HomeMy WebLinkAboutFY 2021 Budget Presentation (Office of the County Clerk)
Jade K. Fountain-Tanigawa
County Clerk
Scott K. Sato
Deputy County Clerk
Lyndon M. Yoshioka
Elections Administrator
COUNTY OF KAUA‘I
Office of the County Clerk
Council Services Division
Elections Division
2021 Budget Presentation
Submitted to Council: March 13, 2020
Departmental Budget Review: April 7, 2020
Fiscal Year 2020-2021 Budget Presentation Page 1
OFFICE OF THE COUNTY CLERK
COUNCIL SERVICES DIVISION
Mission
To efficiently, accurately, and respectfully provide the public (general public, County
Administration, and other agencies) and the Kaua‘i County Council with the staff support and
assistance required to carry out the Legislative function of the County of Kaua‘i.
Goals & Objectives
The Council Services Division provides support services to the Count y Council, and consists of
four (4) sections – Research, Records Management, Support Services (Clerical), and Support
Services (Secretarial Assistants).
Division Goals:
1. To recognize that all members of our staff are valued and the contributions that each
employee makes, strengthens our organization and helps to carry out our mission of
delivering efficient public service.
2. To treat everyone that comes into contact with the Council Services Division with
respect, while recognizing the importance of providing exceptional customer service.
3. To efficiently and effectively provide staff and support services to the Kaua‘i County
Council in the preparation of Council and Committee Meetings, and to perform the
necessary follow-up work as required.
4. To provide information and related documents on legislative and/or County matters when
requested by the public. If information cannot be delivered within the time frame
requested, a response to the request shall be provided no later than the time frame
established pursuant to the provisions of the Uniform Information Practices Act (UIPA).
Section Summary:
1. Records Management. To maintain records of the Legislative Branch, including legal
documents and operational records of the County. To file documents of the County
Council and the Office of the County Clerk and retrieve records requested by the
Council, the Administration, the public, and other agencies. (The Records Management
Section is not the county-wide repository of all county records.)
Fiscal Year 2020-2021 Budget Presentation Page 2
Goals:
a. Provide records-related assistance to the Kaua‘i County Council, staff of the
Office of the County Clerk, the County Administration, the public, and other
agencies in a timely manner.
b. Continue indexing/scanning system to allow for easier retrieval and to ensure that
the records kept are protected.
c. Process documents received in a timely manner.
Objectives:
a. Maintain the current database indexing system in Microsoft Access.
b. Maintain the current electronic filing system on Laserfiche.
c. Continue the computerization of the indexing system for selected records series.
d. Continue the scanning, verifying, and indexing of selected records series.
e. Continue the digitization project by verifying, separating, and indexing the
vendor-scanned documents.
f. Fulfill records requests on a priority basis within ten days after the request is
received, with “ASAP” requests being researched immediately.
g. Process rules and regulations and transmit them to the State of Hawai‘i, Office of
the Lieutenant Governor within three (3) working days after received by the
Office of the County Clerk for filing.
h. Maintain records pursuant to the Kaua‘i County Charter.
i. Update the Office of the County Clerk “Sale-Item List.”
2. Support Services (Clerical). To provide all the clerical support for the County Council
and the Office of the County Clerk. In addition to the day-to-day typing of letters and
documents, the Support Services Section is responsible for preparing and posting agendas
of meetings, public hearings, and workshops, including posting agendas on the County’s
website with applicable attachments, staffing meetings and compiling documentation
prior to and after such meetings, preparing minutes and Committee Reports, processing
claims against the County of Kaua‘i, processing and distributing mail delivered to the
County Councilmembers and the Office, preparing legal notices for publication,
recording all necessary legal documents as required with the Bureau of Conveyances,
handling the sale of ordinances, handling cash deposits, posting resolutions to the
County’s website and servicing the public by providing documents pursuant to the UIPA.
Fiscal Year 2020-2021 Budget Presentation Page 3
Goals:
a. Post and upload all agendas and attachments using Optical Character Recognition
(OCR) Software to the County’s website, and distribute and mail as necessary,
notices of meetings and public hearings as required by law.
b. Complete all minutes accurately within the 30-day requirement established by the
“Sunshine Law”, and complete Committee Reports drafted by the Research
Section by the third working day following the meeting.
c. Answer all telephone calls by the third ring and exercise proper phone etiquette.
d. Adhere to the established standardized format for all clerical work produced.
e. Provide the necessary training and exposure so that all clerical support staff will
be capable and confident when staffing meetings including reporting and
transcribing minutes within the established time frames.
f. Type, distribute, and mail (including securing signatures when necessary) all
letters and memos within three (3) working days of request.
Objectives:
a. Council Services Assistants have embarked on a rotational system where they are
provided with the “down time” necessary to complete their minutes accurately
utilizing proper grammar and punctuation within the required time frame.
b. Review all written material (minutes, Committee Reports, memorandums, etc.)
for accuracy to ensure the proper use of grammar and punctuation, while keeping
with the intent of the speaker.
c. Utilization of the Standardization Guide that was developed by the Council
Services Assistant II, when drafting / formatting memos, bills, resolutions,
certificates, etc. in order to achieve a standardized product.
d. Continue the clerical rotation, with respect to clerical assignments, mail
distribution, and tasks accordingly.
3. Research Section. To perform all legislative staff functions, including comprehensive
research and writing necessary for the efficient operation of the Office of the County
Clerk and the Kaua‘i County Council.
Fiscal Year 2020-2021 Budget Presentation Page 4
Goals:
a. To invest in the development of each member of the Research Section so that
every staff member is confident and capable of staffing any Council Committee,
project, or request.
b. To provide a three (3) day turnaround for project assignments. For projects that
are more complex in nature, staff will need to work with the “Requestor” to
determine an agreed upon date. Encouraging staff to work with the “Requestor”
will help to build a strong working relationship.
c. To meet on a weekly basis to provide the status of projects, an update on
upcoming events, solicit different ideas of how to approach complex assignments,
and to discuss any difficulty experienced with certain projects/assignments.
d. Provide assistance to the State Legislature, Hawai‘i State Association of Counties
(HSAC), National Association of Counties (NACo), and the Western Interstate
Region (WIR) when requested, and develop / maintain relationships with
respective counterparts in various organizations.
Objectives:
a. Staff all meetings and hearings and provide information requested by the County
Council and its Committees so all meetings can be conducted efficiently.
b. Work closely with the County Administration, the public, and other governmental
and private agencies to ensure the smooth flow of accurate information.
c. Draft legislation, Committee Reports, certificates of achievement, letters, news
releases, speeches, and requests for “Investigation and Report” (“Personal
Requests”) with accuracy and on a timely basis.
d. Initiate the necessary follow-up to requests for information.
e. Assist in the preparation of the County and Hawai‘i State Association of Counties
(HSAC) Legislative Packages which is annually submitted to the State
Legislature. Provide assistance/information to the County Administration relating
to their respective Legislative Packages, when requested.
f. When requested, draft legislative testimony which will be submitted to the State
Legislature and Congress.
g. Provide the public and other interested organizations with requested information
on Council and County matters within seven (7) business days. Should more time
be needed, the request for additional time should be communicated to the
requestor.
Fiscal Year 2020-2021 Budget Presentation Page 5
h. Assist the County Council in the preparation, sc heduling, and enactment of the
annual County Operating and Capital Improvement Programs (CIP) Budgets and
Resolution establishing the real property tax rates for the County of Kaua‘i.
i. Provide the necessary research and supporting documentation to assist in the
development of the Operating and CIP Budgets and Resolution establishing real
property tax rates of the County of Kaua‘i.
4. Support Services (Secretarial Assistants). Council Services currently has three (3)
Secretarial Assistants responsible for providing clerical assistance to each County
Councilmember in addition to servicing as the liaison between the Councilmembers and
the respective Sections within the Office.
As the functions of these positions continue to evolve, we strive to find the best staffing
model that will enable our Office to successfully address the needs of all seven (7)
Councilmembers.
Goals:
a. Determine the individual needs and expectations of each Councilmember.
b. Provide assistance to each Councilmember on a timely basis (scheduling meetings
and appointments, making travel arrangements, etc.).
c. Utilize the pCard System correctly to ensure that all transactions comply with the
established policies and procedures for pCard use.
Objectives:
a. Meet individually with each Councilmember to determine their expectations and
type of assistance that they need/require.
b. Assess how to best serve each Councilmember and establish standard procedures
for dealing with the following:
Scheduling appointments and meetings.
Maintaining their individual calendars.
Notifying / providing reminders as necessary.
Scheduling travel arrangements for all Councilmembers utilizing the
pCard System.
Process all requests for reimbursement timely, and in compliance with
established policies and procedures.
Prepare on a timely basis, all forms required for mileage and cell phone
reimbursement.
Fiscal Year 2020-2021 Budget Presentation Page 6
Successes and Achievements
Overall Achievements:
1. Continued to receive an A+ rating by Ballotpedia (formerly known as the Sunshine
Review) for Government Transparency.
2. Continued to enhance and maintain the County Council’s Facebook page. This initiative
is an effort to be more accessible to the public and encourage public participation in
County government. During the period of February 2019 through February 2020, the
Council’s Facebook page has:
Weekly Total Reach: The number of people who have seen any content associated with
the Council’s Facebook page (Unique Users).
February 1-June 30 180,310
July 1-November 30 148,737
December 1-February 28 32,528
361,575
Weekly Total Impressions: The number of impressions seen of any content associated
with the Council’s Facebook page (Total Count).
February 1-June 30 389,629
July 1-November 30 289,704
December 1-February 28 54,620
733,953
Weekly Reach of Page Posts: The number of people who saw any of the Council’s
Facebook page posts (Unique Users).
February 1-June 30 179,091
July 1-November 30 101,501
December 1-February 28 25,949
306,541
Weekly Total Consumers: The number of people who clicked on any of your content.
Stories that are created without clicking on the Council’s Facebook page content (Liking
the Council’s Facebook page from timeline are not included) (Unique Users).
February 1-June 30 22,348
July 1-November 30 13,107
December 1-February 28 2,793
38,248
Fiscal Year 2020-2021 Budget Presentation Page 7
The Council’s Facebook page has accumulated 1,114 total “Likes” and 1,201
“Followers.”
3. Completed the codification of the Kaua‘i County Code 1987, as amended, and
Supplements #1-7 (2013-2019), which are available online. The online version of the
Code will be updated twice a year (December & June). A printed supplement will be
available once a year (June).
4. Continued to provide assistance to the Office of the County Clerk, Elections Division as
they prepare for the 2020 Primary and General Elections.
Other Achievements:
1. Records Management. (Statistics provided are from July 1, 2019 to February 29, 2020,
and they may include cross references.)
a. Non-agenda communications scanned, indexed, and filed:
b. Agenda-related items scanned:
c. Council and Committee minutes scanned, indexed, and filed:
d. Executive Session minutes and related documents scanned,
indexed, and filed:
e. Committee Reports scanned, indexed, and filed:
f. Resolutions scanned, indexed, and filed:
g. Bills scanned, indexed, and filed:
h. Public Hearing transcripts scanned, indexed, and filed:
i. Affidavits of Publication scanned, indexed, and filed
(includes related notices):
j. Studies scanned, indexed, and filed:
k. On average, six (6) communications on the weekly meeting
agenda were indexed and filed.
l. Total requests to retrieve and research documents
m. Vendor-scanned documents that have been indexed, corrected,
and verified:
n. Accomplished one and one half (1.5) years of complete indexing
and verification of documents relating to backlog of agenda
folders.
864
412
57
104
59
49
43
20
37
8
161
2,432
Fiscal Year 2020-2021 Budget Presentation Page 8
2. Support Services (Clerical) and Research Section. (Statistics provided are from
July 1, 2019 to February 29, 2020.)
a. Agendas prepared, meetings staffed:
i. Council
ii. Special Council/Committee
iii. Executive Session
iv. Workshops
v. Committee
vi. Advisory Committees
vii. Length of Meetings (Hours)
b. Committee Reports prepared:
c. Minutes prepared:
i. Council / Special Council Minutes
ii. Committee Deferred Minutes
iii. Public Hearing Minutes
iv. Executive Sessions
v. Workshops
d. Public Hearing Notices and Publications:
e. Ordinances adopted:
f. Resolutions adopted:
g. Total typing assignments (including daily communications, bills, and
Resolutions, etc.):
h. Request for Investigation and Service (Personal Request) forms drafted and
typed (includes follow-up, response to constituent, etc.):
i. Certificates drafted and typed:
j. New Project Assignments – Requests for information, request for research,
letters, memoranda, etc. (This would range from simple to complex issues):
16
1
29
0
13
0
114
48
13
33
22
27
0
24
25
43
459
18
37
4,359
Fiscal Year 2020-2021 Budget Presentation Page 9
k. Legislative Packages: Staff assisted in the preparation of the annual County
Legislative Package and the Hawai‘i State Association of Counties (HSAC)
Legislative Package, and assisted in lobbying efforts at the State
Legislature.
l. Council Recap Memos and approved Council Meeting Minutes were placed
on the County website, as soon as possible (depending upon when
signatures were obtained).
Challenges
1. Records Management Section.
a. Completing the indexing of scanned images and verification of documents.
b. Keeping current with indexing and scanning of records.
2. Support Services (Clerical) Section.
a. Completion of minutes within forty (40) days remains a constant challenge due to
the frequency of meetings held, and in some cases, the current daily
responsibilities (reception duties, typing assignments, etc.) limits the available
time and concentration needed.
3. Research Section.
a. To perform all duties and numerous tasks within established deadlines and
provide the necessary follow-up.
b. Provide the necessary service to all Councilmembers in a timely fashion while
recognizing that each Councilmember has varying degrees of expectations.
c. Standardize workflow, process deliverables, and adhere to established protocols,
and when appropriate, provide these items within a specified timeframe.
4. Support (Secretarial Assistants) Section.
a. Work collaboratively to provide the necessary assistance to each Councilmember
utilizing a primary Secretarial Assistant – Councilmember system while providing
assistance when necessary.
b. Following established protocol and standards while meeting the expectations and
needs of seven (7), individual Councilmembers.
Fiscal Year 2020-2021 Budget Presentation Page 10
Upcoming Initiatives
1. Based on feedback from employees, the Office of the County Clerk will be looking
into enrolling additional staff into the NACo High Performance Leadership Academy.
2. Additional immersion of staff in the legislative process at the State Legislature and
other offices (Office of Information Practices, Legislative Reference Bureau, etc.) on
O‘ahu.
3. Hosting of the 2021 HSAC Annual Conference on Kaua‘i.
4. Continue with “cross-training” employees.
5. Evaluate, develop, and update our current records management system based on best
management practices and procedures.
6. Focus on “Team Building” and employee morale.
7. Continue “Succession Planning” for both the Council Services and the Elections
Division.
8. Develop a plan to encourage effective communication between the staff and also
between the staff and Councilmembers.
9. Update and expand the Office of the County Clerk’s Social Media Plan.
10. Continue to work with the elementary schools on-island to provide students with the
opportunity to experience the legislative process (attend meetings, etc.).
Fiscal Year 2020-2021 Budget Presentation Page 11
Comparative Budget Graphs
FY 2021 FY 2020
Wages $ 1,932,676 $ 1,906,920
Benefits $ 1,175,996 $ 1,048,312
Operations $ 564,714 $ 534,714
Equipment/Leases $ 59,000 $ 59,000
Utilities $ 20,700 $ 20,700
$ 3,753,086 $ 3,569,646
Fiscal Year 2020-2021 Budget Presentation Page 12
Succession Planning
The Council Services Division has continued the process of succession planning by identifying
current staff members that have shown the potential to fill key leadership positions within the
Division in the near future. Through active succession planning, we have the ability to increase
the availability of experienced, capable, and motivated employees that are prepared to assume
these roles as they become available. As a Division, we aim to:
Identify those with the potential to assume greater responsibility in the organization
Provide critical development experiences to those that have the ability to move into key
roles
Support the development of high-potential leaders
The Council Services Division is actively increasing continuity and succession training to assist
in institutionalizing as much knowledge as possible for the continued success of the Division.
Vacant Positions
The Council Services Division currently has the following vacant position:
Position #E-38 – Legal Analyst (Six-Month Funded)
Division’s Budget Discussion
The Office of the County Clerk, Council Services Division’s FY 2020-2021 budget request
reflects an $183,440 or 5.14% increase from FY 2019-2020. Please note that the Council
Services Division has taken on the budgetary and operational responsibilities of the Office of the
County Auditor while the Office has remained vacant. The Council Services Division does not
have many variable costs budgeted for the operations of the Legislative Branch.
Additional Information
Attached please note the Office of the County Clerk current Table of Organization.
Fiscal Year 2020-2021 Budget Presentation Page 13
OFFICE OF THE COUNTY CLERK
ELECTIONS DIVISION
Mission
The Elections Division’s mission is to:
1. Provide open, accessible, fair, and secure election services for the residents of the County of
Kaua‘i; and
2. Provide County Agencies with quality document reproduction services in an expeditious
manner.
Goals and Objectives
Conduct elections in accordance with Federal, State, and County laws.
Establish and implement sound policies and procedures which ensure the integrity of the
electoral process.
Offer services which are convenient and accessible for all election stakeholders.
Provide quality document reproduction services to county agencies in a timely and
cost-effective manner.
Evaluation of Goals & Objectives for Fiscal Year 2019-2020
1. Voting by Mail Overview.
On June 25, 2019, the Governor signed Act 136 into law to establish voting by mail statewide
beginning with the 2020 Elections. Act 136 also repealed Act 182 (2018) and cancelled a vote
by mail pilot project for County of Kaua‘i only.
Beginning with the 2020 Primary Election, ballot packets will be mailed automatically t o all
properly registered voters. Ballot packets will be mailed to the mailing address associated with a
voter's registration record and will begin arriving approximately eighteen (18) days prior to the
date of the election. Voters who will be away from home during the ballot mailing period can
submit a one-time application to receive a ballot at a temporary, alternate address. Voted
ballots must be in the custody of the Elections Division by 7:00 p.m. on Election Day to be
counted.
Voters will have the option to vote and return the ballot that they received in the mail or vote
in-person at a Voter Service Center (VSC) which will be established in the basement of the
Historic County Annex Building. The VSC will begin offering services ten (10) days prior to the
date of each election and be open Monday through Saturday from 8:00 a.m. to 4:30 p.m. On
Election Day the VSC will be open from 7:00 a.m. to 7:00 p.m.
Fiscal Year 2020-2021 Budget Presentation Page 14
In addition to offering in-person voting services, the VSC will offer same day voter registration
services for individuals who missed the voter registration deadline, provide accessible voting
services, and serve as a ballot place of deposit.
The timeline for the upcoming vote by mail election will undergo some change but most of the
substantive deadlines remain the same, including:
Deadline to transmit ballots to military members and overseas voters (45 days prior to
the date of the election);
Voter registration deadline (30 days prior to the date of the election);
Voter Service Center period (formerly Early Voting, 8:00 a.m. to 4:30 p.m. starting
10 days prior); and
Application to receive a ballot at an alternate, temporary address (7 days prior).
New services and deadlines established by Act 136 include:
Period to receive a replacement ballot via electronic transmittal (within 5 days of the
date of the election);
Election Day Voter Service Center hours (7:00 a.m. to 7:00 p.m.); and
Voter deadline to resolve any ballot issues (within 5 days after the date of the
election).
(A Factsheet depicting the timeline for the upcoming vote by mail election is provided in
Appendix 1.)
2. Status report of the transition to Voting by Mail.
The status of our transition to voting by mail is detailed in the following sections, however,
please note that due to the deadline for submitting this budget narrative, projects may be further
ahead than described in this document. Updates, if any, will be provided during our budget
presentation.
Voter File Maintenance
The purpose of voter file maintenance is to identify voters who are no longer
qualified to vote and initiate their removal from the voter rolls pursuant to 52 USC §
20507. It is a collaborative effort between the State and Counties, which is completed
periodically statewide, though individual Counties can conduct supplemental file
maintenance actions, if needed.
Specifically, file maintenance efforts seek to identify voters who have moved out
of the County, passed away, or whose voting privileges have been revoked. Ineligible
voters are identified through the following means:
Electronic comparison of the voter file against the USPS National Change of
Address file (NCOA) to identify voters who have moved out of the County;
Electronic comparison of the voter file against the State Department of Health
Death file to identify voters who have passed away;
Fiscal Year 2020-2021 Budget Presentation Page 15
Processing paper reports from the Federal and State Courts to identify voters
whose voting privileges have been revoked;
Conducting mailings to identify voters who may have moved out of the
County via returned (undeliverable) mail pieces; and
Utilizing information from reports submitted by election officials from other
states to identify voters who have registered to vote in another state.
Self-cancellation requests and other documents submitted by voters are also used to
update the voter file.
Deceased voters, voters identified as convicted felons, and individuals who self-
cancel their voter registration are purged from the voter rolls following the General
Election.
Individuals identified as ineligible due to returned election mailings or through
electronic voter file comparisons with the U.S. Postal Service's National Change of
Address (NCOA) file are converted to fail-safe (inactive) status and kept on the voter
rolls for an additional two (2) election cycles (or 4-years) pursuant to 52 USC § 20507(d).
During the two election cycle fail-safe period a voter may restore his/her voting
privileges by re-registering to vote.
For the upcoming elections, file maintenance mailings were completed in July
2019 and January 2020, and another mailing is scheduled for April 2020. To date
approximately 4,000 voters have been identified as having outdated information in their
voter records so are required to re-register before being allowed to vote.
In the coming months, new voters and voters who reregister will be included in
supplemental mailings and we will continue to conduct file maintenance actions as
described above.
Voter Signature Capture Project
Voting by mail will require voters to sign the back of their ballot return enve lope
to affirm that they voted the ballot without the personal assistance of their employer,
agent of their employer, agent of their labor union, or any candidate on the ballot.
While the voter registration system includes images of signed documents from
virtually every registered voter, many documents and the signatures they contain are
outdated. Because individual signatures change over time, we are initiating a voter
signature capture project in collaboration with the State Office of Elections. This project
is similar to a signature capture project that we completed in 2012.
To obtain each voter's most current signature, a duel-purpose postcard comprised
of a signature capture postcard and election notification is scheduled for April 2020. This
mailing will utilize a tri-fold design, which includes a fold-over flap to conceal a voter's
signature while it is being mailed back to the Elections Division. The return portion of
the postcard will be postage-paid so voters will not incur any cost to sign and return the
postcard.
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Voter Education
In partnership with the State Office of Elections, a comprehensive voter education
campaign began in July 2019 with a notification mailing to announce the transition to
voting by mail. The informational mailing was completed in conjunction with print,
radio, and television ad buys. Additional mailings will be conducted in the coming
months.
A combination of print, radio, and television ad buys will accompany election
events and deadlines. More comprehensive campaigns will be run for major upcoming
events such as the voter registration deadline, the mailing of ballots, the start of the Voter
Service Center period, Election Day, etc.
We are currently working with the Kaua‘i Community College Department of
Marketing & Outreach to develop an informational videos and branding logo to announce
and promote the transition to voting by mail. The video and related informational
material will be used at presentations scheduled at Senior Center, business associations,
and related community organizations. We are also evaluating the feasibility of
establishing a presence on social media via a platform to be determined.
Ballot Mail Piece Assembly and Distribution
For the upcoming inaugural vote by mail election, the State Office of Elections is
coordinating efforts to procure ballot envelopes, and the services of a mailing house to
assemble mail-pieces and prepare them to entry into the USPS mail stream.
Costs will be prorated to the Counties based on their percentage of the total
number of registered voters as of the 2018 General Election. Additional information will
be available once the procurement process is completed.
Voter Service Center
A Voter Service Center (VSC) will be established in the basement of the Historic
County Annex building for voters seeking assistance or who wish to cast a ballot in -
person. The VSC will be the only in-person voting facility on the island and offer
services similar to Early Voting in prior elections.
In addition to in-person voting services, the VSC will provide late (same-day)
voter registration services for individuals who missed the voter registration deadline,
allow voters to vote using accessible voting equipment, and serve as a ballot place of
deposit. The VSC will be open from 8:00 a.m. to 4:30 p.m., Monday through Saturday
beginning on the tenth business day prior to the date of the election. On Election Days
only the VSC will be open 7:00 a.m. to 7:00 p.m.
In place of printed poll books that were used at Election Day polling places or
paper applications that were used at Early Voting, the VSC will use electronic poll books
(e-poll books) to capture a record of voters. E-poll books will utilize tablets or
touchscreen monitors to display voter information and allow the voters to certify that
Fiscal Year 2020-2021 Budget Presentation Page 17
their information is true and correct by signing on the screen. If information on a voter's
record is not correct, he/she will need to complete of a paper application before being
allowed to vote.
Upon certifying that information is true and correct, the e-poll book application
will generate a label for the voter, which contains the ballot type corresponding to the
voter's physical address and an encrypted barcode containing voter data. The voter will
surrender the printed label at either the paper ballot station or electronic ballot station to
receive a ballot. Once it is confirmed that the voter has cast a ballot, the barcode on the
voter's label will be scanned to mark the voter's record as voted.
E-poll books will utilize a hardwire connection through the County's network to
access the voter registration system. Privacy screen filters will be in place to ensure only
the voter standing immediately behind the screen will be able to review the contents of
the display. Procedures using paper applications are in place, if needed.
Ballot Place of Deposit
In addition to returning ballots via USPS mail, seven (7) ballot deposit sites will
be established around the island. The confirmed sites include the main office of the
Elections Division and Voter Service Center (beginning 10 working days prior to the date
of the election). Another five (5) sites have been tentatively identified and will be
announced later.
Each ballot deposit site will be equipped with a metal ballot drop box similar to a
free-standing mailbox. Ballot deposit sites will be open beginning five (5) days prior to
the date of each election and remain open until 7:00 p.m. on Election Day. Ballot drop
boxes will be emptied every other day and the entire drop box will be transported back to
the Elections Division at 7:00 p.m. on Election Day.
Envelope Scanner and Signature Verification Client
To accommodate the increased volume of ballot envelopes, we will utilize
envelope scanning equipment and a signature verification client developed by Runbeck
Election Services of Phoenix, Arizona. This equipment was procured using funds
appropriated under Act 182 (2018), which initially established a vote by mail pilot project
for the County of Kaua‘i only. (Act 182 was eventually repealed by Act 136, 2019.)
The envelope scanner will capture the signature from each ballot return envelope
and index the signature with the corresponding voter's information, which is encrypted
within a barcode also imprinted on the envelope. Captured signature images and the
corresponding voter indexes are uploaded to the signature verification client, which will
display the captured signature image alongside the corresponding voter's signature image,
which is on file in the Elections Division.
Fiscal Year 2020-2021 Budget Presentation Page 18
Signature Verification
Election Division staff will manually verify signatures on ballot return envelopes
against the corresponding voter's signature on file in the Elections Division. To ensure
that the signature verification process is conducted in a structured, uniform manner,
written procedures have been developed and staff will receive training from a
handwriting expert from O‘ahu. Training will teach staff to evaluate signatures using
writing characteristics such as writing flow, starts and stops, instrument pressure, loops,
and swirls, and also how to identify common methods of signature forgery such as
freehand simulation and tracing.
The evaluation of ballot envelope signatures will be done on the signature
verification client, which will provide for an on-screen, side-by-side visual comparison of
each voter's envelope signature and the voter's signature on file with the Elections
Division. To be deemed valid or matching, a signature must be sufficiently similar to the
corresponding voter's signature on file so that a reasonable person would determine that
the signatures were made by the same individual.
Envelopes with missing, non-matching, or other issues, which require
supplemental vetting will be flagged and the corresponding voter information will be
included in a report generated by the signature verification client. The report of flagged
ballot envelopes will be used to manually pull the corresponding envelopes from ballot
storage trays and the corresponding voters will be contacted to resolve any issues which
prevent the ballot from being counted. Voters will have until five (5) days after the
election to resolve any issues which prevent their ballot from being counted.
Ballot Counting Center
For the 2020 Elections, the following rooms in the Historic County Annex
Building (Annex) and Historic County Building (HCB) will be designated as the
Counting Center pursuant to HRS § 16-41.
ANNEX ROOM 106 (Ballot Preparation) – Room will house staff and volunteers
tasked with opening ballot return envelopes, removing the ballots inside, and
preparing the ballots for scanning (counting). An adjacent vault will secure un-
scanned (uncounted) and scanned (counted) ballots.
ANNEX ROOM 107 (Ballot Scanning & Election Results) – Room will house
staff and voting system vendor personnel who are responsible for scanning ballots
and generating election results.
HCB DOWNSTAIR CONFERENCE ROOM (Manual Audit; Election Day Only)
– Room will house volunteers conducting manual audits on random samples of
voted ballots pursuant to HAR § 3-172-102.
Pursuant to HRS § 16-45, during the time that the above areas are designated as
the Counting Center, only staff and support personnel directly involved in the ballot
counting operation will be authorized to access the rooms. A tentative timeline
governing access to the aforementioned areas is below.
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Area Restricted Access
Annex Rooms 106 and 107 May 1, 2020 to December 31, 2020
HCB Conference Room August 8, 2020 and November 3, 2020 only
(Use of the HCB downstairs conference room will only be required on Primary
and General Election days.)
The locks to both rooms in the Annex (room 106 and 107) will be changed in
May 2020. No action is expected for the HCB conference room since it will only be used
on Election Day. Notices will be posted at the appropriate times to declare the areas off-
limits to unauthorized personnel pursuant to HRS § 16-45.
Following the election, scanned (counted) ballots and other sensitive election
documents will remain secured in the vault until they can be shipped back to the Office of
Elections, after the end of each election contest period. Ballot scanners, servers, work
stations, and voting equipment will be shipped back to the voting system vendor
following the General Election contest period.
3. Adopted Legislation.
During 2019 Legislative Session at total of eight (8) bills were adopted and became law with or
without the Governor's signature. A summary of adopted bills and the corresponding Acts is
below.
HB 31 Relating to Election Nomination Papers.
Amends the voter information requirements for election nomination papers and the
withdrawal of a nominating voter's signature by requiring only the month and date
portions of a voter's date of birth. Repeals the social security number requirements.
Signed by the Governor on April 23, 2019 (Act 022, Gov. Msg. No. 1123).
HB 168 Relating to the Electronic Transmission of Ballots.
Authorizes a voter with special needs, including a disability, to request that a ballot be
forwarded by electronic transmission at any time. Signed by the Governor on June
25, 2019 (Act 137, Gov. Msg. No. 1239).
HB 1248 Relating to Elections.
Enacts voting by mail uniformly across all counties for all elections commencing in
2020. Establishes a limited number of voter service centers that would remain open
from the tenth business day preceding an election through the day of the election to
receive personal delivery of mail-in ballots, accommodate voters with special needs,
offer same day registration and voting, and provide other election services. Allows for
additional places of deposit for personal delivery of mail-in ballots. Appropriates
funds for the implementation and administration of the election by mail program.
Requires the Office of Elections to submit a report to the legislature before the
convening of each regular session from 2020 through 2025, regarding the
implementation of a vote by mail system. Signed by the Governor on June 25, 2019
(Act 136, Gov. Msg. No. 1238).
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SB 107 Relating to Voting.
Provides that the ballot of an absentee or military-overseas voter is valid even if the
voter becomes ineligible to vote after casting the ballot. Repeals the requirement that
an absentee voter's ballot be deemed invalid if the voter returns the return envelope
but dies prior to the opening of polls. Signed by the Governor on April 17, 2019 (Act
010, Gov. Msg. No. 1111).
SB 166 Relating to the State Budget.
Appropriates funds for a vote counting system contract. Signed by the Governor on
June 7, 2019 (Act 059, Gov. Msg. No. 1160).
SB 216 Relating to Elections.
Requires a mandatory recount of election votes and ballot measures when the margin
of victory for election contests or tabulation for ballot measures is equal to or less
than one hundred or one-quarter of one per cent of the votes cast, whichever is
greater. Signed by the Governor on June 25, 2019 (Act 135, Gov. Msg. No. 1237).
SB 1058 Relating to Proposed Constitutional Amendments.
Requires the Attorney General to prepare a statement for each proposed constitutional
amendment. Requires the Office of Elections and county clerks to make the statement
available to the public. Became law without the Governor's signature on July 10,
2019 (Act 286, Gov. Msg. No. 1406).
SR 16 Requesting the Legislative Reference Bureau to Establish a Task Force to Review
Hawai‘i's current Voter Education System and Propose Improvements.
Report and Resolution adopted on April 12, 2019.
We are working with the State Office of Elections to implement the required policy changes in
time for the 2020 Elections.
Goals and Objectives for Fiscal Year 2020- 2021
1. Overall Outlook.
The transition to voting by mail will be a huge change for all election stakeholders and require a
complete overhaul of our operations. The head-start the we received by being selected to pilot a
vote by mail election was a tremendous help and our transition appears to be on-schedule but
there is still much to do.
The following sections offer our expectations for key areas in the upcoming Elections and some
insights into the challenges we will face from this inaugural vote by mail election.
2. Voter File Maintenance.
Sound voter data is a key component of all well run elections but is especially critical to vote by
mail elections since ballots are mailed directly to voters. While our current file maintenance
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regime generally does a decent job of keeping the majority of voter records up -to-date, it is not a
perfect process.
The voter file can contain incorrect or outdated voter information due to a variety of reasons but
the three (3) most common are:
1) Voters not re-registering after moving to a new residence and changing mailing
address;
2) Addresses not formatted to USPS standards; and
3) Incorrect data entry (i.e. typos).
While provisions are already in place to identify and correct any errors, it is not uncommon for
some to go undetected. To expedite the identification and resolution of data issues we will be
implementing more frequent file maintenance actions, utilizing USPS resources to standardize
addresses, and require more stringent data entry proofing standards.
The above plan will improve the overall "health" of the voter file and reduce the number of
ballots which the USPS deems undeliverable and returns to our office. However, in addition to
the operational measures that we will be adopting, we really need the cooperation of voters to
keep their voter information up-to-date and urge them to contact the USPS directly if there are
any questions concerning precisely how their addresses should be formatted.
3. Voter Education.
While voter education efforts will focus on familiarizing voters with the vote by mail process the
on-going challenge has always been to encourage non -voters to register and vote. While we
recognize and respect that some members of the public simply do not want to vote, our effo rts to
encourage non-voters to participate will continue.
To date nine (9) outreach events have been scheduled and we continue to identify other outreach
opportunities. In addition to covering the transition to voting by mail and related election
information, messaging will also encourage voters to maintain current information in their voter
records and to contact the USPS directly to resolve address formatting issues. We are also
developing a proposal, which will seek a partnership with an apolitical, non-profit community
organization to assist in conducting voter education outreach.
4. Voter Service Center.
For this inaugural vote by mail election projecting Voter Service Center (VSC) usage has been
difficult because we really have nothing to compare against. Given the uncertainty, we plan to
equip and staff the VSC as if turnout will be high but will roll out resources as needed.
The tentative equipment allocation will include:
Four (4) E-poll books;
Sixteen (16) direct recording electronic (DRE) voting devices and two (2) controllers
(8 DREs are connected to 1 controller); and
Five (5) paper ballot scanners.
Some of the above equipment will be kept as back-ups and deployed only if needed.
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Staffing will initially consist of ten (10) individuals and increase to fourteen (14) if needed and
will be comprised of a mix of permanent staff, temporary/seasonal hires, and volunteers from
various election operations from past elections. We believe this plan offers the flexibility needed
to accommodate unanticipated surges or drop-offs in turnout with minimal disruption to the
office as whole.
5. Ballot Processing.
Act 136 (2019) authorizes ballot processing to begin no sooner than ten (10) days prior to the
date of the election. Permitted work includes opening ballot return envelopes, removing ballots,
and scanning ballots but election results cannot be generated until all Voter Service Centers have
closed statewide.
We anticipate conducting between 4-6 ballot processing sessions and hope to have the majority
of ballots scanned prior to Election Day. If we stay on schedule by Election Day the only ballots
that would be left would be whatever may be arriving in the mail that day, ballots collected from
ballot drop boxes, and ballots from the Voter Service Center.
Succession Planning
We may have staff departures in the next year and are working with the County Clerk and
Deputy County Clerk to establish a succession plan for the Elections Division.
Vacant Positions
The Elections Division currently has no vacant positions.
Division’s Budget Discussion
The Office of the County Clerk, Elections Division’s FY 2020-2021 budget request reflects an
$112,829 or 14.80% increase from FY 2019-2020. This increase is due to the overall addition of
personnel and operational expenses associated with election years.
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Comparative Budget & Graphs
FY 2021 FY 2020
Wages $ 342,539 $ 276,639
Benefits $ 253,169 $ 200,895
Operations $ 224,354 $ 247,554
Equipment/Leases $ 55,056 $ 37,201
Utilities $ - $ -
$ 875,118 $ 762,289
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