Board of Elections Supervisors

Board of Election Supervisors City Hall March 7 , 2024 7:30 p.m. Minutes – amended and approved April 4, 2024 Member District Present Absent 1. Tina Batten Mayoral X 2. Lynea Cooper-Pitts 1 X X 3. Susan Huemmrich X 4. Yousuf Jaleel 4 X 5. Ruth Murphy X 6. John Payne 3 X Also present: Janeen S. Miller, City Clerk; Joi Woods, Contract Secretary I. Call to Order John Payne called the meeting to order at 7:06 p.m. II. Tina Batten moved to approve the agenda as written . Ruth Murphy seconded the motion. All were in favor . None opposed . The motion passed. III. Approval of Minutes Tina Batten moved to approve the meeting minutes from January 11, 2024 as amended . Yousuf Jaleel seconded the motion . All were in favor . None opposed . The motion passed. IV. New Member Introductions The BOES welcomed new members Susan Huemmrich and Ruth Murphy. V. General explanation of role of the BOES, current concerns/interests, next election, etc. A. The BOES reviewed and discussed the role of the board during elections, current interests, and considerations for the next election. Some noted points included: 1. Election equipment and support 2. Prior experiences with Election Vendors a. A new Election Vendor will need to be identified before the next election b. The BOES noted a successful election and effective processes when working with Hart InterCivic. 3. The BOES budget a. The budget is finalized in the spring before the elections 4. Election Day planning a. Recommendations for Election Day and Early Voting days from the BOES are presented to the Mayor and City Council by the end of March each election year (odd years). b. Planning begins 1 year before the election c. Plans and recommendations for date and location of election, early voting, and method of election are presented to the Mayor and City Council in February. 1  B. Voter Turnout trends 1. Voter Turnout has been low. Increasing voter turnout remains a priority for the BOES. 2. Research indicates that Mail-in Elections are linked to high voter participation. 3. Increasing Student Voter turnout will impact overall turnout due to students being a large part of the city’s population. 4. University of Maryland (UMD) representative a. The BOES revisited opportunities to strengthen the University and Community partnership and increase Student Voter turnout. Sam Novey, a UMD representative has expressed interest in supporting student voter turnout. The BOES discussed inviting Novey to join the May meeting. b. Voter outreach for students’ highlighting the impact of local elections VI. Debrief from January meeting with Mayor and Council A. Ranked Choice Voting The BOES discussed plans to begin research and establish recommendations about implementation and evaluation criteria for the Mayor and City Council. 1. Planning implications for Ranked Choice Voting in considerations of transition in the BOES and the City Clerk’s Office 2. Assessing the need for Ranked Choice Voting based on historical election data B. Areas for future consideration 1. Council may discuss moving from 2 to 4 year terms 2. Council may discuss allowing 16 and 17 year old residents to vote a. The state of Maryland and Prince George’s County will register 16 year old and 17 year old residents to vote. b. The BOES discussed a need to increase voter education around new initiatives VII. BOES meetings outline & focus for the next 6 months A. The BOES discussed the scope of work for the next 6 months 1. Ranked Choice Voting a. Inviting a speaker from Ranked Choice Voting Maryland to the August meeting b. Making a recommendation to the Mayor and Council in the fall. B. 2024 Meeting Dates 1. Thursday, April 4 2. Thursday, May 2 3. Thursday, June 6 4. Monday, July 15 5. Thursday, August 1 6. Thursday, September 5 7. Thursday, October 3 8. Thursday, November 7 9. Thursday, December 5 2 C. August Meeting 1. The BOES discussed meeting format options. The August meeting for the newly appointed Board Members will be held in person. 2. Overview of BOES roles, responsibilities, and scope of work. VIII. Adjournment John Payne adjourned the meeting at 9:00 p.m. 3