(a) Upon receipt of the identification envelope and its contents, the City Clerk shall date-stamp the envelope, verify the name, the last four digits of the social security number, and address appearing on the roster of eligible voters and shall mark the roster to show that the member has voted. No identification envelope shall be opened prior to the commencement of the ballot count.
(b) The City Clerk may challenge a returned ballot upon the following grounds:
(1) The identification envelope is not properly completed according to the instructions and does not accurately identify the voter;
(2) The voter did not include the correct last four digits of their social security number;
(3) The voter did not properly sign the identification envelope;
(4) The voter's name does not appear on the primary roster;
(5) The identification envelope was not received by the City Clerk by 5:00 p.m. on the date of the election;
(6) The voter has retired, resigned, or otherwise lost status as an eligible voter within 30 calendar days prior to the election, as indicated by the General Manager to the City Clerk; or
(7) The voter has already voted a ballot.
(c) An authorized observer, prior to the time that the identification envelope is opened, may challenge the eligibility of any person to vote in the election. Challenges by observers may be made only upon the following grounds:
(1) The identification envelope was not signed by the person whose name appears on the roster;
(2) The voter's status as an eligible member has changed since being certified by the Personnel Department; or
(3) The voter's name does not appear on the roster.
(d) Each identification envelope that is challenged shall have written on the envelope the word "Challenge", the reason for the challenge, and the signature of the person issuing the challenge. Those challenged envelopes shall not be opened, and the ballots they contain shall not be counted.
(e) The City Clerk shall, with substantiating evidence, sustain or overrule the challenge. If substantiating evidence is not produced within three days of the election, the challenge shall be overruled and the ballot shall be counted with the other ballots. Identification envelopes whose challenges have been sustained shall not be included in the ballot count and shall be retained unopened by the City Clerk for a minimum of 90 calendar days after the election results are certified.
SECTION HISTORY
Added by Ord. No. 184,664, Eff. 1-25-17.