Election Commission

Battle Creek City Election Commission 10 N. Division – Room 117 Battle Creek, Michigan Thursday, October 14, 2010 2:00 P.M. Present: City Attorney Eileen Wicklund, City Assessor Steven Hudson, and City Clerk Deidre Laser Absent: None Call to Order: City Clerk Deidre Laser called the meeting to order at 2:03 PM. Approval of Minutes: Clerk Laser presented the minutes from the previous meeting for approval and asked if there were any additions or corrections. A motion was made by Eileen Wicklund, supported by Steve Hudson, to approve the minutes from July 13, 2010. All yes. Motion carried. Election Update – Review of Ballot: Clerk Laser presented a sample ballot to the Election Commission and noted that citizens of Battle Creek will be voting for partisan and non-partisan offices as well as two state proposals. Additionally, a small part of the community, Climax-Scotts voters, will be voting on Kalamazoo Valley College Trustees. Ms. Laser noted that historically Battle Creek has a 42% voter turnout; therefore, all 23 precincts will be open. Calhoun County ordered 100% ballots based on higher than expected turnout. Clerk Laser reported that the ballots have been tested for all positions on the ballot as well as a straight party ticket, split ticket, and mixed ticket. Clerk Laser presented a ballot summary to the Election Commission showing that the Clerk’s Office has issued 2,006 ballots and 657 ballots have been returned as of today. MOVE Act: Clerk Laser stated the MOVE Act was signed into law on October 22, 2009, to ensure that our military and overseas citizens receive and return their ballots by Election Day. Under the new law, ballots must be available at least 45 days prior to an election. Ms. Laser reported that military and overseas ballots were mailed or emailed on September 17, 2010. The Clerk’s Office continues to receive requests, and absentee ballots are being issued on a daily basis. She presented a New York Times article stating that the state of New York was sued for not getting their ballots out on time. Therefore, military and overseas citizens from New York have 13 extra days past the election for their votes to be counted. Appointment of Election Inspectors: Clerk Laser anticipated having 5 to 6 election inspectors at each precinct. She stated that she would be looking closely at the absentee ballot numbers to determine if more workers will be needed at the larger precincts to process the absentee ballots. A motion was made by Steve Hudson, supported by Eileen Wicklund, to authorize the City Clerk to expend the necessary funds to hire election inspectors for the November 2, 2010, Gubernatorial Election. All yes. Motion carried. Public Comments: None Commission Comments: Steve Hudson noted that “Michigan” is misspelled on the November 2, 2010, ballot under Board of Regents for the University of Michigan. Clerk Laser stated that she would notify Calhoun County immediately. Adjournment: A motion was made by Steven Hudson, supported by Eileen Wicklund, to adjourn the meeting at 2:26 PM. All yes. Motion carried.