In Attendance:
Michael Coviny (I, Chairman)
Leona Perry (D)
Samuel Tillman (D)
Baoky Vu (R)
…..
Maxine Daniels (Director, Voter Registration and Elections for DeKalb County)
Voter Registration Challenge
Elizabeth Springer’s residence was challenged by a citizen named Wineburg who testified she never lived at the residence listed on her voter registration application. The board sent a letter; it was returned. Recommendation to remove Elizabeth from the voter rolls. Motion passed.
Unfinished Business
Cost of early voting: roughly $2,000 per site. In November of 2016 it is going cost more because the turnout will be higher.
Member Vu is not sure whether the primaries and runoffs are worth the cost of running Sunday voting. Member Tillman disagrees. It would cost roughly $20,000 to do Sunday voting at all locations. Director Daniels says they have ample budget for this election year.
There is no motion to approve or disapprove Sunday voting at this meeting. Instead, motion to ONLY discuss early voting.
- Chairman Coviny: I like Sunday voting; I’ve liked it in the past. Love the concept and not too costly in my mind.
- Director Daniels: what we need is consistency. Don’t want to confuse people who voted on Sunday in 2014 by saying they can’t vote on Sunday this year. I have some concerns re: return on the dollar. We only sent out 200 absentee ballots, while we normally send 1,000. If people are waiting until the last minute to apply for absentee ballots, it may be especially important to offer Sunday voting. Many counties see a low request for absentee ballots. From the standpoint of our office, we think the board needs to make a decision and stick with it year-round. We are ready to send out information to citizens, based on the board’s decision. Offering Sunday voting is worth the money because it expands voting options.
March 1st is right around the corner, so Chairman Coviny is against offering Sunday voting for the presidential preference primary. (He feels it’s too soon to put into place.) He feels like (presidential primaries) are a bastardization of what we have become as a country and has no inclination to enhance that peculiar development of the last forty to fifty years. Notes that Dekalb may be the only county with Sunday voting for the presidential preference primary. Member Tillman notes that in North Carolina they offer Sunday voting for every election. Suggests taking a vote on the March presidential primary Sunday voting offering. Chairman Coviny is prepared to offer a motion to extend Sunday voting for the May primary and the general election in November but does not want to offer Sunday voting for the March primary.
Chairman Coviny makes a motion to allow Dekalb County to have Sunday voting for the May primary (2016) and the general election (2016) but not the March presidential primary (2016). Seconded by Member Tillman. Motion passes 2 to 1. Member Tillman and Chairman Coviny votes aye; Member Vu votes nay.
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