BALLOT WATCH : Yes on ‘I’

Charter Amendment I on Tuesday’s ballot has hardly generated a great deal of attention in this primary election. Yet this low-profile proposed charter change has the potential to save local taxpayers a non-trivial sum of money.

The City Charter currently requires that the number of ballots each polling place receives for citywide elections be 5% more than the total number of registered voters at that precinct. The charter also requires destruction of all unused ballots after the polls close.

But turnout for many recent elections has been dismal--as low as 11% of registered voters for some city races. But the charter’s 105% requirement has forced the city to waste money and resources to print, and then destroy, a quantity of ballots far in excess of the number of voters who actually turn out.

Charter Amendment I would reduce the minimum number of ballots provided at each polling place from 105% to 75% of the number of registered voters for each election precinct. The number of official ballots actually provided would depend upon the number of persons likely to vote based on historical voter turnout. Should turnout at some precincts unexpectedly exceed the number of ballots available, the city clerk would provide additional ballots from a central supply.

The city’s chief administrative officer estimates that passage of this amendment could save the city up to $40,000 each election in the cost of printing and destroying unused ballots. That’s reason enough. We endorse Charter Amendment I.