To: MAYOR AND CITY COUNCIL
From: ELEANOR MANZANO, CITY CLERK
TITLE
title
DISCUSSION AND POSSIBLE ACTION PERTAINING TO RESOLUTIONS REGARDING CALLING AND GIVING NOTICE OF HOLDING AN ALL-MAIL BALLOT GENERAL MUNICIPAL ELECTION CONSOLIDATED WITH THE REDONDO BEACH UNIFIED SCHOOL DISTRICT BOARD OF EDUCATION ON TUESDAY, MARCH 2, 2027, REQUESTING LOS ANGELES COUNTY TO RENDER SPECIFIC SERVICES, ADOPTING REGULATIONS FOR CANDIDATE STATEMENTS, AND APPROVING CERTAIN VENDOR AGREEMENTS FOR ELECTION-RELATED SERVICES WHICH INCLUDE RANKED CHOICE VOTING
ADOPT BY TITLE ONLY RESOLUTION NO. CC-2610-080, A RESOLUTION OF THE CITY COUNCIL OF THE CITY OF REDONDO BEACH, CALIFORNIA, CALLING AND GIVING NOTICE OF THE HOLDING OF AN ALL-MAILED BALLOT GENERAL MUNICIPAL ELECTION CONSOLIDATED WITH THE ELECTION OF THE BOARD OF EDUCATION OF THE REDONDO BEACH UNIFIED SCHOOL DISTRICT, TO BE HELD IN SAID CITY ON TUESDAY, MARCH 2, 2027, FOR THE ELECTION OF CERTAIN OFFICERS OF THE CITY AND MEMBERS OF THE BOARD OF EDUCATION OF SAID SCHOOL DISTRICT, AS REQUIRED BY THE PROVISIONS OF THE CHARTER OF THE CITY OF REDONDO BEACH
ADOPT BY TITLE ONLY RESOLUTION NO. CC-2610-081, A RESOLUTION OF THE CITY COUNCIL OF THE CITY OF REDONDO BEACH, CALIFORNIA, REQUESTING THE BOARD OF SUPERVISORS OF THE COUNTY OF LOS ANGELES TO RENDER SPECIFIED SERVICES TO THE CITY RELATING TO CONDUCTING AN ALL-MAILED BALLOT GENERAL MUNICIPAL ELECTION CONSOLIDATED WITH THE ELECTION OF MEMBERS OF THE BOARD OF EDUCATION OF THE REDONDO BEACH UNIFIED SCHOOL DISTRICT TO BE HELD ON TUESDAY, MARCH 2, 2027
ADOPT BY TITLE ONLY RESOLUTION NO. CC-2610-082, A RESOLUTION OF THE CITY COUNCIL OF THE CITY OF REDONDO BEACH, CALIFORNIA, ADOPTING REGULATIONS PERTAINING TO CANDIDATES' STATEMENTS SUBMITTED TO THE VOTERS AT A GENERAL MUNICIPAL ELECTION CONSOLIDATED WITH THE ELECTION OF MEMBERS OF THE BOARD OF EDUCATION OF THE REDONDO BEACH UNIFIED SCHOOL DISTRICT FOR THE ELECTION ON MARCH 2, 2027
APPROVE AN AGREEMENT WITH SNAILWORKS, LLC FOR POSTAL BALLOT MAIL TRACKING SERVICES FOR THE MARCH 2, 2027 GENERAL MUNICIPAL ELECTION FOR THE TERM OCTOBER 6, 2026 TO OCTOBER 5, 2027
APPROVE AN AGREEMENT WITH STELLARA GROUP, LLC FOR MANAGEMENT CONSULTING AND ELECTION SERVICES IN AN AMOUNT NOT TO EXCEED $30,000 FOR THE TERM OCTOBER 7, 2026 TO JUNE 30, 2027
APPROVE AN AGREEMENT WITH THE CITY OF WHITTIER FOR USE OF GENERAL ELECTION MANAGEMENT BALLOT TRACKING SOFTWARE FOR THE MARCH 2, 2027 GENERAL MUNICIPAL ELECTION IN AN AMOUNT NOT TO EXCEED $16,000 FOR THE TERM COMMENCING UPON EXECUTION OF THE AGREEMENT THROUGH THE CONCLUSION OF ALL LAWFUL ELECTION ACTIVITIES
APPROVE AN AGREEMENT WITH PRO DOCUMENT SOLUTIONS, INC., DBA PRO VOTE SOLUTIONS, FOR PRINT AND MAIL SERVICES FOR THE MARCH 2, 2027 GENERAL MUNICIPAL ELECTION IN THE AMOUNT OF $152,497 FOR THE TERM OCTOBER 7, 2026 TO JUNE 30, 2027
APPROVE AN AGREEMENT WITH AVANTPAGE, INC. FOR SPANISH LANGUAGE TRANSLATION SERVICES FOR THE MARCH 2, 2027 GENERAL MUNICIPAL ELECTION BALLOT MATERIALS AT A RATE OF $75 PER HOUR AND THE TERM OCTOBER 6, 2026 TO JUNE 30, 2027
APPROVE AN AGREEMENT WITH NEO PHILANTHROPY, INC., FOR STRATEGIC GUIDANCE, MATERIAL UPDATES, COMMUNITY-LED VOTER EDUCATION, AND CANDIDATE TRAINING SERVICES FOR THE GENERAL MUNICIPAL ELECTION ON MARCH 2, 2027 IN AN AMOUNT NOT TO EXCEED $5,000 FOR THE TERM OCTOBER 6, 2026 TO JUNE 30, 2027
APPROVE AN AGREEMENT WITH LIBERTY VOTE USA, INC. FOR THE RENTAL OF LIBERTY VOTE EQUIPMENT, BALLOT DESIGN, TABULATION SOFTWARE, AND RELATED SERVICES FOR THE MARCH 2, 2027 GENERAL MUNICIPAL ELECTION IN AN AMOUNT NOT TO EXCEED $76,400 AND THE TERM COMMENCING UPON EXECUTION OF THE AGREEMENT THROUGH MARCH 30, 2027
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EXECUTIVE SUMMARY
Under the provisions of the City Charter, the City Council must adopt a Resolution to call and give notice of a General Municipal Election. The City of Redondo Beach will be holding its General Municipal Election on March 2, 2027 via all-mail ballot with Ranked Choice Voting (RCV) for City elected offices, as provided in the Redondo Beach Municipal Code and in accordance with the City Charter. The City Council must also adopt Resolutions requesting certain services of the Los Angeles County Board of Supervisors, and adopt regulations pertaining to candidate statements of a General Municipal Election. In addition, the Redondo Beach Unified School District, by its Resolution No. R:26-27:01, has requested consolidation with the City's election.
Nomination Process
The nomination period will begin Monday, November 9, 2026, and end Friday, December 4, 2026 at 5:30 p.m. In the event an incumbent does not file, the nomination period will extend for that office to Wednesday, December 9, 2026 at 5:30 p.m. On Monday, October 26, 2026, the City Clerk will begin scheduling appointments for the nomination period for potential candidates. Additional election related information is available on the City website at https://redondo.org/elections and will be updated as new information becomes available.
BACKGROUND
On March 7, 2023, 76.67% of the voters 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 instant run-off elections.
On September 3, 2024, Ordinance 3275-24 was adopted to implement RCV as the instant run-off voting system. RCV is a method that allows voters to rank candidates on the ballot in order of preference and the ballots are tabulated (counted) in rounds that simulate a series of runoffs until a candidate receives 50% plus 1 and is therefore determined the winner. RCV only applies to City Office candidates, and does not include Redondo Beach Unified School District Members of the Board of Education. Key items addressed and adopted in this Ordinance include setting the maximum ranking number of candidates, selecting the total number of ballot write-in candidates, tabulation (rounds), skipped ranking, undervotes/overvotes/exhausted ballots, ties, reports, continuing to tally to two candidates, and manual tally. Redondo Beach held its first RCV election on March 4, 2025.
Vendor agreements for all election-related services for the General Municipal election pursuant to the call of the March 2, 2027 General Municipal Election include, but are not limited to:
• ballot design/layout, tabulation equipment, software and on-site support
• ballot print, sample ballot, postcard and mail services
• software licenses and support for vote by mail ballot processing
• ballot mail tracking software
• professional election consultation services
• voter education programming/community outreach and non-partisan candidate training
• translation services
In 2020, the City contracted with Hart Intercivic, Inc. for ballot design, tabulation software, equipment, and related services. In September of 2022, the City Clerk’s Office purchased the tabulation equipment and subscribed to the associated software from Hart Intercivic, Inc. In 2024, the City rented the equipment from Hart to tabulate RCV with RCTab. In 2026, Hart confirmed they have purchased full-service software with RCV. In January of 2027, HART is expected to submit this RCV software to the California Secretary of State for certification. The updated software is expected to include the tabulation component and improve reporting capabilities. Negotiations are currently in progress with Hart for a provision of credit for the annual license fee for the 2029 elections.
For the 2027 General Municipal Election, Liberty Vote will be contracted with for equipment rental, ballot design, tabulation software, and related services. Liberty Vote was selected based on its RCV reporting capabilities, votes cast record csv file, and its ability to account for votes cast in instances in which more than one qualified write-in candidate exists. Liberty Vote works with several municipalities in California and is experienced in working with RCV.
24-hour access vote-by-mail drop boxes located at the following locations will be available for use during the election:
1.) Riviera Triangle Parking - Corner of Ave del Norte & S. Elena
2.) Redondo Beach Main Library - 303 N. Pacific Coast Hwy
3.) North Branch Library - 2000 Artesia Blvd
4.) Dominguez Park - 200 Flagler Ln
5.) Anderson Park Senior Center - 3007 Vail Ave
Ballots may also be dropped into the ballot box located in the City Clerk’s Office at 415 Diamond Street, Door 1, during regular business hours. Vote-by-mail drop boxes will be locked at 8:00 p.m. on election Night.
The City Clerk’s Office will continue to utilize the Voter Outreach Plan (VOP) that outlines educational and outreach components related to RCV. The City Clerk’s Office will continue to reach out to various resources for best practices, the sharing of knowledge and experiences to continually enhance the plan. The VOP includes education and outreach to communicate general election information to City residents and equip voters with knowledge of choices in RCV contests for city elected City offices. The types of outreach strategies include: print media, social media, community meetings, partnering with local groups and organization, etc., with specific timelines for each.
Staff recommends approval of the proposed resolutions and agreements as presented.
COORDINATION
The City Clerk’s Office has coordinated with the City Attorney’s Office.
FISCAL IMPACT
Funding for the proposed Agreements is included in the Adopted FY 2026-27 Budget, which includes $421,500 for the March 2027 Election.
APPROVED BY:
Eleanor Manzano, City Clerk
ATTACHMENTS
• Reso - No. CC-2610-080 Calling Election
• Reso - No. CC-2610-081 Requesting County Services
• Reso - No. CC-2610-082 Candidate Statements Regulations
• RBUSD Resolution R:26-27:01
• Agmt - SnailWorks, LLC
• Agmt - Stellara Group, LLC
• Agmt - City of Whittier
• Agmt - Pro Document Solutions, Inc. dba Pro Vote Solutions
• Agmt - Avantpage, Inc.
• Agmt - Neo Philanthropy, Inc. (to be included as a Blue Folder Item)
• Agmt - Liberty Vote USA, Inc.