by the County. Jo Ellen Turner stated the amendments could be done by paper ballot. Gary Higbee stated the Commission needed to get their recom- mendations to Council and asked that if anyone had any further suggestions to let him know this week. ~ ,I;~ a,t 7'/C) :12~. ~ ~ w~~~/)?U~~, -f WM ~J~OKJ ~~L-4 w_(1_;&_jl~ }7~ ~ WlU /J?Ww ~~ J/ ftLVv · .2x:J4 ~ !:~ ~ {Lu_~(;-~ ~ ~?-~~~~. f 6 -CJ 5 #LAJv f .L.b~AU It (/~~}a2 SCJ-dO ~~ (~~ /:JflCl±I-~~<> ~ ~ufl! ~~/~au~~~~~ ~if~~~ ~-~ct -6!r ~ <U'vW !Jo ([M-//1 ~ ~ -~Pi?~~ ~it 6~-< .· Xor~~ ~ '-~~~~~ . & ~~--~ ~rr ~ ;;~~~ v~~ -~ _/2dw ;r ~YH UhilJ ~ C/u ~cr~-~ft~ PROPOSED CHARTER CHANGE Paragraph 15 Currently reads: 11 15: NOMINATIONS FOR ELECTIVE MUNICIPAL OFFICE Each candidate for an elective municipal office shall be nominated by petition signed by at least fifty qualified electors residing within the municipality, or the district, from which the officer is to be elected. Petition forms supplied by the City Clerk may be circulated and signed not more than forty-five days prior to the day of the election and shall be filed with the City Clerk not less than twenty-five days prior thereto. Petitions shall be circulated and filed in accordance with Colorado Municipal Election Laws." Proposed change: "15: NOMINATIONS FOR ELECTIVE MUNICIPAL OFFICE Each candidate for an elective municipal office shall be nominated by petition signed by at least fifty qualified electors residing within the municipality, or the district, from which the officer is to be elected. Petition forms supplied by the City Clerk may be circulated and signed not more than ~e~~y-£ive FIFTY days prior to the day of the election and shall be filed with the City Clerk not less than ~wen~y-£ive THIRTY days prior thereto. Peti- tions shall be circulated and filed in accordance with Colorado Municipal Election Laws." The State of Colorado Municipal Election Code 31-10-302 (2) directs the circulation of petitions between the fiftieth and thirtieth day before an election. The State Code further establishes the following time schedule: 1. A candidate may withdraw twenty-three days before an election. - 2 - 2. A vacancy may be filled twenty-three days before an election. 3. Objections to a petition which have been sustained must be cured or remedied no later than eighteen days before an election. The current City Charter provisions establish petitioning during the forty-fifth and twenty-fifth day before an election. Because our Charter is quiet on the time schedule for withdrawal, filling a vacancy, and cur- ing or remedying an objection, State Statute prevails. This causes in- sufficient time to complete these actions as permitted by State Statute. The change proposed for the Englewood Charter would synchronize the City election time table with the State Statute. STATE STATUTE 5 0 days before ELECTION TIME TABLE 23 days before wit hdraw from begin petition ing . 30 d ays before turn in petitions n ominat ion - Fill vacanc y 18 day s before c u re objection 50 30 23 18 "----v---~ 7 days ) ELECTION DAY \._ -v------------· 12 days --~------~------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- • • I . --· ·--' 45 days before begin petitioning 23 days before withdraw from nomination - Fill vacancy 7 days 18 18 days before cure objection ELECTION DAY