Fiscal Note
The proposed resolution authorizes the City Clerk's Office to prepay $1,040,720 to DMT Solutions Global Corporation (Bluecrest) for the purchase of an end-to-end absentee ballot mailing system with earliest possible delivery in August 2024. Funding is available in Munis #1310020-53125, through a grant from the Center for Tech and Civic Life (adopted via Legistar #75287). Annual anticipated costs are approximately $105,221 per year comprised of Ballot Management Software ($16,721), Baum Folder ($3,500), ReliaVote Inserter ($50,000), Elevate Sorter equipment support ($16,500), and Elevate Sorter software annual maintenance ($18,500). The absentee ballot mailing system is anticipated to save $3,000 per day in hourly wages. For spring elections, absentee ballots are required to be mailed 21 days prior to the election. For federal elections, absentee ballots are required to be mailed 47 days prior to an election. In federal election years (4 elections), cost savings are anticipated to be $302,779 (136 days of absentee ballot mailing) and in non-federal election years (2 elections) cost savings are anticipated to be $20,779 (42 days of absentee ballot mailing). Over a six-year period, anticipated cost savings are projected to be $970,674. No additional appropriation is required.
Title
Authorizing the payment of goods from DMT Solutions Global Corporation dba Bluecrest on a cooperative contract of an automated absentee ballot mailing system for the City Clerk’s Office prior to the delivery of all goods.
Body
WHEREAS, the goal of the City Clerk’s Office is that every eligible voter should be able to cast a ballot and have that ballot counted; and
WHEREAS, the City Clerk’s Office continually seeks to improve the efficiency of their election administration and reduce errors that impact voters to cast a ballot and have that ballot counted; and
WHEREAS, the City Clerk’s Office, by authorization of the Common Council (Legistar# 75287), accepted grants in the total of $1,500,000 from the Center for Tech & Civic Life in 2022 and 2023 for planning and operationalizing safe and secure election administration infrastructure; and
WHEREAS, the City Clerk’s Office has toured election administration facilities across the country to guide their evaluation for ways to improve election administration; and
WHEREAS, the City Clerk’s Office has identified the process of mailing and receiving absentee ballots as an area that could be significantly improved through the use of an automated system; and
WHEREAS, an end-to-end absentee ballot mailing system would reduce incidents of human error that occur when tens of thousands of ballots are mailed out each elections, such as an incorrect ballot, multiple ballots, or no ballot being sent to a voter; and
WHEREAS, DMT Solutions Global Corporation (Bluecrest) offers a unique end-to-end absentee ballot mailing system that includes folding the ballot, inserting the ballot, inserting instruction materials, inserting the return envelopes, printing voter information directly onto the envelopes, ensuring a voter is receiving the correct ballot style, and sorting and evaluating returned absentee ballot envelopes; and
WHEREAS, the goods for the absentee ballot mailing system from DMT Solutions Global Corporation (Bluecrest) are able to be purchased on a cooperative contract from NASPO; and
WHEREAS, while most of the equipment will be received by the City Clerk’s Office before April 2024, DMT Solutions Global Corporation (Bluecrest) has estimated the earliest a system would possibly be fully delivered is in August 2024, resulting in a prepayment of about $1,040,720;
NOW, THEREFORE, BE IT RESOLVED, the Common Council authorizes the payment of goods for an absentee mailing system from DMT Solutions Global Corporation (Bluecrest) prior to the delivery of all goods;
AND, BE IT FURTHER RESOLVED, this use of grant funds will not be used: (i) to attempt to influence the outcome of any specific public election, or to participate in, or intervene in (including the publishing or distributing of statements) any political campaign on behalf of (or in opposition to) any candidate for public office; (ii) to attempt to influence the selection, nomination, election or appointment of any individual to any public office or office in a political organization within the meaning of Code Section 527(e)(2); (iii) for any activity that is in violation of federal, state or local law or any effort to induce or encourage violations of law or public policy; (iv) to cause any private inurement or improper private benefit to occur; or (v) in any manner inconsistent with charitable and educational purposes defined under Code Section 501(c)(3).