Election Management System

Posted At:Mon, Apr 28, 2025 3:00 PMSealed Bid Process:Yes (Bids Sealed / Pricing Sealed)Private Bid:No

The County of Sacramento Registrar of Voters is dedicated to serving the citizens of Sacramento County by ensuring a fair and transparent election process. Our vision for a Voting System is to implement a solution, or a set of solutions, that strategically fits a Vote Center voting model. By leveraging modern technology, we aim to make the process transparent, secure, and cost-effective. The ideal solution will seamlessly integrate with existing components as needed, and these integration areas are detailed in the system/component requirements matrix.

County of Sacramento Jurisdiction Environment

The County of Sacramento is located in the northern part of the central valley and has an estimated population of 1,585,055. The County seat is in the City of Sacramento, which has been the state capital of California since 1854. The County is home to seven (7) cities: Sacramento, Elk Grove, Citrus Heights, Folsom, Rancho Cordova, Galt, and Isleton.

Sacramento serves approximately 906,346 voters which includes an extensive population who primarily communicate in a language other than English. Currently four (4) languages are required under the Federal Voting Rights Act on the County’s ballot including Spanish, Chinese, and Vietnamese in addition to English. Additionally, ten (10) languages are required under Elections Code §14201: Hmong, Korean, Punjabi, Tagalog, Hindi, Japanese, Laotian, Mien, Telugu, and Urdu. These numbers are expected to increase in the coming years.

Registrar of Voters Environment

The County of Sacramento Registrar of Voters is responsible for conducting all local, city, county, state, and federal elections for its citizens, averaging two elections per year. Beginning in 2018, Sacramento County adopted the Vote Center model of voting as allowed by the Voter’s Choice Act under California Senate Bill (SB) 450 and subsequently SB1450. This change was driven by the need for greater flexibility and more voting options, and a quickly growing number of voters who requested Vote by Mail ballots.

The County's current Vote by Mail and Vote Center based solution is expanding. Updated equipment designed for mobility and quick deployment at a growing number of Vote Center locations is necessary to keep up with increases in Sacramento County’s voter registration rolls. The Registrar of Voters' commitment to Sacramento County voters requires a convenient, accessible, and efficient voting system solution that ensures accuracy, security, and transparency in the voting process.

Voting Volume Statistics

County of Sacramento voters elect hundreds of municipal and special district officers, school board members, and superior court judges, and help elect representatives in county, state, and federal contests. The number of candidates per major election averages 250 with up to eleven (11) local measures. One hundred eighty-five (185) ballot types were used by the County for the 2024 General Election.

The County is responsible for administering countywide elections for approximately 906,346 registered voters. In the 2024 Presidential General Election, the County experienced high voter turnout at 75.15%. Of the 668,416 ballots cast, 492,312 were vote-by-mail ballots and 176,104 were ballots cast at one of 88 Vote Centers. On Election Day, approximately 250,735 Vote by Mail ballots were dropped off in the 60 Drop Boxes strategically located throughout the County. Election materials were provided in English, Spanish, Chinese, Vietnamese, Hmong, Korean, Punjabi, Tagalog, Hindi, Japanese, Laotian, Mien, Telugu, and Urdu. Below is a look at the Vote Center and Drop-Box statistics from recent elections:

Election	Registered Voters	Total Ballots Turnout	Percent Turnout	Number of Vote Centers
2020 Primary Election	824,415	409,773	49.7	84
2020 General Election	896,090	729,526	81.4	84
2022 Primary Election	863,423	336,724	39.0	87
2022 General Election	868,620	484,757	55.8	87
2024 Primary Election	869,495	347,208	39.9	88
2024 General Election	907,328	668,416	75.2	88

Election	Total Ballots Returned by Drop-Box
2020 Primary Election	126,371
2020 General Election	387,653
2022 Primary Election	137,776
2022 General Election	126,493
2024 Primary Election	100,253
2024 General Election	250,735

Services to be provided

Adhering to factors of growth, trends, and the County’s desire to enhance voter services, Sacramento County adopted the California Voter’s Choice Act (Senate Bill 450) of 2016, which changes the way Californians cast their ballots. As background, the California Voter’s Choice Act is a permissive California election law requiring election officials to automatically mail a vote-by-mail ballot to all registered voters for each election. Election officials are required to replace polling places with a certain minimum number of ballot drop-off locations and Vote Centers. In future County elections, there will be over 70 drop-off locations and approximately 100 Vote Centers.

The solution must comply with the California Voter’s Choice Act and each Vote Center must be able to perform certain voter-related services, including enabling voters to:

• Cast a ballot in-person
• Drop-off their voted ballot
• Access same-day voter registration
• Receive a replacement ballot
• Use accessible voting machines
• Access language assistance and translated materials

More details about the specifics of the Voter’s Choice Act can be found on the California Secretary of State’s website at: http://www.sos.ca.gov/administration/news-releases-and-advisories/2016-news-releases-and-advisories/california-legislature-sends-landmark-election-reform-bill-governor-brown , which includes a detailed press release with links to the Voter’s Choice Act requirements.

California Elections Code section 19006(a) further requires the County use a voting system that the Secretary of State has approved for use in California. For the purposes of this RFP, the County will only consider voting systems that are certified by the Secretary of State (SOS), for use in California, at the time of the award of the RFP. This certification shall include all Voting Systems, parts of a Voting System, and Ballot Marking Devices.

For additional information on Voting System Certification in California, go to: http://www.sos.ca.gov/administration/regulations/current-regulations/elections/voting-system-certification-regulations/ .

The Voting System shall also meet all requirements of federal law and State of California law/rules that address accessibility of Voting Systems. These laws/rules include:

1. 1. 1. 1. The Help America Vote Act (HAVA) of 2002
         2. The Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA) of 1990
         3. The Federal Rehabilitation Act
         4. The Voting Rights Act (VRA) of 1965
         5. The Election Assistance Commission’s Voluntary Voting System Guidelines (VVSG)
         6. State of California Election Code

The Proposer is to customize, configure, test, implement and support a Vote Center solution that fully complies with State and Federal requirements.