Board of Elections Supervisors

Board of Election Supervisors Virtual Meeting September 8, 2022 7:00 p.m. Final Minutes Member District Present Absent 1. Tina Batten Mayoral X Appointment 2. Ben Hovland X 3. Yousuf Jaleel 4 X 4. John Payne 3 X 5. Lynea Cooper 1 X 6. Cameron Thurston 2 X Also present: Janeen S. Miller, City Clerk; Joi Woods, Contract Secretary 1. Call to Order: Ben Hovland called the meeting to order at 7:10 p.m. Ben Hovland assumed the role of Temporary Chair as a result of technical challenges. John Payne resumed the role of chair and conducted the remainder of the meeting when the technical challenges were resolved. 2. Approval of the September 8, 2022 meeting agenda Tina Batten made a motion to approve the September 8, 2022 meeting agenda. Yousuf Jaleel seconded the motion. The motion passed. 3. Approval of Minutes- July 14, 2022 Tina Batten made a motion to approve the July 14, 2022 meeting minutes with an attendance correction. Cameron Thurston seconded the motion. The motion passed. 4. Election Survey suggestions & proposed changes The board discussed the Voter Survey, delivery methods, content, and details. Noted points included: A. This will be an online survey using Survey Monkey B. A postcard will be mailed to 12K single and multi-family off-campus households with a URL and QR code linking to the online survey. C. Targeted digital advertising to the 20742-zip code to reach on-campus students D. The postcard will also include voter education about the permanent vote-by-mail list and a link to the voter registration site. E. All material will be provided in English and Spanish F. Mailing and Implementation Timeline 1) October 18-Discuss survey with Mayor and Council 2) October 24-Finalize survey questions and postcard text 3) October 31-Submit material to Communications and build survey 4) November 14- Mail postcards 5) November 28-Digital reminder 1  6) December 9-Close survey 7) Early January- Present results to Mayor & City Council to inform election decisions in February. G. Proposed Voter Survey Questions 1. What best describes your voting habits? A. I vote in every election in which I am eligible. B. I vote in state and county elections, but not in City elections. C. I only vote in presidential elections. D. I never vote. 2. If you did not vote in the last City election (2021), what is the main reason you did not vote? A. I did not live in College Park B. I was not registered to vote in College Park C. Lack of information on where/how to vote D. Uncontested elections/only one candidate for the office E. It was too difficult or takes too long to vote F. I’m not interested in City government G. Other: __________________________________________ 3. Which statement do you agree with most? A. The people who serve as Mayor and on City Council have a huge impact on the quality of life in College Park. B. The people who serve as Mayor and on City Council have some impact on the quality of life in College Park. C. The people who serve as Mayor and on City Council have minimal impact on the quality of life in College Park. D. It really doesn’t matter who serves as Mayor and on City Council. E. None of the above 4. If you did not vote in the last City election, which of the following would make you most likely to vote in the next one? A. Vote by mail B. Early voting (more than one day to vote in person) C. More information on the candidates D. Free transportation to your polling place E. Other: ________________________________________ 5. Where are you most likely to get information about City elections? A. Municipal Scene B. College Park Here and Now newspaper C. Mail sent to my house D. Social Media E. Website F. Direct email from College Park Connected G. Other: _________________________________ 2  6. Do you have any suggestions on improving College Park city elections? (Comment box with a limited number of characters) 5. Report for M & C for October Worksession - October 5, 2022 A. The board discussed components of the Election report to provide information for the Mayor & City Council to make decisions 1) Election Date & Day 2) Provide budget ranges for various scenarios using {$-$$$} 3) Other election initiatives and considerations B. The board discussed ideas and considerations to increase voter turnout, associated costs, and related variables. Some noted points included: 1) Voter registration deadline and impact of changing the deadline 2) Impact on canvass timeline Janeen Miller will draft an outline of the report content and forward it to the BOES for review and comment. 6. Review BOES Agenda Roadmap 2022-2023 Discussion postponed until the October 13, 2022 meeting 7. Vendor update-Information received from the state/county Discussion postponed until the October 13, 2022 meeting 8. New Business/General Discussion A. Voter education  Guidance to provide information for voters B. Increasing Voter Turnout  Number of polls and their locations throughout the city  Types of Elections o Traditional, Vote-by-mail, and Early Voting  Mailing ballot applications or ballots to residents  Including voter registration application  Costs budget considerations- waste costs associated with mailing voter registration applications and ballots to invalid addresses  Pursuing support from the county to mail ballots and Same-day Voter Registration forms o Same-day registration feasibility -Residents are currently allowed to register to vote up to 28 days before the election o Adjusting the deadline to register to vote to the latest possible date according to PG County o Provisional Voting and Updating the city’s voter rolls -Verifying registered voters after provisional ballots 3  -Inquiring with the county about the shortest amount of time needed to allow for same-day voter registration -The capability for real time voter registration -Recruiting city staff members for reassignment to work at the polls o Inviting members of the County’s BOES to a meeting 9. Adjournment & Next meeting A. Next meeting: Thursday, October 13, 2022 B. Adjournment Tina Batten motioned to adjourn the meeting. Ben Hovland seconded the motion. All were in favor. None opposed. The motion passed. The meeting adjourned at 9:01 p.m. 4