LAFCO discusses voting access, open-source elections and a potential work plan for September

At its July 24 meeting the Local Agency Formation Commission discussed expanding voting access in San Francisco and the status of an open-source elections study.

Jason Fried, LAFCO executive officer, said staff circulated an open-source elections report and would integrate technical comments before bringing a second-draft for broader review. Fried said the work remains a lower near-term priority while Clean Power SF procurement is underway, but staff will continue to develop the report in the coming months.

Commissioners used the executive report and the future-agenda discussion to propose a larger voting-access work plan. Topics flagged included: increasing vote-by-mail participation, exploring regional or roving early voting centers, maximizing secure absentee/mail-in voting, reviewing provisional-ballot procedures, and identifying state-law constraints on alternative voting models. Commissioners asked staff to return in September with a work plan and to explore internship support and Department of Elections data.

Public commenters and advocacy groups welcomed the focus on open-source voting standards and urged careful attention to security, standards such as the General Public License (GPLv3) for open-source code, and clarity about cost and timeline. Brent Turner (open-source voting advocate) estimated an open-source voting system implementation could cost roughly $5,000,000 and would likely not be ready for the 2016 presidential election but might be feasible within a few years.

Fried said he would present a proposed work plan in September that could be split into parts (e.g., immediate near-term options and longer-term technical studies). Commissioners and advocates emphasized equity—particularly how access reforms would affect low-income and minority voters—and asked staff to coordinate with existing city efforts and the Department of Elections.