The room where nothing happened

Alameda County Election Commission met for the first time, and it was a hot mess; Alameda has concerns about proposed turning basin that could remove six acres of island waterfront

Scene from the first meeting of the Alameda County Election Commission on Wednesday.

COUNTY NEWS

ELECTION COMMISSION

—SURPRISE!—To the surprise of many, including myself and critics of the county registrar of voters, the inaugural meeting of the Alameda County Election Commission was held on Wednesday.

—The meeting was not listed on the Board of Supervisors website like others, such as the Reparations Commission. Instead, notification of the Election Commission was tucked within the Registrar of Voters’ page.

—It’s a curious spot since the Election Commission was essentially created to keep tabs on the Registrar of Voters’ Office after the ranked choice debacle that followed last year’s November election.

—There were several other curiosities that raise early questions about the legitimacy and efficacy of this commission:

• Its members were not publicly sworn-in at the start of the first meeting. Some were sworn-in weeks ago. One member was given the oath prior to entering Wednesday afternoon’s meeting.

• No materials regarding the history of the new commission or its purpose were provided to members. Similar reports were given to the Reparations Commission at their first meeting last month.

• The clerk for the commission is a member of the Registrar of Voters Office.

• There was lengthy discussion about the number of appointees from the League of Women Voters (4). This comes despite the group’s public advocacy for ranked choice voting. The League of Women Voters, for example, is leading an effort for a ballot measure next year to bring ranked choice voting to the City of Alameda.

• Alameda County Registrar of Voters Tim Dupuis attended the meeting on Wednesday and provided guidance to the group tasked with being his watchdog.

—Dupuis’ presence at these meetings should be a concern if it appears he is attempting to steer the commission’s discussions in the future.

—The first test is likely to come next month. A commissioner on Wednesday asked to agendize an item for next month to discuss Dupuis’ role as both the county’s head of IT and the registrar of voters.

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