Board of Elections Supervisors

Board of Election Supervisors Virtual Meeting March 11, 2021 7:00pm Draft Minutes Member District Present Absent John (Jack) Robson, Chief Mayoral X Appointment Lisa Williams 1 X Yousuf Jaleel 4 X John Payne 3 X Lynea Cooper Mayoral X Appointment Cameron Thurston 2 X 7:20 p.m. Also present: Janeen S. Miller, City Clerk; Yvette Allen, Assistant City Clerk; LaToya Moore, Administrative Specialist; Joi Woods, Contract Secretary 1) Call to Order: The meeting was called to order by Chief Jack Robson at 7:06 p.m. 2) Approval of agenda February 11,2021 Chief Jack Robson made a motion to approve the agenda . All were in favor. None opposed. The motion passed. 3) Approval of February 11,2021 Meetings Minutes Chief Jack Robson made a motion to approve the February 11,2021 meeting minutes with amendments . All were in favor. None opposed. The motion passed. 4) Status of Ordinance and Charter amendment updates Janeen Miller provided an update on the Ordinance and City Charter change. The Code change was introduced to Mayor and Council on March 9, 2021. The proposed change to the City Charter was introduced on February 23, 2021 and the public hearings and adoptions are scheduled for March 23, 2021. The Charter change will Amend Article III, “Mayor and Council”, §C3-5, “Election” and §C3-6, “Vacancies”, and Article IV, “Voting and Elections”, §C4-5, “Petitions For Candidacy; Employees” and §C4-6, “Runoff Elections”, To Require That On Or Before March 31 Of A General Election Year, The Mayor and Council Will Set, By Motion, The Date In November For The General Election, That If The Mayor And Council Fail To Set The Election Date, The General Election Will Be Held On The First Tuesday Following The First Monday In November, That Withdrawal As A Candidate In A General Election Must Be Filed No Later Than The 49th Day Prior To The Election, And In A Special Election Must Be Filed No Later Than Noon On The 4th Calendar Day After the Application Deadline, To  Allow More Flexibility In Setting The Date Of Any Run-Off Election Within A 45 Day Time Period, To Reduce The Additional Time Allowed For Receipt Of Candidate Petitions and Authorizations When A Candidate Has Not Initially Qualified, and To Change Certain Filing Deadlines, To Accommodate The Additional Time Required To Vote By Mail And To Process The Ballots, And To Make Conforming Changes. The ordinance will amend Chapter 34, “Elections”, Article I, “General Provisions” §34-3, “Definitions”; Article II, Conduct Of Elections, § 34-5, “Polling Places; Hours Of Voting; Early Voting”, §34-6, “Absentee Balloting”, And §34-7, “Runoff Elections”; And Article III, “Fair Election Practices”, §34-15, “Campaign Finance Reports; Independent Expenditure Report”; To Include Electronic Posting And Messaging In The Definition Of Political Matter, Change The Dates For Filing Of An Application For An Absentee Ballot And A Late Filing For An Absentee Ballot, Removing The Requirement That The Notice To Candidates And Treasurers Under § 34-15a(2) And (3) Concerning Filing Of Finance Reports And Independent Expenditure Reports Be Given By Ordinary Mail, And Make Certain Clarifying, Conforming And Numbering Changes. 5) Report/discussions: A. Ballot Scout  Chief Jack Robson provided a brief overview of the Ballot Scout software. The board noted benefits of using Ballot Scout including the additional transparency it provides for the mail-in voting process. Ballot Scout uses smart barcodes to allow for residents to confirm receipt of mail-in ballots.  Yvette Allen will inquire further about the ability to allow voters to track the status of their voted ballots and additional associated costs. B. USPS -Qualified Business Reply Permit Pricing The board reviewed and discussed the City of College Park Mail/Return Estimates, noted points included.  The BOES agreed to up the estimated returned applications from 20% to 25% (from 3200 to 4000 returned applications) o 4000 ballot applications being returned at $.60 per piece = $2400  The BOES agreed to up the returned ballot percentage from 50% to 90% (from 1600 to 2880 returned ballots) o 2880 ballots being returned at .60 per piece = $1728  4000 ballot applications being returned ($2400) + 2880 ballots being returned ($1728) = $4128  Annual fee for QBRM is $740 + cost to receive applications and ballots = $ 4868 C. Ballot Boxes  The board reviewed ballot boxes by American Security Cabinets and Locking Security Mailbox, ranging in cost from $720-$1000 each  Janeen Miller stated that all ballot boxes will be checked daily by staff. There will always be two staff members present when a box drop box is opened and procedures will be in place for security reasons.  The board established a deadline of May 2021 to purchase the ballot boxes which would allow the 4-8 weeks for shipping  The location of the ballot boxes determines the type of ballot boxes o (1) downtown (1) Calvert Road School; (1) UMD campus, UMD will identify an approved location D. College Park Community Center Yvette Allen has been in contact with Jim Bell and requested the use of the gym for election day in person voting. 6) Election Vendor needs -Mailing House/Printers The board discussed interviewing Printers/ Mailing Houses. The board identified the need to interview at least two vendors. Fort Orange Press is a recommended vendor which has election experience. 7) Report on ES&S Janeen Miller spoke with ES&S, the previous election equipment vendor and provided the board with an update. Noted points include:  ES&S will prepare a quote for election equipment for a single polling location  Assessing election equipment needs- adding to the April agenda  Benefits of working with ES&S as a state vendor with access to state- wide voter information  ES & S is potentially relaunching mailing house services 8) Other discussion A. 2021 Election Logistics John Payne made a motion to hold the city election on Sunday, November 7, 2021 at the College Park Community Center 9:00 a.m.-6:00 p.m. Yousuf Jaleel seconded the motion. All were in favor. None opposed. The motion passed. B. The board briefly discussed the need to hold a closed session about signature verification during the city election. 9) Adjournment & Next Meeting : Lynea Cooper made a motion to adjourn the meeting. Yousuf Jaleel seconded the motion. The motion passed. The meeting adjourned at 8:12 p.m. All were in favor. None opposed. The motion passed. The Next meeting is scheduled for Thursday, April 8, 2021 - 7p.m.