BLUE FOLDER ITEM
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CITY COUNCIL MEETING
SEPTEMBER 17, 2024
H.20 ADOPT BY TITLE ONLY ORDINANCE NO. 3275-24, AN ORDINANCE OF THE CITY COUNCIL OF THE CITY OF REDONDO BEACH, CALIFORNIA, REPEAL TITLE 2, CHAPTER 2, ARTICLE 2, SECTION 2-2.202 (NOTICES OF RUNOFF ELECTIONS) AND ADDING ARTICLE 4 TO MUNICIPAL CODE TITLE 2, CHAPTER 2, TO PROVIDE FOR INSTANT RUNOFF VOTING RELATED TO RANKED CHOICE VOTING. FOR SECOND
READING AND ADOPTION
• Ordinance No. 3275-24 (Redlined)
• Ordinance No. 3275-24
ORDINANCE NO. 3275-24
INSTANT RUNOFF VOTING – RBMC 2-2, Article 4
PAGE 1
ORDINANCE NO. 3275-24
AN ORDINANCE OF THE CITY COUNCIL OF THE CITY OF
REDONDO BEACH, CALIFORNIA, REPEAL TITLE 2,
CHAPTER 2, ARTICLE 2, SECTION 2-2.202 (NOTICES OF
RUNOFF ELECTIONS) AND ADDING ARTICLE 4 TO
MUNICIPAL CODE TITLE 2, CHAPTER 2, TO PROVIDE FOR
INSTANT RUNOFF VOTING
WHEREAS, on March 7, 2023, the voters of the City of Redondo Beach adopted Measure CA5, an amendment to the City Charter of the City of Redondo Beach, replacing runoff elections for elections for elective offices of the City with ranked choice voting, also known as instant runoff voting; and
WHEREAS, CA5 amended Charter section 18.4 which now includes the following language: “The City Council must by ordinance provide for an instant runoff voting system in the elections of each city elective office listed in Article VI, Article VIII, and Article X. A majority (more than half), of the votes cast for all candidates, or a majority of the operative votes on continuing ballots in subsequent rounds, is required for the election of a candidate to each such office as determined by an instant runoff voting system process detailed in the ordinance the council must enact”; and
WHEREAS, this ordinance is intended to implement the direction of section
18.4 of the Charter.
NOW, THEREFORE, THE CITY COUNCIL OF THE CITY OF REDONDO BEACH, CALIFORNIA, DOES ORDAIN AS FOLLOWS:
SECTION 1. REPEAL OF CODE SECTIONS. Section 2-2.202 of Title 2, Chapter 2, Article 2, Section 2-2.202 of the Redondo Beach Municipal Code is hereby repealed.
SECTION 2. AMENDMENT OF CODE. Title 2, Chapter 2, Article 4, is hereby added to the Redondo Beach Municipal Code and shall read as follows:
“Section 1. Title 2, Chapter 2, Article 4 is hereby added to the Redondo Beach Municipal Code as follows:
ARTICLE 4 – ELECTIONS – INSTANT RUNOFF VOTING
2-2.401 Definitions
2-2.402 General Provisions
2-2.403 Ballot
2-2.404 Tabulation
2-2.405 Ties
2-2.406 Skipped Rankings
ORDINANCE NO. 3275-24
INSTANT RUNOFF VOTING – RBMC 2-2, Article 4
PAGE 2
2-2.407 Undervotes, Overvotes and Exhausted Ballots
2-2.408 Reports
2-2.409 Continuing the Tally to Two Candidates
2-2.410 Manual Tally
2-2.401 Definitions.
A. “Choice” means an indication on a ballot of a voter’s assigned ranking of candidates (i.e. first choice, second choice, third choice, etc.) for any single office according to the voter’s preference.
B. "Continuing ballot" shall mean a ballot that counts towards a continuing candidate.
C. "Continuing candidate" shall mean a candidate that has not been eliminated.
D. “Exhausted ballot” means any ballot that cannot be advanced because no further continuing candidates are ranked on that ballot for a single office.
E. "Majority of votes" shall mean more than fifty percent (50%) of the votes cast on continuing ballots.
F. “Next ranked” means the highest ranked choice for a continuing candidate.
G. “Overvote” means any ballot with more than one candidate indicated for the same ranking for a single office.
H. "Ranked choice voting" shall mean an election system in which voters rank the candidates for office in order of preference, and the ballots are counted in rounds that, in the case of a single-winner election, simulate a series of runoffs until one candidate receives a majority of votes. Also known as “instant runoff voting.” I. “Round of counting” or “round” means a step in the counting process during which votes for all continuing candidates are tabulated for the purpose of determining whether a candidate has achieved a majority of the votes cast for a particular office, and, absent a majority, which candidate or candidates must be eliminated. No round of counting or elimination of candidates can occur before all eligible ballots are received by the City Clerk.
J. “Skipped ranking” means a ballot contains a higher ranking with no candidate indicated, and contains a lower ranking with a candidate indicated for a single office.
K. “Undervote” means any ballot that has no candidates indicated at any ranking for a single office.
L. “Unofficial Election Night Report” means an initial unofficial report regarding the results of ballots received by the City Clerk before election day. This does not constitute a round of counting and no candidates will be eliminated based on the report.
M. “Vote” means a ballot choice that is counted toward the election of a candidate. During each round of counting, each continuing ballot contains one vote. All first choices are votes and lower ranked choices are potential runoff votes that may, in accordance with the requirements of this chapter, be credited to and become votes for a candidate.
N. “Voting equipment” means all ballots and/or voting devices, vote tabulating systems and/or similar or related systems to be used in the conduct of the City's election, including but not limited to paper ballot systems, optical scan systems, and direct ORDINANCE NO. 3275-24
INSTANT RUNOFF VOTING – RBMC 2-2, Article 4
PAGE 3
recording electronic systems.
2-2.402 General Provisions.
A. Ranked choice voting elections in the elections of each city elective office listed in Article VI, Article VIII, and Article X shall be conducted according to the procedures in this section.
B. Ranked choice voting shall commence with the 2025 General Municipal Election.
2-2.403 Ballot.
A. The ranked choice voting ballot shall allow voters to rank six choices.
B. The ballot shall not interfere with a voter's ability to rank a write-in candidate.
C. Instructions provided to voters shall conform substantially to the following specifications, but may be modified based on ballot design and voting equipment used:
“Vote by ranking candidates in your order of choice. You may rank as many or as few candidates as you choose. Select a different candidate for each ranking. Select only one candidate in each ranking. Ranking more candidates will not hurt your higher ranked candidates. Do not skip rankings. In the event you do skip a ranking, your vote will be given to your next continuing candidate.”
2-2.404 Tabulation.
The ballots shall be counted in rounds.
A. In the first round, every ballot shall count as a vote towards the first choice candidate.
B. After any round, if any candidate receives a majority of votes from the continuing ballots, that candidate shall be declared the winner.
C. If no candidate receives a majority, the candidate receiving the fewest number of votes shall be eliminated.
D. Every ballot counting towards the eliminated candidate shall be advanced to the next-ranked continuing candidate. All the continuing ballots for all continuing candidates shall be counted again in a new round.
2-2.405 Ties.
In the event that two or more candidates tie for the fewest number of votes, the candidate to eliminate shall be chosen by lot.
If there are only two candidates in the final round and they are tied, the winner will be the candidate who received the higher number of votes in round one. 2-2.406 Skipped Rankings.
In the first or any round, in the event that any ballot reaches a ranking with no candidate indicated, that ballot shall immediately be advanced to the next ranking. 2-2.407 Undervotes, Overvotes, and Exhausted Ballots.
After each round, any ballot that is not continuing is either an uUndervote, oOvervote, or eExhausted ballot. Any ballot that has been declared an uUndervote, oOvervote, or ORDINANCE NO. 3275-24
INSTANT RUNOFF VOTING – RBMC 2-2, Article 4
PAGE 4
eExhausted ballot shall remain so and shall not count towards any candidate in that round or in subsequent rounds.
2-2.408 Reports.
The following reports shall be produced for public review.
A. The "summary report" for a contest shall mean a report that lists the candidate vote totals in each round, and the cumulative numbers of undervotes, overvotes, and exhausted ballots in each round.
B. The "ballot cast report" for a contest shall mean a report that lists, for each ballot, the candidate or candidates indicated at each ranking and the ballot was cast by a vote-by-mail ballot. In the report, the ballots shall be listed in an order that does not permit the order in which they were cast in each precinct to be reconstructed.
C. The "comprehensive report" for a contest shall mean a report that lists the vote totals in the summary report by precinct. The report shall list, for each round, the number of ballots cast in each precinct that:
1. were tallied as votes for each candidate in that round,
2. have been declared exhausted cumulatively for all previous rounds and inclusive of the reported round of tabulation.
D. Mode and manner of release. Preliminary versions of the summary report and ballot image report shall be made available as soon as possible after the commencement of the canvass of votes cast. The summary report, ballot image report, comprehensive report, and preliminary versions of the summary report and ballot image report shall be made available to the public during the canvass via the Internet and by other means. The ballot image report and preliminary versions of the ballot image report shall be made available in a plain text electronic format. In any case, preliminary versions of these reports shall be made available to the public prior to the commencement of the manual tally.
2-2.409 Continuing the Tally to Two Candidates.
If a winner is declared when there are three or more continuing candidates (including the winner), and if the vote tabulating system allows for it, additional rounds of tallying shall occur until there are only two candidates left for reporting purposes only. 2-2.410 Manual Tally.
A. A preliminary version of the comprehensive report shall be made available to the public prior to the selection of precincts for the public one percent manual tally, as provided by state law.
B. After each round of the manual tally, the second and third choice votes shall be assigned based on the candidate totals in the summary round-by-round report for the entire contest.
SECTION 3. INCONSISTENT PROVISIONS. Any provisions of the Redondo Beach Municipal Code, or appendices thereto, or any other ordinances of the City inconsistent herewith, to the extent of such inconsistencies and no further, are hereby repealed.
ORDINANCE NO. 3275-24
INSTANT RUNOFF VOTING – RBMC 2-2, Article 4
PAGE 5
SECTION 4. SEVERABILITY. If any section, subsection, sentence, clause, or phrase of this Ordinance is for any reason held to be invalid or unconstitutional by the decision of any court of competent jurisdiction, such decision shall not affect the validity of the remaining portions of the Ordinance. The City Council hereby declares that it would have passed this Ordinance and each section, subsection, sentence, clause, and phrase thereof, irrespective of the fact that any one or more sections, subsections, sentences, clauses, or phrases be declared invalid or unconstitutional.
SECTION 5. PUBLICATION AND EFFECTIVE DATE. This Ordinance shall be published by one insertion in the official newspaper of said city, and same shall go into effect and be in full force and operation from thirty (30) days after its final passage and adoption.
PASSED, APPROVED AND ADOPTED this 17th3
rd day of September, 2024.
_______________________________
James A. Light, Mayor
APPROVED AS TO FORM: ATTEST:
________________________________ ________________________________ Michael W. Webb, City Attorney Eleanor Manzano, CMC, City Clerk Formatted: Superscript
ORDINANCE NO. 3275-24
INSTANT RUNOFF VOTING – RBMC 2-2, Article 4
PAGE 6
STATE OF CALIFORNIA )
COUNTY OF LOS ANGELES ) ss
CITY OF REDONDO BEACH )
I, Eleanor Manzano, City Clerk of the City of Redondo Beach, California, do hereby certify that Ordinance No. 3275-24 was introduced at a regular meeting of the City Council held on the 3
rd20th day of SeptemberAugust, 2024, and approved and adopted by the City Council of the City of Redondo Beach, California, at a regular meeting of said City Council held on the 17th3
rd day of September, 2024, and there after signed and approved by the Mayor and attested by the City Clerk, and that said Ordinance was adopted by the following vote:
AYES:
NOES:
ABSENT:
ABSTAIN:
_________________________________
Eleanor Manzano, CMC
City Clerk4
Formatted: Superscript
Formatted: Superscript
ORDINANCE NO. 3275-24
INSTANT RUNOFF VOTING – RBMC 2-2, Article 4
PAGE 1
ORDINANCE NO. 3275-24
AN ORDINANCE OF THE CITY COUNCIL OF THE CITY OF
REDONDO BEACH, CALIFORNIA, REPEAL TITLE 2,
CHAPTER 2, ARTICLE 2, SECTION 2-2.202 (NOTICES OF
RUNOFF ELECTIONS) AND ADDING ARTICLE 4 TO
MUNICIPAL CODE TITLE 2, CHAPTER 2, TO PROVIDE FOR
INSTANT RUNOFF VOTING
WHEREAS, on March 7, 2023, the voters of the City of Redondo Beach adopted Measure CA5, an amendment to the City Charter of the City of Redondo Beach, replacing runoff elections for elections for elective offices of the City with ranked choice voting, also known as instant runoff voting; and
WHEREAS, CA5 amended Charter section 18.4 which now includes the following language: “The City Council must by ordinance provide for an instant runoff voting system in the elections of each city elective office listed in Article VI, Article VIII, and Article X. A majority (more than half), of the votes cast for all candidates, or a majority of the operative votes on continuing ballots in subsequent rounds, is required for the election of a candidate to each such office as determined by an instant runoff voting system process detailed in the ordinance the council must enact”; and
WHEREAS, this ordinance is intended to implement the direction of section
18.4 of the Charter.
NOW, THEREFORE, THE CITY COUNCIL OF THE CITY OF REDONDO BEACH, CALIFORNIA, DOES ORDAIN AS FOLLOWS:
SECTION 1. REPEAL OF CODE SECTIONS. Section 2-2.202 of Title 2, Chapter 2, Article 2, Section 2-2.202 of the Redondo Beach Municipal Code is hereby repealed.
SECTION 2. AMENDMENT OF CODE. Title 2, Chapter 2, Article 4, is hereby added to the Redondo Beach Municipal Code and shall read as follows:
“Section 1. Title 2, Chapter 2, Article 4 is hereby added to the Redondo Beach Municipal Code as follows:
ARTICLE 4 – ELECTIONS – INSTANT RUNOFF VOTING
2-2.401 Definitions
2-2.402 General Provisions
2-2.403 Ballot
2-2.404 Tabulation
2-2.405 Ties
2-2.406 Skipped Rankings
ORDINANCE NO. 3275-24
INSTANT RUNOFF VOTING – RBMC 2-2, Article 4
PAGE 2
2-2.407 Undervotes, Overvotes and Exhausted Ballots
2-2.408 Reports
2-2.409 Continuing the Tally to Two Candidates
2-2.410 Manual Tally
2-2.401 Definitions.
A. “Choice” means an indication on a ballot of a voter’s assigned ranking of candidates (i.e. first choice, second choice, third choice, etc.) for any single office according to the voter’s preference.
B. "Continuing ballot" shall mean a ballot that counts towards a continuing candidate.
C. "Continuing candidate" shall mean a candidate that has not been eliminated.
D. “Exhausted ballot” means any ballot that cannot be advanced because no further continuing candidates are ranked on that ballot for a single office.
E. "Majority of votes" shall mean more than fifty percent (50%) of the votes cast on continuing ballots.
F. “Next ranked” means the highest ranked choice for a continuing candidate.
G. “Overvote” means any ballot with more than one candidate indicated for the same ranking for a single office.
H. "Ranked choice voting" shall mean an election system in which voters rank the candidates for office in order of preference, and the ballots are counted in rounds that, in the case of a single-winner election, simulate a series of runoffs until one candidate receives a majority of votes. Also known as “instant runoff voting.” I. “Round of counting” or “round” means a step in the counting process during which votes for all continuing candidates are tabulated for the purpose of determining whether a candidate has achieved a majority of the votes cast for a particular office, and, absent a majority, which candidate or candidates must be eliminated. No round of counting or elimination of candidates can occur before all eligible ballots are received by the City Clerk.
J. “Skipped ranking” means a ballot contains a higher ranking with no candidate indicated and contains a lower ranking with a candidate indicated for a single office.
K. “Undervote” means any ballot that has no candidates indicated at any ranking for a single office.
L. “Unofficial Election Night Report” means an initial unofficial report regarding the results of ballots received by the City Clerk before election day. This does not constitute a round of counting and no candidates will be eliminated based on the report.
M. “Vote” means a ballot choice that is counted toward the election of a candidate. During each round of counting, each continuing ballot contains one vote. All first choices are votes and lower ranked choices are potential runoff votes that may, in accordance with the requirements of this chapter, be credited to and become votes for a candidate.
N. “Voting equipment” means all ballots and/or voting devices, vote tabulating systems and/or similar or related systems to be used in the conduct of the City's election, including but not limited to paper ballot systems, optical scan systems, and direct ORDINANCE NO. 3275-24
INSTANT RUNOFF VOTING – RBMC 2-2, Article 4
PAGE 3
recording electronic systems.
2-2.402 General Provisions.
A. Ranked choice voting elections in the elections of each city elective office listed in Article VI, Article VIII, and Article X shall be conducted according to the procedures in this section.
B. Ranked choice voting shall commence with the 2025 General Municipal Election.
2-2.403 Ballot.
A. The ranked choice voting ballot shall allow voters to rank six choices.
B. The ballot shall not interfere with a voter's ability to rank a write-in candidate.
C. Instructions provided to voters shall conform substantially to the following specifications, but may be modified based on ballot design and voting equipment used:
“Vote by ranking candidates in your order of choice. You may rank as many or as few candidates as you choose. Select a different candidate for each ranking. Select only one candidate in each ranking. Ranking more candidates will not hurt your higher ranked candidates. Do not skip rankings. In the event you do skip a ranking, your vote will be given to your next continuing candidate.”
2-2.404 Tabulation.
The ballots shall be counted in rounds.
A. In the first round, every ballot shall count as a vote towards the first choice candidate.
B. After any round, if any candidate receives a majority of votes from the continuing ballots, that candidate shall be declared the winner.
C. If no candidate receives a majority, the candidate receiving the fewest number of votes shall be eliminated.
D. Every ballot counting towards the eliminated candidate shall be advanced to the next-ranked continuing candidate. All the continuing ballots for all continuing candidates shall be counted again in a new round.
2-2.405 Ties.
In the event that two or more candidates tie for the fewest number of votes, the candidate to eliminate shall be chosen by lot.
If there are only two candidates in the final round and they are tied, the winner will be the candidate who received the higher number of votes in round one. 2-2.406 Skipped Rankings.
In the first or any round, in the event that any ballot reaches a ranking with no candidate indicated, that ballot shall immediately be advanced to the next ranking. 2-2.407 Undervotes, Overvotes, and Exhausted Ballots.
After each round, any ballot that is not continuing is either an Undervote, Overvote, or Exhausted ballot. Any ballot that has been declared an Undervote, Overvote, or ORDINANCE NO. 3275-24
INSTANT RUNOFF VOTING – RBMC 2-2, Article 4
PAGE 4
Exhausted ballot shall remain so and shall not count towards any candidate in that round or in subsequent rounds.
2-2.408 Reports.
The following reports shall be produced for public review.
A. The "summary report" for a contest shall mean a report that lists the candidate vote totals in each round, and the cumulative numbers of undervotes, overvotes, and exhausted ballots in each round.
B. The "ballot cast report" for a contest shall mean a report that lists, for each ballot, the candidate or candidates indicated at each ranking and the ballot was cast by a vote-by-mail ballot. In the report, the ballots shall be listed in an order that does not permit the order in which they were cast in each precinct to be reconstructed.
C. The "comprehensive report" for a contest shall mean a report that lists the vote totals in the summary report by precinct. The report shall list, for each round, the number of ballots cast in each precinct that:
1. were tallied as votes for each candidate in that round,
2. have been declared exhausted cumulatively for all previous rounds and inclusive of the reported round of tabulation.
D. Mode and manner of release. Preliminary versions of the summary report and ballot image report shall be made available as soon as possible after the commencement of the canvass of votes cast. The summary report, ballot image report, comprehensive report, and preliminary versions of the summary report and ballot image report shall be made available to the public during the canvass via the Internet and by other means. The ballot image report and preliminary versions of the ballot image report shall be made available in a plain text electronic format. In any case, preliminary versions of these reports shall be made available to the public prior to the commencement of the manual tally.
2-2.409 Continuing the Tally to Two Candidates.
If a winner is declared when there are three or more continuing candidates (including the winner), and if the vote tabulating system allows for it, additional rounds of tallying shall occur until there are only two candidates left for reporting purposes only. 2-2.410 Manual Tally.
A. A preliminary version of the comprehensive report shall be made available to the public prior to the selection of precincts for the public one percent manual tally, as provided by state law.
B. After each round of the manual tally, the second and third choice votes shall be assigned based on the candidate totals in the summary round-by-round report for the entire contest.
SECTION 3. INCONSISTENT PROVISIONS. Any provisions of the Redondo Beach Municipal Code, or appendices thereto, or any other ordinances of the City inconsistent herewith, to the extent of such inconsistencies and no further, are hereby repealed.
ORDINANCE NO. 3275-24
INSTANT RUNOFF VOTING – RBMC 2-2, Article 4
PAGE 5
SECTION 4. SEVERABILITY. If any section, subsection, sentence, clause, or phrase of this Ordinance is for any reason held to be invalid or unconstitutional by the decision of any court of competent jurisdiction, such decision shall not affect the validity of the remaining portions of the Ordinance. The City Council hereby declares that it would have passed this Ordinance and each section, subsection, sentence, clause, and phrase thereof, irrespective of the fact that any one or more sections, subsections, sentences, clauses, or phrases be declared invalid or unconstitutional.
SECTION 5. PUBLICATION AND EFFECTIVE DATE. This Ordinance shall be published by one insertion in the official newspaper of said city, and same shall go into effect and be in full force and operation from thirty (30) days after its final passage and adoption.
PASSED, APPROVED AND ADOPTED this 17th day of September, 2024. _______________________________
James A. Light, Mayor
APPROVED AS TO FORM: ATTEST:
________________________________ ________________________________ Michael W. Webb, City Attorney Eleanor Manzano, CMC, City Clerk ORDINANCE NO. 3275-24
INSTANT RUNOFF VOTING – RBMC 2-2, Article 4
PAGE 6
STATE OF CALIFORNIA )
COUNTY OF LOS ANGELES ) ss
CITY OF REDONDO BEACH )
I, Eleanor Manzano, City Clerk of the City of Redondo Beach, California, do hereby certify that Ordinance No. 3275-24 was introduced at a regular meeting of the City Council held on the 3
rd day of September, 2024, and approved and adopted by the City Council of the City of Redondo Beach, California, at a regular meeting of said City Council held on the 17th day of September, 2024, and there after signed and approved by the Mayor and attested by the City Clerk, and that said Ordinance was adopted by the following vote:
AYES:
NOES:
ABSENT:
ABSTAIN:
_________________________________
Eleanor Manzano, CMC
City Clerk