1. ROLL CALL
Karli Swift, Chair – present
Vasu Abhiraman, Vice Chair – present
Nancy Jester, Acting Chair – not present
Susan Motter – present
Tony Lewis – present
2. APPROVAL OF AGENDA
Jester moves to move 5B to Item 3 and renumber following items.
Approved with amendment 5 – 0
3. “I voted” sticker contest presentation
Winners and their families are acknowledged, checks are awarded, and the winning sticker designs are displayed. Schools and teachers are thanked.
4. APPROVAL OF MINUTES
A. September 12, 2024, Scheduled Meeting (p. 2 of packet)
B. October 1, 2024, Special Called Meeting (p. 8 of packet)
Approved 5 – 0
5. PUBLIC COMMENTS
Betsy Schackleford: thanks BRE for suing the SEB over new rules.
Cheryl Dudley: names groups and individuals who condemn SEB’s new rules. Carmen Tripp: says she is a volunteer for United Sovereign Americans (USA), who purportedly analyze elections using official data. Their analysis of Georgia’s 2022 election found “alarming problems with its fundamental accuracy.” She reads from a resolution listing the requirements for a “valid” election.
Bill Henderson: continues reading the USA resolution, saying that the NVRA says that voter rolls must be accurate, considering just one error in 25,000 ballots to be acceptable. He lists alleged inaccuracies with the voter rolls.
Gail Lee: continues reading the USA resolution, saying certification depends on knowing the intent of voters. She reiterates that Georgia’s 2022 election “appears to be invalid.” William Freeman: continues reading the USA resolution, saying he thinks people registering to vote less than 30 days before an election should have to show proof of citizenship. Names other reforms they are in favor of.
Vic Tripp: continues reading the USA resolution, suggesting reforms and asking BRE members to sign a resolution endorsing such measures. (Tripp distributes copies of the resolution to BRE members)
Janet Grant: thanks BRE for challenging new SEB rules. Says DeKalb’s voter challenges are baseless, and that BRE is acting in accordance with NVRA. Thinks DeKalb needs to prioritize processing their 32,000 new registrations instead of the numerous challenges brought recently.
Duane Smith: recalls that BRE members Lewis and Jester refused to certify a recent election and wonders if they would do it again. Notes other GA counties whose BRE members have also refused to certify elections.
Ellen Mincemeyer: wonders why BRE members Lewis and Jester would consider challenges to people supposedly with birth dates before 1900. Wonders if these need to be challenged, since these voters will have to show ID when they check in. She thinks they are not worth purging from rolls.
Sonya Fricks: thanks BRE for serving the poor people in DeKalb. Asks for more funds to be spent training poll workers.
K. J. Fukuda: thanks BRE for not restricting the ability to vote.
Shawn Ouweleen: thanks BRE for suing about new SEB rules, and for proposing a process to drop off Absentee Ballots at polling places.
Kristen Nabors, All Voting is Local: says Cobb County is accepting Absentee Ballots at all polling places, and DeKalb should do the same.
Catherine Carter: says the new SEB rules cause more work for poll workers. Thøng Phan, AAAJ: thanks BRE for providing language access to several immigrant groups and encourages them to allow Absentee dropoff at polling places. Says Asian citizens are the group whose ballots are most likely to be disqualified.
Jennifer Halliday: supports the BRE’s lawsuit against DeKalb.
Beth Levine (by email): thanks BRE for holding Advance Voting 7 days a week. 6. ITEMS FOR DISCUSSION
A. Director’s Report (p. 10)
Smith reviewed numbers of voters registered, voters active, voters being processed. Says SOS will send many batches of new registrations this week so staff will work over the weekend to process them before voting starts. Voters who check in but do not appear on the rolls will prompt a call to DeKalb’s election office for clearance. Her office has already sent out about 18,000 Absentee applications.
The budget is reviewed. They anticipate asking for lots of money in 2025 for facility improvements and new hires.
The sticker contest received 30 entries. The voter outreach day was successful and well attended. They are planning several more outreach events before November 5. Smith notes that their office hires many temporary employees but not part-time workers, and that as many as 100 temps have been working in the warehouse. Abhiraman asks if the county will increase their active voters enough to be allowed an additional dropbox. Smith responds that probably not, because about a third of voter registration applications are, in fact, duplicates. Smith notes that postage budgets can change quickly if there is a polling place change or other development requiring voters to be notified.
Motter thanks staff for staying open for 3 ½ extra hours on October 7 due to lines of people trying to register to vote by the deadline.
Swift wonders if they should have a contingency plan in case they are allowed an additional dropbox.
Smith notes that Absentee Ballots are mailed from Fort Orange, NY and about 20,000 went out today. They have issued about 2,000 UOCAVAs to date.
7. ITEMS FOR DECISION
A. Approval of Return of Absentee Ballots to Advance Voting Locations Abhiraman details proposed procedure for accepting Absentee Ballots at polling places – Must be accepted by manager or assistant manager
– person dropping off must sign affidavit
– Worker stamps with time and date
– Form is completed if required by law
– Transaction noted on chain of custody form
– Once taken to county offices, dropped off ballots are stored in secure location Attorney Momo says this complies with GA §21-2-382 because polling places qualify as “government service centers.” Poll managers and assistant managers can accept them because the statute says the office can establish “additional registrars.”
Director Smith says that, if approved, the office will train poll manages on the procedure, create appropriate forms, and notify the public via social media and the press.
Discussion of whether a voter who enters a polling place can submit their own Absentee Ballot since they are not, technically, “absent.” Swift points out that there is no problem with voter taking his own Absentee to a mailbox or dropbox. Abhiraman asks that they show on the website the hours the office will be open to accept Absentee Ballots on the weekend before Election Day, since polling place dropoff and drop boxes will not be available then. Smith affirms they will post this information.
Vote to approve Return of Absentee Ballots to Advance Voting Locations passes 3 – 2, with Lewis and Jester voting against.
B. Approval of Poll Managers
Director Smith notes managers could still change based on availability. Approved 5 – 0
7. EXECUTIVE SESSION for litigation purposes
7:30 – 7:45
8. BOARD COMMENTS
Lewis notes that in 2020 the election had to be certified, then re-certified twice. In 2022 the board had to file to certify twice. He says the goal is always to certify. If for some reason they didn’t certify, they would immediately address problems so they can certify. It shouldn’t be interpreted as an effort to block certification.
9. ADJOURNMENT
7:50 pm
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