Board of Elections Supervisors

Board of Election Supervisors Virtual Meeting October 14, 2021 7:00p.m. Final Minutes Member District Present Absent 1. Lisa Williams 1 X 2. Yousuf Jaleel 4 X 3. John Payne 3 X 4. Lynea Cooper Mayoral X Appointment 5. Cameron Thurston 2 X Also present: Janeen S. Miller, City Clerk; Yvette Allen, Assistant City Clerk; La’Toya Moore, Administrative Specialist; Joi Woods, Contract Secretary Call to Order: The meeting was called to order by Chief John Payne at 7:04 p.m. 1. Approval of the agenda for October 14, 2021 Yousuf Jaleel made a motion to approve the agenda for September 30, 2021 as modified. Lynea Cooper seconded the motion. The motion passed. 2. Approval of Minutes- September 9, 2021 and September 30, 2021 Lynea Cooper made a motion to approve the September 9, 2021 and September 30, 2021 meeting minutes as amended. Yousuf Jaleel seconded the motion. The motion passed. 3. Updates from BOES Chief and City Clerk’s Office: a. Pollbook b. Mail files 1) Delays in mailing due to vendor setbacks 2) ElecTec has provided mail files to Fort Orange Press c. Fort Orange Press: printing of ballots 1) Will provide a live proof 2) The mailing for the first batch of 511 ballots is scheduled for 10/15/21  Mailings will be forwarded to Fort Orange Press in batches of 100 or more by scanning applications to ElecTec that are converted, and forwarded to Fort Orange Press 3) The last day for mailing Ballot Applications is 10/26/21 d. Ballot Application Collections 1) Ballot Applications are received through ballot boxes and Business Reply Mail 2) Daily collections are currently less than 10 per day on average 3) 674 Ballot Applications received so far by the City Clerk’s Office 4) 1296 Ballot Applications have been returned (address changes, etc.)  Some residents have requested the application mailings to stop. The Clerk’s Office will advise residents to mail the requests directly to PG County to stop Ballot Application mailings for former residents. 1  e. County – Final Voter File & Voter Notification Cards 1) Voter Registration closed on 10/10/21 2) PG County will provide the final file on or around 10/16/21 3) Voter Notification Cards (VNCs) will be mailed by the county. Returned VNCs will allow the county to update Voter Rolls for College Park 4. Update on Election Judges a. Who / how many are confirmed 1) 8 Judges are confirmed, the goal is to recruit 13 judges 2) Ongoing advertisement to recruit Election Judges continues 3) Election Judge applications will be reviewed via email to rank judges according to prior experience and identify election assignments b. Election Judge Training -October 28 at 7:00 p.m. 1) Additional focus on changes in procedures and equipment for previous judges  Equipment will be prepared for use by the BOES and ElecTec 2) Procedural Manual  Emphasis on Check- in, scanning ballots, and Provisional Ballot procedures and a specific focus on the chain of custody, seals, and flow of traffic 5. Upcoming events and deadlines a. Update on Campaign Finance Reports 1) 3 Campaign Finance Reports have been received; the deadline is 10/18/21 by 4:00 p.m.  Yvette Allen sent an email reminder to candidates  Cameron Thurston and John Payne will review the Campaign Finance Reports on 10/20/21 6. Open discussion a. Incomplete Procedures Chief John Payne provided an update about the Draft of Election Procedures and solicited feedback about additional information, layout, and headings 1) Provisional Ballots & Voter Authorization Cards (VACs) Considerations– residents are unfound or change in address)  Using Orange VACs to distinguish provisional from regular ballots -Completing the Provisional Ballot envelopes -Selection of the Reason Code for Provisional Ballots -Attaching Provisional VACs to the Provisional Ballot Envelopes Adjusting the traffic flow for Provisional Voters - provisional ballot traffic to the right, regular ballots to the left - John Payne will provide a sketch for Yvette Allen and Cameron Thurston John Payne will forward semi-final drafts of each chapter for review by the BOES b. Voter Registration closing date 2  The BOES discussed concerns raised by residents about closing Voter Registration on a Sunday. The BOES also discussed additional considerations for the post-election debrief with the City Council. 1) The ability to register to vote without a Maryland Identification 2) Adjusting the closing deadline to be consistent with the County c. Poll Set up & logistics 1) COVID-19 prevention  Use of dividers  Distancing considerations 2) Supplies and Equipment  Plexi-glass dividers, Voting Booths, pens 3) Community Center follow up  Status update  Room Capacity 4) Future Agenda topics  Revisiting Pre-processing, Canvasing, and Poll closing procedures  Extrapolating ballots application- time and processes 3. Next Meeting Thursday, October 28, 2021 at 7:00pm – Election Judge Training 4. Adjournment Lynea Cooper motioned to adjourn the meeting. Yousuf Jaleel seconded the motion. All were in favor. None opposed. The motion passed. The meeting adjourned at 8:02 p.m. 3