Atwater, California, Measure B, Appointed City Clerk (November 2018)
| Measure B:Atwater Appointed City Clerk |
|---|
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| The basics |
| Election date: |
| November 6, 2018 |
| Status: |
 Defeated
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| Topic: |
| Local election and voting laws |
| Related articles |
| Local election and voting laws on the ballot November 6, 2018 ballot measures in California Merced County, California ballot measures City governance on the ballot |
| See also |
| Atwater, California |
A measure to change from electing to appointing the City Clerk was on the ballot for Atwater voters in Merced County, California, on November 6, 2018. It was defeated.
| A yes vote was a vote in favor of changing the office of city clerk from an elected position to a position appointed by the city council. |
| A no vote was a vote against changing the office of city clerk to an appointed position, thereby leaving it as an elected office. |
Election results
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Atwater Measure B |
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|---|---|---|---|---|
| Result | Votes | Percentage | ||
| Yes | 1,899 | 28.39% | ||
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4,789 | 71.61% | ||
Text of measure
Ballot question
The ballot question was as follows:[1]
| “ |
Shall the measure making the office of Atwater City Clerk appointive by the City Council, rather than elected, be adopted? [2] |
” |
Impartial analysis
The following impartial analysis of the measure was prepared by the office of the Atwater City Attorney:
| “ |
Measure B asks Atwater voters whether the position of Atwater City Clerk should be made appointive or remain elected. The City Clerk is primarily tasked with taking the minutes of City Council meetings, serving as the custodian of the City’s records, and serving as the City’s elections official. Currently, the City Clerk is elected to office every four (4) years by the City’s voters. The current City Clerk holds office until 2020. If the voters approve Measure B, the City Council will fill the City Clerk position through an appointment beginning in 2020. California law requires that general law cities, like Atwater, have either an elected or appointed City Clerk. However, a transition from an elected City Clerk to an appointed City Clerk must be approved by a majority of City voters. Under state law, an individual must be at least eighteen (18) years of age and be a registered voter of the City in order to be a candidate for City Clerk. If Measure B passes and the position becomes appointed, the City Council may add minimum education and training requirements, review the City Clerk’s performance annually, and remove the requirement that the City Clerk be a City resident. The City Council proposes Measure B with the purpose of saving money by eliminating the need to hold an election for the City Clerk position every four (4) years. In 2012 and 2016, a single candidate ran unopposed for City Clerk. A 2016 survey conducted by Common Cause found that only 118 of California’s 482 cities elect their City Clerk. If the voters approve Measure B, the City Council will appoint an individual to the position, and the City will no longer be required to hold an election for the position. A "YES" vote on Measure B will convert the office of Atwater City Clerk into an appointed position, with the first appointment occurring in 2020, when the term of the current City Clerk expires. A "NO" vote on Measure B will leave the City Clerk as an elected office. If Measure B fails, the Atwater City Clerk position will remain elected.[2] |
” |
| —Atwater City Attorney[3] | ||
Full text
The full text of the measure is available here.
Path to the ballot
This measure was put on the ballot through a vote of the governing officials of Atwater, California.
See also
External links
Footnotes
- ↑ Merced County, "Measure B Question," accessed September 19, 2018
- ↑ 2.0 2.1 Note: This text is quoted verbatim from the original source. Any inconsistencies are attributable to the original source.
- ↑ Merced County, "Measure B Impartial Analysis," accessed September 19, 2018
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