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Glynn County Board of Elections Meeting 04/13/21

I. 7 officials present: one staff member with a mask and 6 members (five
board members and the director) (2 wearing masks, with one wearing the mask
under the nose)

4 spectators present (including Gail, also from the peanut gallery)

II. Discussion of sex offenders/predators list. Full background check comes
at a cost of $15.

Discussion of what information is missed if one relies upon other lists
without a full background check

Director’s recommendation: every two years to do a full background check

State law requires (to be a poll worker?): resident or employee

If the board of election were to impose a requirement or qualification that
a poll worker be a registered voter, then the registered voter status
already checks criminal background–and the board of election would not have
to do a background check over again

Qualifications to be a poll worker:

-all registered voters

-not on sexual predator list

-if an applicant is 16 to 18 years old, a recommendation is required from a
civic group such as a school or party

A suggestion was made to do a full background check on poll managers

What about temporary fill – in poll managers?

III. A memorandum from an attorney was earlier circulated regarding board
member terms and their expiration:

*The County commission appointed a member for a term beginning in August

*a question arose whether to get that member on track with a May-beginning
date to make for a term of office consistent with the terms of office of
other members of the board

*the attorney Jason says it would have to be done by the local
legislature–apparently meaning the County commission

Question: When the new term beginning in August was created by the Glynn
County Commission, if it was the local Glynn County Commission who made it
for four years going forward, why can’t the local commission fix it without
making a State – level change?

The attorney Jason apparently says otherwise; emphasizing not just local
action, but local legislative action

[it was unclear whether members of the board were talking past one another
regarding the difference between local legislative action and state – level
changes]

IV. SB 202:

* will require one additional Saturday and an additional hour each Saturday
(9 to 5); this will require a $5,500 budget adjustment

* absentee ballot by mail:

-Old law: request had to be made the Friday before the election; new law:
deadline is Friday before that

-director’s comment: the new law concentrates the work in a shorter period
of time, not allowing the office to spread out the work

* the director makes the comment that there’s a problem in the new law by
not having a signature-match requirement:

-board member makes the comment in response to the above comment that the
board’s brief is implementation [and not to comment upon pros and cons]

-to be discussed at an upcoming conference [presumably, the conference at
Jekyll Island], but no word whether there will be a secretary of state –
sponsored workshop on this

* there was a call from a concerned nursing home expressing the concern that
the nursing home does not have the required documents and ID numbers, but
now may no longer use a signature; also concerned that a cure letter could
be sent requiring an ID number that the nursing home does not have

* oath of a person assisting in delivery:

-under old law, it was done separately

-under new law, it is now done as part of

* new Dropbox requirements: Glynn County dropbox will be moved into the
lobby where there is a camera

* election date and certification date:

-Old law: number of machines based on early voting

-New law: new formula; pretty much all machines to go out

* new possible scenario:

– At 4:50 p.m., a voter goes to the wrong precinct, with no time left to get
to the correct precinct; Director wants poll workers to document the time of
arrival

– St. Williams

– Ballard

– Howard Coffin Park precinct [which is nearest to the Glynn County Board of
election office] will be affected the most because voters come to the board
of election office only to find out that it is not a precinct and then go to
the nearest precinct, at Howard Coffin Park, which may not be their correct
precinct. Rather, it is only the precinct closest to the board of election
office and the precinct the voter is best able to reach in the remaining
time

* voting totals to be available each day; on Election Day: 3 times with
totals

* to check wait times going forward; if a voter is still waiting at 8 p.m.,
then split the precinct

* new information allowing private tabulation at Secretary of State website;
no longer necessary to do it at the local level with an open records act
request

* discussion of the new power to suspend the board of election

* discussion of the State versus Federal deadline for a runoff; anticipating
a possible lawsuit here

* discussion of ranked voting

* Discussion of unlimited number of voters who can be challenged, up to
tabulation day; and then 10 days to deal with

* Christine, on the staff member and note-taker, has developed a list of
typical questions and answers thereto; Camden County most probably will be
using the same list

* things to be done:

-to schedule a meeting with parties such as the nursing homes

-City ballots coming up to be dealt with, so the board cannot wait until the
State conference [presumably, the conference at Jekyll Island]

-Need to make changes in the draft regarding runoff dates, given how the law
has come out

-political parties must provide training to poll watchers; what about having
the parties do it together? Who to do?

* some community leader has through social media given out inaccurate
information, including about the giving out of water within a certain number
of feet; this was never allowed

*Glynn County early voting lines:

-20-minute wait in 2018

– also wait times in June 2020

V. Costs discussion:

A.

*$54,900.72 was the cost of the SPLOST election; was this a cost to the
board of election or cost to Glynn County? (not including the cost of
sheriff’s deputies) (also a cost in legal fees of $18,000)

* for a mere 10% turnout in March, the cost was $54,000; for the Seldie
precinct: 4 poll workers were required for a mere 17 voters

* at page 32 of some report, there was mention of Glynn County in connection
with political party assistance in audits, which became part of a later
recommendation

B.

Regarding open records act requests:

*there’s a new process in the office to handle, with computer alerts to four
people

*a particular open records act request has been received:

-for the first item, there would be an expense of between $7000 and 17000

-for a second item the cost would come out later if the first item is agreed
to and paid for (apparently the second item included a request for images of
ballot envelopes, which would require court approval) (apparently, this open
records act request came in from an individual in Colorado and was said to
be a request for information regarding the entire state)

C.

* discussion of a line-item regarding poll workers and paper and the need
for an adjustment in that line item

* discussion of an estimate for a proposal to relocate the board of election
office to the old CVS building

* discussion of the need for an electrician technician; the board can rely
upon Caleb unless Caleb gets a full-time job; concern was expressed about
asking for a budget increase for electrician technician when the board
already has requests in for a new location

* the state conference will be in August; Glynn County has 5 seats; Glynn
County does not need a hotel reservation

* discussion of precinct layout software, especially for non-returning, new
poll workers

VI. discussion of nursing homes:

-have not heard back from the State

-all nursing homes called; Magnolia Manor has staffing issues in connection
with the new ballot custody responsibility

-Jason the attorney may prepare a response

-Board member Pat wants to send out a response but I don’t waiting to hear
back from the State and to do it in chunks of issues; wants to deal with
chunks of issues in terms of compliance with SB 202 at each board meeting

VII. spectator identifying herself as Joan Q public from a local church
spectator volunteers to the board to educate the public about the new
elections law


Did you know that the public can attend Board of Registration and Elections meetings? 

These meetings are open to the public by Georgia law. Georgia Open Meetings Act.

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