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Home My WebLink AboutBoard Meeting Agenda Packet 02-11-2025MEETING AGENDA Date: February 11, 2025 Time: 5:30 PM Location: Bd of Elections Office, Conference Room Type: Regular Scheduled Attendees: Derrick R. Miller, Chair Rae Hunter-Havens, Director James Battle Morgan, Jr. Secretary Caroline Dawkins, Deputy Director Natalie Hinton-Stalling, Member Joan Geiszler-Ludlum, Administrative Technician Bruce Kemp, Member Jessica O’Neill, Program & Outreach Coordinator Tom S. Morris, Member Visitor(s): Tufanna Bradley, Assistant County Manager; Kemp Burpeau, Senior Deputy County Attorney AGENDA ITEMS 1.Meeting Opening a.Call to Order b.Pledge of Allegiance c.Approval of Agenda d.Approval of Minutes 2.Public Comment Period •2-minute limit •20-minute limit total 3.Director Update a.Financial Update b.List Maintenance 4.New Business •Approval of FY25-26 Requested Budget 5.General Discussion •Other Elections-Related Matters 6.Closed Session (N.C. Gen. Stat. §§ 143-318.11(a)(3) and (a)(6) 7.Adjournment *Agenda packets are sent via email in advance of meetings. Regular Meeting New Hanover County Board of Elections February 11, 2025 Subject: Approval of Agenda Summary: N/A Board Action Required: Staff recommends approval Item # 1c Regular Meeting New Hanover County Board of Elections February 11, 2025 Subject: Approval of Minutes Applicable Statutes and/or Rules N.C. Gen. Stat. §§ 163-31(e) and 143-318.10(e) Summary: This includes minutes from 11/20/24, 11/21/24, 12/2/24, and 12/4/24 meetings. Board Action Required: Staff recommends approval Item # 1dItem # 1d Board Minutes 11/20-21/2024 Page | 1 SPECIAL MEETING New Hanover County Board of Elections November 20 – 21, 2024 10:00 A.M. November 20, 2024 ATTENDANCE Members: Derrick R. Miller, Chair Bruce Kemp, Member Tom Morris, Member Staff:Rae Hunter-Havens, Executive Director Caroline Dawkins, Deputy Director Joan Geiszler-Ludlum, Administrative Elections Technician Jessica O’Neill, Elections Program and Outreach Coordinator Recount teams: Team 1: Caroline Dawkins, Jessica O’Neill, Barry Jezercak, Jennifer Sparks (Printelect) Team 2: Sarah Vitt, Jim Keefe, Emily Fountain, Elizabeth Blythe (Printelect) and Anne Andrews (Printelect) Public Attendees: None Virtual Attendees: No livestream available 1._MEETING OPENING a.Call to Order Chair Miller called the meeting to order at 10:00 a.m. The New Hanover County Board of Elections meeting was held in the Paynter Room, Northeast Library, 1241 Military Cutoff Road, Wilmington, NC. A bipartisan quorum of the Board was present. Chair Miller reminded the audience, Board and staff to silence their cell phones; to limit crosstalk during Board discussion; and maintain silence while the recount is taking place. b.Pledge of Allegiance Chair Miller called on the audience to rise and recite the Pledge of Allegiance. c.Approval of Agenda Chair Miller moved to approve the agenda as submitted, seconded by Member Morris. Board Minutes 11/20-21/2024 Page | 2 The Chair said the purpose of the meeting is to conduct the machine recount in the NC Supreme Court Associate Justice Seat 6 contest as requested by candidate Jefferson Griffin. The Board will recess the meeting with at least a bipartisan team of the Board present during the recount and reconvene at 5:30 p.m. to address any questions of voter intent. Motion carried unanimously. 2.PUBLIC COMMENT PERIOD Chair Miller called upon the public attendees for their comments or questions, limited to two minutes each with a total maximum time of ten minutes. Seeing and hearing no public attendees wishing to comment, Chair Miller closed the Public Comment period. 3. NEW BUSINESS •2024 General Election Recount Chair Miller called on Director Hunter-Havens to explain the machine recount procedure. The Director said 2 teams will each operate DS850 tabulators to recount the ballots cast by each voting method: early voting, election day, absentee-by-mail, and provisional. The workers will take breaks every 2 hours and a lunch break. All questions of voter intent will be held until the Board quorum reconvenes at 5:30 p.m. Team 1 will begin with the Northeast Library early voting site, and Team 2 will begin with the Senior Resource Center early voting site. The recount began at 10:07 a.m. The recount broke at 1:00 p.m. for a lunch break and resumed at 2:07 p.m. with Team 1 recounting Carolina Beach early voting and Team 2 continuing with Senior Resource Center. At 4:01 p.m., Director Hunter-Havens gave a status report: Team 1 completed Carolina Beach and began with the election day precincts and Team 2 completed the Senior Resource Center and began Cape Fear Community College. The recount continued until 5:33 p.m. when Chair Miller reconvened the recessed Board meeting while the recount continued. a.Recount Status Director Hunter-Havens reported that 3 of the 5 early voting sites are complete and 2 are in progress. One early voting site will be run a second time due to paper jams and possible operator error during the first run. She estimated completing the recount by mid-afternoon on Thursday. b.Election Protest Director Hunter-Havens reported that the State Board of Elections planned to convene an Board Minutes 11/20-21/2024 Page | 3 emergency meeting to address the filed election protests. Only the Griffin protest will affect New Hanover County. Statutes require this Board to conduct a preliminary hearing within 2 days after the protest is filed. She noted that the NCSBE is considering assuming jurisdiction over some of the protests. Chair Miller said the Board will schedule an emergency meeting for December 2, 2024, at 5:30 p.m. and give the appropriate public notice. c. Completing the Machine Recount The Board discussed scheduling of bipartisan teams of Board members to be present to resume the machine recount the next day at 9:00 a.m. with available Board members providing bipartisan coverage for the recount and all present at 5:30 p.m. Looking ahead, there is a possibility of a sample hand-eye count following the machine recount which will require the presence of a bipartisan quorum of the Board, and a full hand-eye recount which will take 5 to 7 days possibly starting the week of December 9. The Board members asked questions and discussed the requirements for these possible meetings. d. Voter intent Director Hunter-Havens said there are a handful of machine-rejected ballots, but none require Board action. At 5:56 p.m., Chair Miller recessed the meeting until 9:00 a.m. on November 21. Staff stopped the machine recount at 6:45 p.m. for the day to continue as scheduled. November 21, 2024 ATTENDANCE Members: Derrick R. Miller, Chair Natalie Hinton-Stalling, Member Bruce Kemp, Member Staff: Rae Hunter-Havens, Executive Director Caroline Dawkins, Deputy Director Joan Geiszler-Ludlum, Administrative Elections Technician Jessica O’Neill, Elections Program and Outreach Coordinator Visitors: Debbie Andrews, Elizabeth Blythe, Jennifer Sparks, Printelect; Alex Riley, NHC Communications Recount teams: Team 1: Caroline Dawkins, Jessica O’Neill, Barry Jezercak, Jennifer Sparks (Printelect) Board Minutes 11/20-21/2024 Page | 4 Team 2: Sarah Vitt, Jim Keefe, Emily Fountain, Elizabeth Blythe (Printelect) and Anne Andrews (Printelect) Public Attendees: None Virtual Attendees: No livestream available 1. MEETING OPENING Chair Miller reconvened the recessed meeting at 9:02 a.m. The New Hanover County Board of Elections meeting was held in the Paynter Room, Northeast Library, 1241 Military Cutoff Road, Wilmington, NC. A bipartisan quorum of the Board was present. Chair Miller authorized the staff to resume the General Election machine recount. The staff took a lunch break at 12:25 p.m. Recount resumed at 1:19 p.m. Recount completed at 6:50 p.m. On Chair Miller’s request, Director Hunter-Havens said upon finishing the machine recount, the manual edits will be made with reports updated the following day due to the lengthy editing process. Board members are not required to attend because the edits will be entered by a bipartisan team of staff members. When completed, the Director will prepare the updated abstract memorializing the results in the recounted contests for Board signature and will update the results on the NCSBE website. Member Morris requested to observe this process, and his request was approved by the board. 2. ADJOURNMENT Member Morris moved to adjourn the meeting, seconded by Member Hinton-Stalling. Motion carried unanimously. The meeting adjourned at 6:53 p.m. The next Board meeting is scheduled to be held on December 2, 2024, at 5:30 p.m., at the Board of Elections office, Long Leaf Room, 1241A Military Cutoff Road, Wilmington, NC for the hearing of Griffin election protest as it affects New Hanover County. APPROVED BY: RESPECTFULLY SUBMITTED: _______________________________ ______________________________ DERRICK R. MILLER RAE HUNTER-HAVENS CHAIR ELECTIONS DIRECTOR Board Minutes – 11/21/82024 Page | 1 EMERGENCY MEETING New Hanover County Board of Elections November 21, 2024 5:30 p.m. ATTENDANCE Members: Derrick R. Miller, Chair Natalie Hinton-Stalling, Member Bruce Kemp, Member Staff: Rae Hunter-Havens, Executive Director Caroline Dawkins, Deputy Director Joan Geiszler-Ludlum, Administrative Elections Technician Public Attendees: Wendy Hunt, Jill Hopman, NHCDP; Matthew Emborsky, NHC GOP; Alex Riley, NHC Communications Virtual Attendees: Virginia Adams; LeShonda; TW; Barbara Landers; 518-469-0930; 919-621-8701 1.MEETING OPENING Chair Miller called the emergency meeting to order at 5:30 p.m. The New Hanover County Board of Elections meeting was held in the Board of Elections office, Long Leaf Room, 1241A Military Cutoff Road, Wilmington, NC. A bipartisan quorum was present. Chair Miller reminded the audience, Board and staff to silence their cell phones; that the meeting is being recorded and live streamed on the internet; and to avoid conversation and crosstalk during Board discussion. a.Pledge Chair Miller invited all in attendance to rise and recite the Pledge of Allegiance. b.Agenda Member Kemp moved to approve the agenda as submitted, seconded by Member Hinton- Stalling. Motion carried unanimously. 2.PUBLIC COMMENT PERIOD Chair Miller called upon the public attendees for their comments or questions, limited to Board Minutes – 11/21/82024 Page | 2 two minutes each with a total maximum time of ten minutes. Seeing and hearing no public attendees wishing to comment, Chair Miller closed the Public Comment period. 3. NEW BUSINESS • Preliminary Consideration of Elections Protest Chair Miller said the purpose of the emergency meeting is to give preliminary consideration to an election protest filed in the NC Associate Supreme Court Justice Seat 6 contest. He called on Director Hunter-Havens to further explain the election protest procedure. Director Hunter-Havens said Jefferson Griffin, a candidate in the referenced state-wide contest, filed and served an election protest on New Hanover County Board of Elections on November 12, 2024. The protest alleges a violation of election law, irregularity, or misconduct sufficient to cast doubt on the apparent results of the election for the referenced contest. On its own motion, the NC State Board of Elections (NCSBE) met on November 20, 2024, to consider actions to facilitate review of the Griffin protest by NCSBE and the affected county boards. NCSBE ordered: 1. That NCSBE assumed jurisdiction over 3 allegations that votes were unlawfully counted that were cast by overseas citizens who have not resided in North Carolina but whose parents or legal guardians were eligible North Carolina voters before leaving the United States; by military or overseas citizens under Article 21A of Chapter 163, NC General Statutes without submitting a photocopy of a photo ID or ID Exception Form; or by registered voters whose registration contains neither a NC driver’s license number nor the last four digits of a social security number. 2. That affected county boards of elections retained jurisdiction over 3 allegations that county boards counted ballots cast by voters who were deceased on election day; by voters who were convicted felons on election day; or by voters whose registration was denied or removed after casting a ballot. 3. That the affected county boards of election will advance the protest to a hearing after findings whether the protest was filed timely and includes the required information. Because similar protests were filed in many counties, to ensure uniformity in the process for review of these protests, the county boards shall assume at preliminary consideration that the protests establish probable cause to advance to a hearing. For New Hanover County, the protest alleged that 5 ballots were cast by subsequently deceased voters, 12 by alleged felons, and 48 by voters with denied or removed voter registrations, a total of 65 ballots. The Director said the allegations affecting New Hanover County are based on list maintenance reports compiled by the NCSBE after Election Day and a week before Board Minutes – 11/21/82024 Page | 3 canvass. Following Board review and discussion, Chair Miller said, for purposes of the preliminary hearing, the Board finds that the submitted lists are accurate, and the protest was timely received. Chair Miller moved to advance the protest to a hearing, seconded by Member Kemp. Motion carried unanimously. Chair Miller said the hearing must be held within 5 business days and with at least 3 days’ notice. The Board scheduled the hearing on December 2, 2024, at a time determined after consultation with the Board members and with proper notice. 4.GENERAL DISCUSSION Chair Miller called on the Board members for any election-related discussion. Hearing none, he called for a motion to adjourn. 5. ADJOURNMENT Chair Miller moved to adjourn the meeting, seconded by Member Kemp. Motion carried unanimously. The meeting adjourned at 5:39 p.m. APPROVED BY: RESPECTFULLY SUBMITTED BY: _____________________________ _______________________________ DERRICK R. MILLER RAE HUNTER-HAVENS CHAIR ELECTIONS DIRECTOR Board Minutes – 12/02/2024 Page | 1 SPECIAL MEETING New Hanover County Board of Elections December 2, 2024 5:30 P.M. ATTENDANCE Members: Derrick R. Miller, Chair James Battle Morgan, Jr., Secretary Natalie Hinton-Stalling, Member Bruce Kemp, Member Tom Morris, Member [Excused] Staff: Rae Hunter-Havens, Executive Director Caroline Dawkins, Deputy Director Joan Geiszler-Ludlum, Administrative Elections Technician Visitors: Karen Richards, Deputy County Attorney Public Attendees: Melissa Gott, Grant Burchette, Victoria Rice, representing Jefferson Griffin; Elli Klein, Wendy Hunt, NHCDP; Jerry Hartzell, Jill Hopman, NHCDP, representing Allison Riggs; Clarice Reber, League of Women Voters LCF Virtual Attendees: Cliff Brock; Sheila F.; Jana Albritton; Jessica O’Neill; Denise Brown; Matt; Maureen Mann; (919)671-3556; Charlie Jo Hall; (910) 392-3066 1. MEETING OPENING a. Call to Order Chair Miller called the meeting to order at 5:30 p.m. The New Hanover County Board of Elections meeting was held in the Board of Elections office, Long Leaf Room, 1241A Military Cutoff Road, Wilmington, NC. A bipartisan quorum of the Board was present. Chair Miller reminded the audience, Board and staff to silence their cell phones; that the meeting is being recorded and live streamed over the internet; that members of the audience should speak only when invited; and to limit crosstalk during Board discussion. b. Pledge of Allegiance Board Minutes – 12/02/2024 Page | 2 Chair Miller called on the audience to rise and recite the Pledge of Allegiance. c. Approval of Agenda Chair Miller added two items to the agenda under General Discussion: recent County request and sample hand-eye recount teams. Hearing no objection, Chair Miller said the agenda is approved by unanimous consent 2. PUBLIC COMMENT PERIOD Chair Miller called upon the public attendees for their comments or questions, limited to two minutes each with a total maximum time of ten minutes. Seeing and hearing no public attendees wishing to comment, Chair Miller closed the Public Comment period. 3. NEW BUSINESS • Hearing on Elections Protest Director Hunter-Havens said Jefferson Griffin, candidate for NC Supreme Court Associate Justice Seat 06, filed an election protest on November 12, 2024. The protest alleges a violation of state law, irregularity, or misconduct sufficient to cast doubt on the apparent results of the election. The protest affects multiple counties in addition to New Hanover County. The North Carolina State Board of Elections (NCSBE) issued an Order on November 20, 2024 assuming jurisdiction over three protest allegations challenging: ballots cast by overseas NC citizens who have not resided in North Carolina on the basis of the eligibility of parents or legal guardians as NC voters; ballots cast by military or overseas citizens that did not include a photo ID or ID Exception Form; and ballots cast by registered voters whose database records contain neither a driver’s license number nor the last-four digits of a social security number. The NCSBE Order left three allegations before the affected county boards: NC DHHS deceased with votes; NC felons with votes; and NC denied or removed voters with votes. On November 21, 2024, this Board held an emergency meeting and conducted a preliminary hearing to determine whether the protest was timely filed and conforms to NC Gen. Stat. § 163-182.9, and if so, to advance the protest to a hearing with notice to all relevant parties. Based on their findings that the protest was timely filed and in the proper form, and that lists supporting the protest appeared accurate, the Board scheduled the hearing on the protest for this date and time. Chair Miller asked how many ballots in this county are under challenge. The Director said a total of 54 are listed, based on list maintenance records dated November 8 and 12. This Board has already addressed administrative challenges to 22 of the listed voters’ ballots during the canvass. Chair Miller called on all persons expecting to give testimony in the hearing to step Board Minutes – 12/02/2024 Page | 3 forward and be sworn in. Deputy County Attorney Richards noted that legal counsel for the parties are officers of the court and are not required to take the oath for this hearing. Director Hunter-Havens was the only witness to take the oath. Chair Miller reminded counsel for the parties that the burden of proof is on the protestor, Mr. Griffin. Chair Miller called on counsel to make an opening statement if desired. Melissa Gott, counsel for Mr. Griffin, said the purpose of the protest is to assure that every valid vote is counted. She reminded the Board that the standard of review is substantial evidence, which she said is a low bar, meaning more than a scintilla. The evidence need not be irrefutable or uncontroverted. It need only be relevant evidence that reasonable minds would accept as adequate to support a conclusion. Ms. Gott said the protestor is relying on the affidavits presented and the state data provided with the filed protest. Jerry Hartzell addressed the Board on behalf of candidate Allison Riggs. He asked that the Board address the objections fully and transparently so that public may have confidence in the results of the election. Chair Miller thanked Ms. Gott and Mr. Hartzell for their comments. He proceeded to consider each category as listed in the protest, beginning with 9 voters reported by NC DHHS as deceased before Election Day who cast ballots by absentee-by-mail or early voting: Nadia Coble, Herbert Taylor, Michael Vendetti, Reginald McKoy, Timothy Pugh, Sr., Margarette Blue, Charles Parnell, Billie Atkins, and Shaun Cherewich. Member Kemp asked for clarification whether these 9 names are the same as the voters the Board considered in administrative challenges before and during the canvass. Director Hunter-Havens confirmed the Board has previously sustained challenges of these 9 voters whose ballots were removed before the final canvass. Chair Miller addressed the list of 13 voters who were allegedly disqualified due to a felony conviction, and read the names: Robert Dwyer, Scott Gouge, Roger Robinson, Bruce Blevins III, Charlie Hall, Frederick Hooper Sr., Megan Lewis, Shawn Lubell, Terry Andrews, Scott Baxter, Kelly Howard, Ondray Herring, and Clarence Sylvester. Chair Miller confirmed that the Board previously sustained challenges of these 13 voters during canvass with their votes deleted from the canvass results. Chair Miller addressed the list of 12 voters who were allegedly disqualified as removed voters and read the names: Julius McLemore, Alivia Talley, Jenna Staub, Ann Powell, Nevada Jordan, Amiyyah McKnight-Diabb, Julia Nicole Albright, Tracy Jones, Bryan Coe, Matthew Stevens, Arianna Cuevas-Galarza, and Anna Helms. Director Hunter- Havens explained that a qualified voter who moved to a new address less than 30 days before an election remains qualified to vote at the old address. Research on these 12 voters showed that they voted within the window where they remained qualified to vote in this county and their votes were counted. Chair Miller addressed the next group of 20 voters listed as denied who cast ballots, and read the names: Lily Baxter, Valerie Gonzalez, Olivia Barrows, Kinsley Williams, Evan Johnson, Erin Crispino, Jesse Chaney, Lauren Tumlin, Carleigh Beardslee, Trinity Julian, Board Minutes – 12/02/2024 Page | 4 Ashley Myers, Meredith Mercer, Guzman Merios Maria, Jadyn Myrick, Nora Hutchinson, Brian Pugh, Kai Blizzard, Samantha Rivera, Kennedy Ramseur, and Daniel Solot. Director Hunter-Havens said these voters completed voter registration forms and were mailed verification postcards that were returned undeliverable after the voter had cast the ballot. By statute § 163-82.7(g)(3), the ballot is counted. The voter will be mailed a second verification card which will determine whether the registration will be removed or retained for future elections. Chair Miller summarized the Board’s review of the list that the protestor submitted: 9 ballots cast by voters who died after casting their ballot and before Election Day were not counted; 13 voters with felony convictions were not counted, for a total of 22 ballots properly disqualified; another 32 ballots were counted, 12 by allegedly removed voters and 20 by allegedly denied voters. Chair Miller called on counsel for the parties for any comments. Hearing none, Chair Miller moved to dismiss the Griffin protest because it failed to show substantial evidence of any violation, irregularity, or misconduct sufficient to cast doubt on the election results, seconded by Secretary Morgan and Member Kemp. Hearing no discussion, Chair Miller called the vote. Motion carried unanimously. Chair Miller said the Board’s decision must be reported to NCSBE within 3 days with proper notice of the decision to the protestor. Chair Miller called for a 5-minute break at the conclusion of new business. The meeting resumed at 6:20 p.m. 5. GENERAL DISCUSSION • Sample Hand-Eye Recount Director Hunter-Havens said she anticipates a demand from Mr. Griffin for a sample hand-eye count, which will involve about 4,000 ballots drawn from in-person voting (early voting or Election Day) sites. She is preparing by identifying available registered Republicans or Democrats for the sample count but is encountering challenges finding enough available Republicans. A bipartisan majority of the Board is required to assign Unaffiliated voters to the sample count teams. Chair Miller moved to permit staff to include Unaffiliated voters as tallyers if necessary as a last resort, seconded by Secretary Morgan. Motion carried unanimously. • Recent County Request re: legal representation Chair Miller said today the County Manager informed the Director that the County Commissioners have retained an outside law firm to review “election practices and budget requests” without any prior consultation with this Board. He reviewed a proposed response declining to participate in the study pending engagement of independent legal counsel to represent the interests of the Board of Elections which the Board will take up at the January 14 regular meeting. Given the possibility of a full hand-eye recount in the Board Minutes – 12/02/2024 Page | 5 Griffin protest, the Board is simply not prepared to participate in or respond to the proposed review currently. Chair Miller said he has received contradictory reports of the conversation between the County staff and the State Board of Elections staff. There are matters to be addressed regarding outside access to elections records that need clarification. Chair Miller called on the Director for her comments. Director Hunter-Havens said in her discussions with county staff and State Board Executive Director Karen Brinson Bell and counsel Paul Cox, questions of the authority of the County Commissioners to direct such a review were not addressed. NC Gen. Stat. § 163-37 addresses the County Commissioners authority, stating that each county board of commissioners “shall appropriate reasonable and adequate funds necessary for the legal functions of the county board of elections, including reasonable and just compensation of the director or elections.” This action initiated by the County Manager inserts a partisan elected board into the nonpartisan elections process. The NCSBE regularly evaluates county boards on election practices through periodic wellness checks. We have successfully completed these checks and have been complimented on many of our practices. When questions arise about best practices, we routinely consult with the State Board to determine proper response. Following Board discussion, Chair Miller moved that the New Hanover County Board of Elections respectfully decline the County Manager’s request at this time, seconded by Member Hinton-Stallings. Member Kemp said the Board would like to maintain good relations with the county and should include additional wording to that end. Director Hunter-Havens said conversations are continuing with staff liaison Tufanna Bradley, Assistant County Manager, and other county stakeholders regarding next year’s budget request and budget enhancements to address staffing needs and software that reflect the increasing challenges in election administration. She will keep the Board informed of those conversations as they continue. She said that her understanding of the review inserts a third-party law firm into the cooperative and productive discussions that we have always had with our county partners. Chair Miller said what he finds challenging in responding to this demand is the suddenness of the demand without prior discussion with this Board or staff, and the lack of symmetry between multiple levels of legal representation on the County’s side and the lack of any legal representation to speak on behalf of the Board of Elections interests on the other. After further discussion, Member Kemp called for a vote on the motion on the table that the New Hanover County Board of Elections respectfully decline the County Manager’s request at this time. Chair Miller called the vote. Motion carried unanimously. Chair Miller said he would have a draft letter for Board review at the December 4 meeting. In response to a question, Chair Miller confirmed it would be appropriate for Board members to have one-on-one conversations with the county commissioners. • Other Election-Related Matters Board Minutes – 12/02/2024 Page | 6 Chair Miller moved to cancel the regular meeting scheduled for December 10 considering the chance of a mandatory full hand-eye recount that week, seconded by Secretary Morgan. Following discussion, Chair Miller called the vote. Motion carried unanimously. Hearing no other business to consider, Chair Miller called for a motion to adjourn. 7. ADJOURNMENT Chair Miller moved to adjourn the meeting, seconded by Member Hinton-Stalling. Motion carried unanimously. The meeting adjourned at 7:01 p.m. The next Board meeting is scheduled to be held on December 4, 2024, at 9:00 a.m., in the Paynter Room, Northeast Library, 1241 Military Cutoff Road, Wilmington, NC. APPROVED BY: RESPECTFULLY SUBMITTED: _______________________________ ______________________________ JAMES BATTLE MORGAN, JR. RAE HUNTER-HAVENS SECRETARY ELECTIONS DIRECTOR Board Minutes – 12/04/2024 Page | 1 SPECIAL MEETING New Hanover County Board of Elections December 4, 2024 9:00 A.M. ATTENDANCE Members: Derrick R. Miller, Chair Natalie Hinton-Stalling, Member Bruce Kemp, Member Staff:Rae Hunter-Havens, Executive Director Caroline Dawkins, Deputy Director Jessica O’Neill, Program and Outreach Coordinator Joan Geiszler-Ludlum, Administrative Elections Technician Staff Assistants: Jim Keefe, Sarah Vitt Sample Audit Teams: Team 1 – Toni Dewey, Lisa Bohbrink, Eileen Jezercak, Maureen Crossman; Team 2 – Juliet Wills- Emanuel, Rod Ertischek, Suzi Keefe, Blanche Chisum; Backups – Dorinda Colvin, Barry Jezercak Visitors: Karen Richards, Deputy County Attorney Public Attendees: None Virtual Attendees: Live streaming not available 1.MEETING OPENING a.Call to Order Chair Miller called the meeting to order at 9:00 a.m. The New Hanover County Board of Elections meeting was held in the Paynter Room, Northeast Library, 1241 Military Cutoff Road, Wilmington, NC. A bipartisan quorum of the Board was present. Chair Miller reminded the audience, Board and staff to silence their cell phones; that recording and live streaming are not available; and that silence must be kept during the recount. All conversations should take place outside of the Paynter Room. b.Pledge of Allegiance Chair Miller called on the audience to rise and recite the Pledge of Allegiance. Board Minutes – 12/04/2024 Page | 2 c.Approval of Agenda Member Kemp moved to approve the agenda as submitted, seconded by Member Hinton- Stalling. Motion carried unanimously. 2.PUBLIC COMMENT PERIOD Chair Miller called upon the public attendees for their comments or questions, limited to two minutes each with a total maximum time of ten minutes. Seeing and hearing no public attendees present, Chair Miller closed the Public Comment period. 2.NEW BUSINESS •Hand-to-Eye Recount of the NC Supreme Court Associate Justice Seat 6 Contest Chair Miller said the purpose of the meeting is to conduct the sample hand-eye recount in the NC Supreme Court Associate Justice Seat 06 contest requested by Jefferson Griffin pursuant to NC Gen. Stat. § 163-182.7A. NC State Board of Elections randomly drew precincts or early voting sites representing 3% of the precincts casting ballots in this election in each county. Based on the random draw, New Hanover County Board of Elections will conduct a full hand-eye recount of precincts H13, Porters Neck Village, and W30, Cape Fear Presbyterian Church. Bipartisan teams of election officials will hand count the ballots cast in these 2 precincts. If the results of the sample recount differ from the machine recount results such that extrapolating the amount of change to the entire state would reverse the results, NCSBE will order a statewide hand-eye recount in this contest. The calculation considers the number of ballots that were recounted, the amount of change in the results, and the total votes cast for that office. Chair Miller said the Board would be in recess until Board action is needed. Recess began at 9:05 a.m. and the sample hand-eye recount began. The sample hand-eye recount concluded at 10:25 a.m. and the teams were excused. Chair Miller reconvened the recessed meeting at 10:35 a.m. with a bipartisan quorum present. The Board reviewed the ballots with undercounts or overcounts to determine voter intent. Precinct H13 results matched the machine recount; Precinct W30 results showed +1 vote for candidate Allison Riggs same as the machine recount. The sample hand-eye recount concluded at 10:51 a.m. 5. GENERAL DISCUSSION Chair Miller called on the Board members for any discussion of election-related matters. Board Minutes – 12/04/2024 Page | 3 Member Kemp asked about the timing of a possible full hand-eye recount of the contest under protest. Director Hunter-Havens said the sample hand-eye recount was likely to take several days to complete statewide. A full recount would potentially start the week of December 9 and take at least a week to complete. Hearing no further discussion, Chair Miller called for a motion to adjourn the meeting. 7.ADJOURNMENT Member Kemp moved to adjourn the meeting, seconded by Member Hinton-Stalling. Motion carried unanimously. The meeting adjourned at 10:54 a.m. The next Board meeting is scheduled to be held on January 14, 2025, at 5:30 p.m., at the Board of Elections office, Long Leaf Room, 1241A Military Cutoff Road, Wilmington, NC. APPROVED BY: RESPECTFULLY SUBMITTED: _____________________________________________________________ DERRICK R. MILLER RAE HUNTER-HAVENS CHAIR ELECTIONS DIRECTOR Regular Meeting New Hanover County Board of Elections February 11, 2025 Subject: Public Comment Period Summary: This is an opportunity for members of the public to provide comments on election-related matters. Each commenter will be limited to two minutes. There is a limit of 20 minutes total for the public comment period. Board Action Required: Discuss as necessary Item # 2 Regular Meeting New Hanover County Board of Elections February 11, 2025 Subject: Director’s Report Summary: a.Financial Update The attached YTD FY24-25 budget report provides the Board with a financial update through the 7th period (January) of this fiscal year. b.List Maintenance Update Per data provided from the Statewide Elections Information Management System (SEIMS), the New Hanover County Board of Elections completed the following in January of 2025: •Removed 11,282 voters from the voter registration rolls consistent with NC Gen. Stat. §163-82.14. In addition to the standard weekly and monthly list maintenance practices, the NHC Board of Elections conducted the Biennial List Maintenance to update our voter registration rolls. As part of this practice, we removed inactive voters who 1) did not respond to a confirmation mailing sent by the county board, and 2) did not vote or appear to vote in election beginning on the date of the notice and ending on the day after the date of the second general election for the United States House of Representatives that occurs after the date of the notice. In addition, we sent confirmation mailings to active voters from whom the county board has not had contact for two congressional general elections. In total, the county board sent out 14,399 confirmation cards in January. •Processed 703 new registrations, 355 duplicate registrations, and 587 registration updates. Document/s Included: Financial Year-To-Date Budget Report 7th Period (January); NVRA Report (January 2025) Board Action Required: Discuss as necessary Item # 2 Item # 3 NEW HANOVER COUNTY - LIVE YEAR-TO-DATE BUDGET REPORT Report generated: 02/07/2025 10:17 User: rhavens Program ID: glytdbud Page 1 FOR 2025 07 ACCOUNTS FOR: ORIGINAL TRANFRS/ REVISED AVAILABLE PCT 110 GENERAL FUND APPROP ADJSTMTS BUDGET YTD EXPENDED ENCUMBRANCES BUDGET USED 16 BOARD OF ELECTIONS 60 SALARIES & BENEFITS 11016100 610000 SALARIES AND WA 564,622 0 564,622 324,227.57 .00 240,394.43 57.4% 11016100 611500 CASUAL PART TIM 360,373 -15,000 345,373 348,049.04 .00 -2,676.04 100.8% 11016100 611600 OVERTIME PAY (O 9,932 0 9,932 18,165.08 .00 -8,233.08 182.9% 11016100 612000 CELL PHONE ALLO 0 675 675 300.00 .00 375.00 44.4% 11016100 621000 SOCIAL SECURITY 42,813 0 42,813 38,367.86 .00 4,445.14 89.6% 11016100 622000 RETIREMENT-LOCA 76,959 0 76,959 46,622.95 .00 30,336.05 60.6% 11016100 623500 GENERAL 401-K M 13,619 0 13,619 8,551.59 .00 5,067.41 62.8% 11016100 625000 MEDICAL INSURAN 87,336 0 87,336 39,864.03 .00 47,471.97 45.6% 11016100 626000 LONG TERM DISAB 1,471 0 1,471 560.91 .00 910.09 38.1% TOTAL SALARIES & BENEFITS 1,157,125 -14,325 1,142,800 824,709.03 .00 318,090.97 72.2% 70 OPERATING EXPENSES 11016100 700000 CONTR SERVS 128,063 40,000 168,063 158,474.00 159.36 9,429.64 94.4% 11016100 700328 LEASE EXPENSE 48,385 0 48,385 30,164.10 17,039.49 1,181.41 97.6% 11016100 700329 SUBSCRIPTION SO 16,542 0 16,542 10,222.82 .00 6,319.18 61.8% 11016100 700330 RENT 67,599 0 67,599 66,539.00 .00 1,060.00 98.4% 11016100 700350 ADVERTISING COS 2,250 0 2,250 1,699.13 .00 550.87 75.5% 11016100 700365 CELLULAR EXPENS 17,819 0 17,819 8,979.76 .00 8,839.24 50.4% 11016100 700370 POSTAGE EXPENSE 105,083 0 105,083 65,406.55 36,092.77 3,583.68 96.6% 11016100 700430 M&R-EQUIPMENT 70,371 0 70,371 68,167.58 .00 2,203.42 96.9% 11016100 700500 PRINTING 88,297 -8,025 80,272 42,985.07 7,525.52 29,761.41 62.9% 11016100 700512 PRINTER-COPIER 51,507 0 51,507 26,086.06 .00 25,420.94 50.6% 11016100 700520 SUPPLIES 11,954 6,500 18,454 18,875.39 .00 -421.39 102.3% 11016100 700542 SUPPLIES-COMPUT 2,600 850 3,450 3,429.17 .00 20.83 99.4% 11016100 700700 DUES & SUBSCRIP 125 0 125 .00 .00 125.00 .0% 11016100 700825 EMPLOYEE REIMBU 2,500 0 2,500 2,277.62 .00 222.38 91.1% 11016100 700905 TRAINING & TRAV 8,700 0 8,700 5,072.74 .00 3,627.26 58.3% TOTAL OPERATING EXPENSES 621,795 39,325 661,120 508,378.99 60,817.14 91,923.87 86.1% TOTAL BOARD OF ELECTIONS 1,778,920 25,000 1,803,920 1,333,088.02 60,817.14 410,014.84 77.3% TOTAL GENERAL FUND 1,778,920 25,000 1,803,920 1,333,088.02 60,817.14 410,014.84 77.3% TOTAL EXPENSES 1,778,920 25,000 1,803,920 1,333,088.02 60,817.14 410,014.84 NEW HANOVER COUNTY - LIVE YEAR-TO-DATE BUDGET REPORT Report generated: 02/07/2025 10:17 User:rhavens Program ID: glytdbud Page 2 FOR 2025 07 ORIGINAL TRANFRS/ REVISED AVAILABLE PCT APPROP ADJSTMTS BUDGET YTD EXPENDED ENCUMBRANCES BUDGET USED GRAND TOTAL 1,778,920 25,000 1,803,920 1,333,088.02 60,817.14 410,014.84 77.3% ** END OF REPORT - Generated by RAE HUNTER-HAVENS ** NEW HANOVER COUNTY BOARD OF ELECTIONS NVRA REPORT Reporting Period:-1/1/2025 1/31/2025 Totals Active 171,317 Inactive 9,803 Total Registration 181,120 REPORTING PERIOD Registrations Approved 1 Total Registrations Removed 11,282 Inactive Registrations Removed 10,771 New Registrations 00 - No Application Source 4 01 - Public Assistance 12 02 - Disability 0 03 - Other (ESC) 0 04 - Armed Forces 0 05 - DMV 639 06 - Mail-in 11 07 - In-person 11 08 - Library & High School 0 09 - Spanish Language Application 0 10 - Online Registration 10 17 - Registration Drives 15 21 - Medicaid Renewal 1 96 - Temporary FWAB Registrant 0 97 - Temporary FPCA Registrant 0 703 Duplicates 00 - No Application Source 46 01 - Public Assistance 13 02 - Disability 0 03 - Other (ESC) 0 04 - Armed Forces 0 05 - DMV 232 06 - Mail-in 7 07 - In-person 41 08 - Library & High School 0 09 - Spanish Language Application 0 10 - Online Registration 7 17 - Registration Drives 4 21 - Medicaid Renewal 3 95 - Voter Return of NCOA 0 96 - Temporary FWAB Registrant 0 97 - Temporary FPCA Registrant 0 98 - Voter Change On Confirmation 2 vtr_nvra_stat.rpt Page 1 of 5Feb 07, 2025 1:37 pm NVRA REPORTNEW HANOVER COUNTY BOARD OF ELECTIONS 99 - Voter Change On Verification 0 355 vtr_nvra_stat.rpt Page 2 of 5Feb 07, 2025 1:37 pm NVRA REPORTNEW HANOVER COUNTY BOARD OF ELECTIONS Changes of Information 00 - No Application Source 42 01 - Public Assistance 22 02 - Disability 0 03 - Other (ESC) 0 04 - Armed Forces 0 05 - DMV 452 06 - Mail-in 11 07 - In-person 18 08 - Library & High School 0 09 - Spanish Language Application 0 10 - Online Registration 35 17 - Registration Drives 7 21 - Medicaid Renewal 0 95 - Voter Return of NCOA 0 96 - Temporary FWAB Registrant 0 97 - Temporary FPCA Registrant 0 98 - Voter Change On Confirmation 0 99 - Voter Change On Verification 0 587 Verifications # of 1st & 2nd verification mailings sent 15,333 # of 1st NCOA mailings sent 0 # of 1st verification returned undeliverable 13,542 # of verification returned by voter 0 Confirmations # of confirmations returned by voter 2 # of confirmations sent 14,399 # of confirmations returned undeliverable 60 # of confirmations not returned at all 2 COUNTY STATISTICAL Constitution 20 Democratic 48,630 Green 133 Justice For All 13 Libertarian 1,320 No Labels 680 Republican 54,423 Unaffiliated 75,860 We The People 41 American Indian 393 Asian 1,532 Black 17,583 Multi-Racial 770 Native Hawaiian or Pacific Islander 19 White 136,945 Other 4,695 Undesignated 19,183 vtr_nvra_stat.rpt Page 3 of 5Feb 07, 2025 1:37 pm NVRA REPORTNEW HANOVER COUNTY BOARD OF ELECTIONS Hispanic 4,418 Not Hispanic 110,255 Undesignated 66,447 Female 87,220 Male 73,250 Undesignated 20,650 Unprocessed Registrations - Incomplete Queue 00 - No Application Source 37 01 - Public Assistance 10 02 - Disability 0 03 - Other (ESC) 0 04 - Armed Forces 0 05 - DMV 99 06 - Mail-in 3 07 - In-person 1 08 - Library & High School 0 09 - Spanish Language Application 0 10 - Online Registration 1 17 - Registration Drives 0 21 - Medicaid Renewal 1 95 - Voter Return of NCOA 0 96 - Temporary FWAB Registrant 0 97 - Temporary FPCA Registrant 0 98 - Voter Change On Confirmation 0 99 - Voter Change On Verification 0 Unprocessed Registrations - Archive Queue 00 - No Application Source 0 01 - Public Assistance 0 02 - Disability 0 03 - Other (ESC) 0 04 - Armed Forces 0 05 - DMV 0 06 - Mail-in 1 07 - In-person 0 08 - Library & High School 0 09 - Spanish Language Application 0 10 - Online Registration 0 17 - Registration Drives 0 21 - Medicaid Renewal 0 95 - Voter Return of NCOA 0 96 - Temporary FWAB Registrant 0 97 - Temporary FPCA Registrant 0 98 - Voter Change On Confirmation 0 99 - Voter Change On Verification 0 Unprocessed Registrations - Review Queue 00 - No Application Source 0 01 - Public Assistance 0 02 - Disability 0 03 - Other (ESC) 0 vtr_nvra_stat.rpt Page 4 of 5Feb 07, 2025 1:37 pm NVRA REPORTNEW HANOVER COUNTY BOARD OF ELECTIONS 04 - Armed Forces 0 05 - DMV 156 06 - Mail-in 0 07 - In-person 0 08 - Library & High School 0 09 - Spanish Language Application 0 10 - Online Registration 9 17 - Registration Drives 0 21 - Medicaid Renewal 0 96 - Temporary FWAB Registrant 0 97 - Temporary FPCA Registrant 0 vtr_nvra_stat.rpt Page 5 of 5Feb 07, 2025 1:37 pm Regular Meeting New Hanover County Board of Elections February 11, 2025 Subject: Approval of FY25-26 Requested Budget Applicable Statutes and/or Rules: N/A Summary: The FY25-26 requested budget will cover the period of July 1, 2025, through June 30, 2026, and is inclusive of the 2025 Municipal and 2026 Primary Elections. The Board of Elections is responsible for providing budgetary requests for the items allocated in the report. Document/s Included: FY 25-26 Next Year Requested Budget Detail Report (Provided at Meeting) Board Action Required: Staff recommends approval Item # 4 Regular Meeting New Hanover County Board of Elections February 11, 2025 Subject: General Discussion Summary: This is an opportunity for discussion on other elections-related matters not included in the meeting agenda. Board Action Required: Discuss as necessary Item # 5 Regular Meeting New Hanover County Board of Elections February 11, 2025 Subject: Closed Session Chairman Statement Prior to Closed Session: I move that the Board enter into closed session, under N.C. Gen. Stat. §§ 143-318.11(a)(3) and (a)(6) to discuss personnel matters and receive legal guidance. Applicable Statutes and/or Rules: N.C. Gen. Stat. § 143-318.11(a)(3) and (a)(6) Summary: Closed session is required to discuss personnel matters and receive any legal advice from counsel, either from the county attorney’s office or from newly selected outside counsel under §§ 143- 318.11(a)(3) and (a)(6). Board Action Required: Discuss as necessary Returning to Open Session: I move that the Board return to open session, under N.C. Gen. Stat. §§ 143-318.11(a)(3) and (a)(6), to conduct business remaining before the Board. Item # 2 Item # 6