Augusta GA Board of Elections Meeting 2-10-20

Augusta Board of Elections Regular Monthly Meeting 2-10-20 6:00pm
5th Floor Conference Room at the Municipal Building 535 Telfair St.

Augusta GA Board of Elections Meeting 2-10-20 Agenda

– Meeting called to order.
– Approved minutes from 12-2-19 Regular Monthly Meeting and 12-18-20 Special Called Meeting.

Update on New Voting System (from handout)
– The legacy voting system was picked up from the Board of Elections Warehouse on January 14, 2020
– New voting equipment began arriving on January 16, 2020. To date, all components of the voting system have been delivered except for 30 ballot marking devices which are expected Monday, February 10th
– Additional Storage space has been secured at an unused building owned by the Board of Education. All voting system components are stored in a secure environment at the Board of Elections Warehouse.
– Outreach continues on a regular basis with 13 events scheduled between February 10th and March 18th. The voting system is also available for demonstrations in the Board of Elections Office during regular business hours and in the lobby of the Municipal Building from 1-4:30pm on Augusta Commission meeting days.
– Matching grants for security improvements, accessibility improvements, and/or general implementation (excluding consumables) of the new voting in an amount not to exceed $15,000 per county are available from the Secretary of State’s Office. Applying for and expect to receive maximum reimbursements up to the $15,000 limit.

Update on the March 24, 2020 Presidential Preference Primary (from handout)
– Logic and accuracy testing began Thurs, 2-6-20 and will continue until completed.
– Poll worker training will be conducted beginning Tues., 2-11-20 through Thurs., 3-6-20. 19 classes will be offered during this time period.
– Absentee voting by mail began on Tues., 2-4-20 when 84 ballots were mailed and 12 were sent by electronic transmission.
– Advance Voting will be held beginning on Mon., 3-2-20 and end on Fri., 3-20-20.

– Adding hours , staff and new polling location was discussed
– There was a motion to wait until the March 24th Presidential primary election before adding staff, hours and new location
– Every precinct will be open on Election Day
– A special meeting was called after March 24th election to debrief and to create a plan of action on hrs , staff equipment storage etc
– Establishing a Media Photography Policy – The board’s director Lynn Bailey motioned for the board to review a media policy that had been drafted by Cobb Co that would allow news media to enter a polling place only to a designated area