Board of Elections Supervisors

Board of Election Supervisors Virtual Meeting December 2, 2021 6:30 p.m. Final Minutes Member District Present Absent 1. Yousuf Jaleel 4 X 2. John Payne 3 X 3. Lynea Cooper Mayoral X Appointment 4. Cameron Thurston 2 X Departed at 7:27 p.m. Also present: Janeen S. Miller, 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 6:32 p.m. 1. Approval of Minutes- October 14, 2021 Yousuf Jaleel made a motion to approve the October 14, 2021 minutes. Cameron Thurston seconded the motion. The motion passed. 2. BOES 2021 Election Debrief The Board discussed successes, areas of improvement, and ideas for refining future election procedures and processes. Noted points of discussion included: A. Areas for Improvement 1. Training a. Highly specified equipment procedures with graphics should be obtained from the vendor to be included in manuals and training material for the judges. 2. Improved traffic flow in the polling place b. Not maintaining a consistent flow and direction of voters entering and exiting the poll to cast ballots created challenges. Exiting out the back door of the CPCC proved problematic after dark. c. Lines organized alphabetically at the pollbooks helped to maintain the flow of traffic. Printed signs at all tables would have improved the process. d. The close spacing between the ballot judge table, voting booths, and ballot scanners created opportunities to compromise voter confidentiality. Make note to space them further apart in the future. 1  3. Privacy concerns and Voter Assistance a. There were opportunities for others to observe votes being cast due to the inconsistent traffic patterns b. We should ensure confidentiality in instances of voter assistance; assigning a specific judge to assist voters as needed; and providing a space away from the voting booth to provide confidentiality of voter assistance. c. Delegating the responsibility to Check-In Judges to inquire if Voters need assistance. d. Monitoring to maintain awareness of voters who may need assistance e. Discourage judges from shouting about a provisional voter. B. Lesson Learned 1. Ballot Booths a. Three ballot booths were on site. Observations from the BOES and the City Clerk suggested 6 ballot booths would be ideal. 2. Vendor Procedures Manual a. Insist on a detailed procedures manual from future Vendors (i.e. for Pollbooks and Scanners) with better-defined deliverables and timelines. 3. Forms a. The Board wanted to be more familiar with the pre-processing and canvass forms in advance. b. When training the Election Judges, include training on the forms they will use on Election Day c. Make sure that the relevant forms are included in the training manual in the appropriate places and that they are at each election station, i.e., the ballot judges table. Make sure judges are trained in advance on the forms they will use. 4. Provisional Voters a. Verification processes -Incorporating a 2-step check-in process to verify that Provisional Voters are not listed in the voter rolls prior to providing a Provisional Voter Authorization Card (VAC) -An additional Election Judge to escort provisional voters to the provisional table -A discreet method to identify Provisional Voters internally among the BOES, Election Judges, and City Staff. -Use of an established form for Provisional Voters 5. Mail delays caused a late delivery of 18 ballots Janeen Miller noted that the 18 ballots did not influence the outcome in any of the election contests. 2  The BOES discussed: a. Requiring daily mail deliveries from the post office to avoid late deliveries b. Adjusting the canvass date later to allow time for ballots delayed by mail to arrive. 6. Televised Certification a. The BOES discussed including a caption on the televised broadcast of of Pre-processing and Canvass days so the public understands what’s going on. C. Vendor Assessment The Board developed an informal Vendor Profile, identifying attributes when selecting a future Election Vendor. Noted points of discussion included: 1. Capability to manage data a. Antiquated equipment & technology, data hording, and third-party data management resulted in process delays b. Detailed specification about Quality Assurance processes and Equipment Integrity checks. c. Workflow process with screenshots to include in the BOES Election Judge Procedural Manuals d. Requiring a preliminary validation of E-Poll Books and election equipment as a defined deliverable. e. Requiring a preliminary Equipment demonstration to ensure proper functioning as a defined deliverable 3. Open discussion A. Pre-processing Procedures were noted as helpful 1. Adjusting procedures to allow for potential delays in mail delivery B. Voter Turnout 1. The BOES noted a low voter turnout, discussed return applications, and outdated addresses on the County Voter Rolls C. Review of charter langue to determine if there is sufficient time for canvassing D. The BOES is scheduled to attend a future work session with Mayor and Council to debrief about the election. Janeen Miller will provide the date. A BOES meeting will be scheduled 2 weeks prior to the Work Session. 4. Closed Session At 8:00 p.m., a motion was made by Supervisor Jaleel and seconded by Supervisor Cooper to enter into a Closed Session to discuss a matter that is required by City Code to remain confidential. The motion passed 3-0 and the Board entered into Closed Session. 3 At 8:04 p.m., a motion was made by Supervisor Jaleel and seconded by Supervisor Cooper to Return to Open Session. The motion passed 3-0. 6. 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 8:06 p.m. Closed Session Board of Election Supervisors December 2, 2021 Per the statutory authority of the Maryland Annotated Code, General Provisions Article § 3-305, the Board of Election Supervisors, a Public Body appointed by the College Park City Council, met in a Closed Session during their regular meeting on December 2, 2021. The session was closed to comply with a specific statutory requirement in the Code of the City of College Park that prevents public disclosures about a particular proceeding or matter. At 8:00 p.m., a motion was made by Supervisor Jaleel and seconded by Supervisor Cooper to enter into a Closed Session to discuss a matter that is required by City Code to remain confidential. The motion passed 3-0 and the Board entered into Closed Session. In attendance were Chief Payne, and Supervisors Jaleel and Cooper. Also invited to attend were Janeen S. Miller, City Clerk; La’Toya Moore, Administrative Specialist; and Joi Woods, Contract Secretary. Janeen Miller was the Open Meetings Trainee. Specifically, the BOES discussed a matter before the College Park Ethics Commission that pertains to the last election and is required by College Park City Code Code § 38-8C(7) to remain confidential. No action was taken. At 8:04 p.m., a motion was made by Supervisor Jaleel and seconded by Supervisor Cooper to Return to Open Session. The motion passed 3-0. 4