Electoral Board

Electoral Board re-organizational meeting: 03-05-2019 Meeting called to order by Vice Chair Turk at 10:03 am in the Elections Office at 619 2nd St. Radford. In attendance, Vice Chair Phyllis Turk, Secretary Joseph Mannon, newly appointed member William Guy Wohlford, Director of Elections, Tracy Howard. Motion by Mr. Mannon to approve minutes of February 5, 2019 meeting. 2nd by Mrs. Turk. Agenda approved for the reorganization of Electoral Board. The Circuit Court Order appointing Mr. W. Guy Wohlford to the Board has been received and distributed as necessary. Mr. Wohlford’s information has been entered into the Virginia Elections and Registration Information System. Mr. Wohlford’s term Began March 1, 2019 and will continue through February 28, 2022, he has been duly sworn by the Clerk of Circuit Court and that order is recorded by the clerk. A copy of that order is on file in the Elections Office. Mannon Moved the Officer Slate: Chair, Mr. Wohlford Vice Chair Mrs. Turk Secretary, Mr. Mannon The motion was second by Mrs. Turk Mr. Wohlford, Yes Discussion items: Republican Primaries have been called in the 38th Virginia Senate and 12th Virginia house district, the candidates for these primaries have not been finalized. The Electoral Board and Director are proceeding with Primary Election arrangements for June 11th, 2019. Should the parties fail to achieve more than one candidate, the Primary will not be held. Party notification of candidates is due by March 12, for distribution by March 19. Discussion followed concerning Officer of Election Appointments, and the need to specify New Chief Officers for West Precinct as a replacement for Mr. Wohlford, and the new “New River Precinct” along with a re-distribution in time for the called June Primary Election. A draft memorandum of understanding produced by the City Attorney, for use of Grove United Methodist Church was distributed for comment. Mr. Howard was asked to forward a copy to the church for approval or changes. It was suggested that the agreement with Carter Street Church be forwarded to the board for comparison, and if needed, updating. Polling place use was discussed specific to the issues with the parking at The Radford City Firehouse. There have been three documented election day accidents in the parking area of the Fire Department. It was felt that these were mainly due to the Fire Department’s necessary equipment parking, employee and Officer of Election parking. The entrance is a single lane and will not accommodate two vehicles, so entering and exiting to 16th street has become an issue. The Director of Elections was asked to contact the new Baptist Church on Rock Road, to gauge their interest in becoming the Central precinct polling place. The Electoral Board also suggested a renewed look at utilizing Radford school facilities. The Director of Elections provided a brief update on several legislative measures, that have passed the recent General Assembly session, and their impact on local operations. A copy of §24.2 has been provided to Mr. Wohlford and a link to the electronic version of the General Registrar / Electoral Board Handbook was provided to all members. A tentative date for a pre-primary meeting was set for Tuesday May 7th, 2019 at 10 am. Other Meetings for 2019 will occur as necessary. §24.2 requires a meeting of the board in May or June in the year 2007 and every four years thereafter, to appoint a General Registrar. Mr. Howard informed the Board that 2019 is an appointment year and it is his desire to seek reappointment for the term beginning July 1, 2019 through June 30, 2023. The General Registrar evaluation will be done at this meeting and must be submitted to the Department of Elections prior to August 1, 2019, for the previous fiscal year. There being no further business before the board Mrs. Turk moved to adjourned at 11:35 am, 2nd Mr. Mannon, Mr. Wohlford Yes. RSS: Tracy Howard, Director of Elections