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Gwinnett County Board of Elections Meeting 11/18/20

John Mangano: Thanks to observers and crew for recount work.

Move to accept the minutes.

Accepted. No changes.

All in favor.

Oct 9 minuts approved.

Committee Reports:

Go over policy on the chairman speaking for the board.

Stephen Day:

Other minutes to approve.

20th and 27th minutes to approve.

Fumbling to find attachments in email for additional minutes on

Committee reports.

Oct 27 Minutes displayed:

Motion to accept.

2nd.

No discussion or debate.

All in favor.

Oct 27th Minutes Approved.

Oct 20th Minutes:

Motion to accept.

2nd.

No debate.

Approved.

No more minutes to approve.

John Mangano Update:

Asian americans for advancing justice:

Additional language for signs and applications.

Voting Rights act required translations.

But not left our since Voting Right Act was gutted.

Should we revisit language translations?

4 additional full-time staff positions given.

Public hearings on that later.

Kristie Royston: update on the Audit

started Friday, worked through Weekend.

Using the absentee processing area for hand count.

1 of the containers still being worked.

Container of duplicate ballots- for damaged ballots that needed to be copied.

Entry into the auditing system.

7 Tables going.

Added more tables for data entry.

Some tables keying advance ballots counted today.

Some working on confirmation- naming configurations/find typos.

We will be done tonight. (11/17)

We will review data entry points and the naming configurations.

We will meet the deadline.

Went to the Board of Commisioners.

Fairgrounds will be available for runoff.

Same as advance voting. 

Standard location: Fairgrounds.

Nov1: 582,952 registered voters

Oct1  575063

Increase of 7899 individuals in a month.

Registration activities will start after hand count.

Deadline for Jan 5th runnoff: Voter reg deadline Dec 7th.

After hand count audit: can a recount be re-requested?

Every ballot is scanned again. 

Alice O’Lenick: Voting on 19th and 20th. 26th and 27th. Dec 24th and Dec25 and Jan1st

What role does the board play in the audit?

.

Wandy Taylor: When can we see a copy of the runoff ballots?

Kristie Royston: no sample ballot before Thursday.

Kristie Royston: We will share the audit results against certified results.

You won’t see results, totals- SOS sees first. Counties only see the batches.

No big picture of the audit.

Election budget:33.57 percent remaining. 4.2 million 

Admin Budget: Salary and outreach- 11.21 percent. $416,000 zeroed by the end of the year.

Grant Money: 2 grants came SOS. Zeroed out. Pandemic related: Dropboxes, PPE, Security. ADA.

USC Grant 100K. Zeroed.

PPE for workers. Hazzard pay.

CTCO: 4.1 million. (no breakdown as yet). Million spent roughly.

Fairground rental. Extra resources. Additional samples, cameras, Dropboxes, PPE related to Fairgrounds.

3 additional envelope openers. Counts, Date stamps. (purchased for higher volume.due to COVID)

Grant has to be spent by Dec 31st.

Kristi R: Getting questions about the Dropboxes for runoffs:

Date of opening them: Open after the first round of ballots are mailed.

Word to be sent later when available.

Lynn Ledford: CTCO some money to For Orang an outsourcing solution for absentee ballots.

Chair: Elect Officers for Next Year?

Stephen Day:

Needs to occur within 30 days of the board taking office.

Jan 1 through Dec 31st. (electing officers)

I talked with Lawyer Melanie Wilson to confirm that. 

Alice O: Want’s surveillance footage of the Drop Boxes.

Worked directly on Drop Box Security.

Currently: They are all under 24hr security with lighting.

Comtec is County vendor. Paid Maint fee.

Major concern: are they secure?

Alice O: comforted that there are eyes watching the video.

Someone is  watching via the maintanence contract.

SOP put together for the ballot boxes.

Alice O: Have we checked with the boxes  since election? (for breakage, being in good repair.)

Check before the runoff.

We can make sure that happens.

Kristi R: Challenge came from a voter. Voter emailed.

Challenged another registered voter.

This individual does not live at their address.

letter sent to both individuals.

Person being challenged doesn’t have voting history.

That’s where we are right now.

Dr. Taylor: Person being challenged- was she notified?

Kristi: Person being challenged not notified.

Letter goes to the address on file.(which may not get to the person.)

Challenge started because both voters listed same address.

Challengers believe it’s a fictitious name.
Wandy Taylor: might be an error.

Hard to read the print. 

Kristi: No additional steps other than mailing to listed address notice.

Law requires nothing else.

Result: Remove person from role.

Dr Taylor: I don’t agree with that.

The Statute 21-2-230 cited. Board must decide probable cause.

Grounds of challenge: Never lived at that address.

(according to the letter)

Ms. Burbeck who brought the challenge: we lived here since 2011.

Feels someone took her info to registar to vote.

Alice O: Feel your concern. I would like to call a vote on the challenge.

Remove the woman who does not live at this address. Remove Spurbeck from the voter rolls.

Motion. A 2nd.

Discussion: Stephen Day- should we do a bit more research it might help the challenger.

Other points of info to find this person. Does she exist?

ID theft?

Long discussion: why not make a phone call or email if that info is available. Is just mailing the challenged person to notify adequate before taking off the roles? Is it just an error? is the extra effort merited? (long discussion.)

Alice: amend to try to contact the person over the next few days- and cancel registration if other contact options fail. 24 hours to search.

Cancel after 24 hour with no contact able to be made.

Motion Passed.

—–

PUBLIC COMMENT:

Urge county to have the same number of Dropboxes.

Urge more signage for Asian American Voters.

Train poll workers when to issue provisional ballots. 

—-

Comment 2: Urge to maintain Dropbox numbers.

Still issues with USPS. As of Lilburn: has to hand sort.

No evidence of fraud. Taking away dropboxes with equate voter suppression.- Rep Jasmine Clark. 

—-

Debbie: Dropboxes-urges to maintain dropbox numbers.

Challenge Voter: Short Story- friend moved, changed address on line with DMV.
2 days later: address incorrect on SOS site.

Glitches do happen. 

——-

Diane Fisher: on behalf League of woman voters- thanks. 

—-

Judy: Dropboxes- support the use of.

—–

Purging someone from the role: a form of voter supression.

visit PSC.GA.Gov.

Madelline Jones; Request check and balance between laptop computer and tablet.

Make sure correct precint ballot coded to the card.

Agrees with taking additional steps on the voter challenge. (to contact.)

Taped/Videoed meetings- how can we get audio or video of the meetings?

How do we access?

——

Nicki Merrit Senator Elect-

Dropboxes- extend every ease of voting to our voters.

Make sure this remains.

I’ve used this a lot.

Make voting easier.

Thanks for your work and service.

Must do due dilligence on voter role purging.

Procedural Review panel hiccups on the first day.

Process weren’t clear.

Got better later.

On the whole- well done!

———–

Wood:

Echo thanks for your service.

Observed the audit process and was very impressed.

———-

Steve Togerson:

Do more than the minimum by law when purging rolls.

Endorse having a latino/hispanic appointed.

——–

Banks:

Make dropboxes available.

Re: Challenge- segregation was legal – doesn’t mean it was right.

Give every opportunity to contact before purge.

——

Public comments concluded.

Closing remarks:

Thanks! Thanks Kristi for your work. 8:05 adjourn.

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