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Home My WebLink AboutBoard Meeting Agenda Packet 05-13-2025MEETING AGENDA Date: May 13, 2025 Time: 5:30 PM Location: Bd of Elections Office, Conference Room Type: Regular Scheduled Attendees: Derrick R. Miller, Chair James Battle Morgan, Jr. Secretary Natalie Hinton-Stalling, Member Bruce Kemp, Member Rae Hunter-Havens, Director Caroline Schulte, Deputy Director Joan Geiszler-Ludlum, Administrative Technician Mark Payne, Board Legal Counsel Tom S. Morris, Member Visitor(s): Tufanna Bradley, Assistant County Manager 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 c.Election Day Chief Judge and Judge Appointments 4.General Discussion •Other Elections-Related Matters 5.Closed Session (N.C. Gen. Stat. §§ 143-318.11(a)(3) and (a)(6) 6.Adjournment *Agenda packets are sent via email in advance of meetings. Regular Meeting New Hanover County Board of Elections May 13, 2025 Subject: Approval of Agenda Summary: N/A Board Action Required: Staff recommends approval Item # 1c Regular Meeting New Hanover County Board of Elections May 13, 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 4/15/2025 meeting. Board Action Required: Staff recommends approval Item # 1dItem # 1d Board Minutes – 04/15/2025 Page |1 REGULAR MEETING New Hanover County Board of Elections April 15, 2025 5:30 P.M. ATTENDANCE Members: Derrick R. Miller, Chair James Battle Morgan, Jr., Secretary Natalie Hinton-Stalling, Member Bruce Kemp, Member - excused Tom Morris, Member Staff:Rae Hunter-Havens, Executive Director Jessica O’Neill, Elections Program and Outreach Coordinator Beth Pugh, Elections Specialist Joan Geiszler-Ludlum, Administrative Elections Technician Visitors: Tufanna Bradley, Assistant County Manager Public Attendees: Wendy Hunt, NHCDP; Clarice Reber, League of Women Voters LCF; Victoria Bice Virtual Attendees: Denise Brown; Telephone participant 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, 226 Government Center Drive, Wilmington, NC. Chair Miller, Members Hinton-Stalling, Morgan and Morris were present; Member Kemp was excused. 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; and that, due to sensitive microphones, it is essential that the audience avoid conversation and crosstalk during Board discussion. b.Pledge of Allegiance Chair Miller invited all in attendance to rise and recite the Pledge of Allegiance. Board Minutes – 04/15/2025 Page |2 c.Approval of Agenda Member Hinton-Stalling moved to approve the agenda as submitted, seconded by Member Morris. Motion carried unanimously. d.Approval of Minutes Chair Miller called on the Board for any edits, changes or corrections to the minutes of the 03/11/2025 meeting. Hearing none, he said the minutes are 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 twenty minutes. Seeing and hearing no public attendees wishing to comment, Chair Miller closed the Public Comment period. 3.DIRECTOR’S UPDATE Chair Miller called on Director Hunter-Havens for her reports. a.Financial Update Director Hunter-Havens reported that the budget is 94.7% expended through March. For the remainder of the fiscal year, she anticipates incurring standard monthly expenses and hopes to finish this fiscal year within the current budget. b.List Maintenance Director Hunter-Havens reported that regular list maintenance in March resulted in removal of 429 voter registrations consistent with NC Gen. Stat. §163-82.14, and processed 629 new registrations, 358 registrations without changes, and 636 voter registration updates. The agenda packet includes additional information about the sources of registration, snapshots of administrative processes, and a breakdown of county voter registrations. The National Change of Address (NCOA) program requires NC county boards of elections twice a year to remove ineligible voters and update addresses and other data for voters who remain on the voter rolls. This office mailed 2,870 NCOA cards to Active voters with a listed change of address on file with the US Postal Service. NCOA exempts these voters from the mailing: •Voters in Inactive status, •Military and Overseas voters eligible under the federal Uniformed and Overseas Citizens Absentee Voting Act (UOCAVA), and Board Minutes – 04/15/2025 Page |3 •Voters who registered, updated or confirmed their address within the previous 95 days. Voters are mailed a confirmation card at the address on file with the US Postal Service and asked to return the card to the county board within 30 days to confirm the legal voting address. Voters who fail to return the NCOA card by that deadline are mailed a regular confirmation card at the current mailing address in their registration record. If the voter again does not respond, the voter’s status is changed to Inactive. c. FY 25/26 Requested Budget Enhancement Director Hunter-Havens updated the Board on the status of the requested budget enhancements. During the Budget Work Session on March 20, 2025, County Manager Chris Coudriet recommended the following Elections enhancements to the County Commissioners based on his interpretation of Elections operational needs: Election Official Management Software $ 19,844 Elections Education & Outreach Communications Coordinator 96,103 (Reassigned Position) Additional Staff 150,000 Total $265,947 The Director said that the additional staffing allocation of $150,000 is approximately $117,000 short of what is needed to meet all operational requirements. The requests for increased compensation for Election Officials and reclassification of the Election Specialist (Absentee) to Elections Absentee Coordinator were already approved implementation. Following Board discussion, Chair Miller said the County Manager is recommending about 70% of what the Board is requesting. While grateful for what the County Manager is recommending, he will send an email on behalf of the Board urging the County Commissioners to fully fund the Board’s requested enhancements to the FY 25-26 budget. He encouraged all Board members to contact the Commissioners one-on-one to discuss the need to fully fund the Board of Elections requested budget. 4. GENERAL DISCUSSION The Board discussed the decision of the NC Supreme Court in the matter of Griffin v. NC State Board of Elections1. 5. CLOSED SESSION Chair Miller said there is no business requiring a closed session. 1 NC Supreme Court, Case No. 320P24-3, April 11, 2025 Board Minutes – 04/15/2025 Page |4 6.ADJOURNMENT Member Morris moved to adjourn the meeting, seconded by Member Hinton-Stalling. Motion carried unanimously. The meeting adjourned at 5:54 p.m. The next Board meeting is scheduled to be held on May 13, 2025, at 5:30 p.m., at the Board of Elections office, 226 Government Center Drive, Wilmington, NC. APPROVED BY: RESPECTFULLY SUBMITTED: ____________________________________________________________ JAMES BATTLE MORGAN, JR.RAE HUNTER-HAVENS SECRETARY ELECTIONS DIRECTOR Regular Meeting New Hanover County Board of Elections May 13, 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 May 13, 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 10th period (April) 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 April of 2025: •Removed 672 voters from the voter registration rolls consistent with NC Gen. Stat. §163-82.14. •Processed 742 new registrations, 571 duplicate registrations, and 900 registration updates. c.Election Day Chief Judge and Judge Appointments Later this week, we will email our list of recommended Election Day Chief Judge and Judges to the local party chairs. The county board appointment of precinct chief judges and judges will take place on Tuesday, August 19, 2025. We respectfully request that party chairs submit their list of recommended appointees by Wednesday, August 13, 2025. Document/s Included: Financial Year-To-Date Budget Report 10th Period (April); NVRA Report (April 2025) Board Action Required: Discuss as necessary Item # 2 Item # 3 NEW HANOVER COUNTY - LIVE YEAR-TO-DATE BUDGET REPORT Report generated: 05/08/2025 12:17 User:rhavens Program ID: glytdbud Page 1 FOR 2025 10 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 0 564,622 424,347.13 .00 140,274.87 75.2% 11016100 611500 CASUAL PART TIM 360,373 -15,000 345,373 379,531.48 .00 -34,158.48 109.9% 11016100 611600 OVERTIME PAY (O 9,932 0 9,932 18,227.95 .00 -8,295.95 183.5% 11016100 612000 CELL PHONE ALLO 0 675 675 525.00 .00 150.00 77.8% 11016100 621000 SOCIAL SECURITY 42,813 0 42,813 46,246.11 .00 -3,433.11 108.0% 11016100 622000 RETIREMENT-LOCA 76,959 0 76,959 60,277.82 .00 16,681.18 78.3% 11016100 623500 GENERAL 401-K M 13,619 0 13,619 11,056.19 .00 2,562.81 81.2% 11016100 625000 MEDICAL INSURAN 87,336 0 87,336 55,043.73 .00 32,292.27 63.0% 11016100 626000 LONG TERM DISAB 1,471 0 1,471 734.11 .00 736.89 49.9% TOTAL SALARIES & BENEFITS 1,157,125 -14,325 1,142,800 995,989.52 .00 146,810.48 87.2% 70 OPERATING EXPENSES 11016100 700000 CONTR SERVS 128,063 52,000 180,063 173,194.34 1,800.00 5,068.66 97.2% 11016100 700328 LEASE EXPENSE 48,385 0 48,385 43,889.47 3,314.12 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 12,610.24 .00 5,208.76 70.8% 11016100 700370 POSTAGE EXPENSE 105,083 -12,500 92,583 73,037.85 19,474.36 70.79 99.9% 11016100 700430 M&R-EQUIPMENT 70,371 0 70,371 68,167.58 .00 2,203.42 96.9% 11016100 700500 PRINTING 88,297 46,490 134,787 127,701.58 7,011.63 73.79 99.9% 11016100 700512 PRINTER-COPIER 51,507 -17,124 34,383 26,339.05 .00 8,043.95 76.6% 11016100 700520 SUPPLIES 11,954 9,500 21,454 19,909.47 .00 1,544.53 92.8% 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 1,000 9,700 9,244.99 376.19 78.82 99.2% TOTAL OPERATING EXPENSES 621,795 80,216 702,011 638,262.31 31,976.30 31,772.39 95.5% TOTAL BOARD OF ELECTIONS 1,778,920 65,891 1,844,811 1,634,251.83 31,976.30 178,582.87 90.3% TOTAL GENERAL FUND 1,778,920 65,891 1,844,811 1,634,251.83 31,976.30 178,582.87 90.3% TOTAL EXPENSES 1,778,920 65,891 1,844,811 1,634,251.83 31,976.30 178,582.87 NEW HANOVER COUNTY - LIVE YEAR-TO-DATE BUDGET REPORT Report generated: 05/08/2025 12:17 User:rhavens Program ID: glytdbud Page 2 FOR 2025 10 ORIGINAL TRANFRS/ REVISED AVAILABLE PCT APPROP ADJSTMTS BUDGET YTD EXPENDED ENCUMBRANCES BUDGET USED GRAND TOTAL 1,778,920 65,891 1,844,811 1,634,251.83 31,976.30 178,582.87 90.3% ** END OF REPORT - Generated by RAE HUNTER-HAVENS ** NEW HANOVER COUNTY BOARD OF ELECTIONS NVRA REPORT Reporting Period:-4/1/2025 4/30/2025 Totals Active 158,143 Inactive 23,547 Total Registration 181,690 REPORTING PERIOD Registrations Approved 655 Total Registrations Removed 672 Inactive Registrations Removed 98 New Registrations 00 - No Application Source 5 01 - Public Assistance 11 02 - Disability 0 03 - Other (ESC) 0 04 - Armed Forces 0 05 - DMV 662 06 - Mail-in 7 07 - In-person 10 08 - Library & High School 0 09 - Spanish Language Application 0 10 - Online Registration 17 17 - Registration Drives 30 21 - Medicaid Renewal 0 96 - FWAB Registrant 0 97 - FPCA Registrant 0 742 Duplicates 00 - No Application Source 40 01 - Public Assistance 8 02 - Disability 0 03 - Other (ESC) 0 04 - Armed Forces 0 05 - DMV 268 06 - Mail-in 9 07 - In-person 5 08 - Library & High School 0 09 - Spanish Language Application 0 10 - Online Registration 39 17 - Registration Drives 1 21 - Medicaid Renewal 0 95 - Voter Return of NCOA 195 96 - FWAB Registrant 0 97 - FPCA Registrant 0 98 - Voter Change On Confirmation 5 vtr_nvra_stat.rpt Page 1 of 5May 08, 2025 1:06 pm NVRA REPORTNEW HANOVER COUNTY BOARD OF ELECTIONS 99 - Voter Change On Verification 1 571 vtr_nvra_stat.rpt Page 2 of 5May 08, 2025 1:06 pm NVRA REPORTNEW HANOVER COUNTY BOARD OF ELECTIONS Changes of Information 00 - No Application Source 246 01 - Public Assistance 3 02 - Disability 0 03 - Other (ESC) 0 04 - Armed Forces 0 05 - DMV 541 06 - Mail-in 1 07 - In-person 21 08 - Library & High School 0 09 - Spanish Language Application 0 10 - Online Registration 79 17 - Registration Drives 5 21 - Medicaid Renewal 0 95 - Voter Return of NCOA 3 96 - FWAB Registrant 0 97 - FPCA Registrant 1 98 - Voter Change On Confirmation 0 99 - Voter Change On Verification 0 900 Verifications # of 1st & 2nd verification mailings sent 2,149 # of 1st NCOA mailings sent 0 # of 1st verification returned undeliverable 2,555 # of verification returned by voter 1 Confirmations # of confirmations returned by voter 5 # of confirmations sent 115 # of confirmations returned undeliverable 72 # of confirmations not returned at all 189 COUNTY STATISTICAL Constitution 18 Democratic 48,598 Green 134 Justice For All 16 Libertarian 1,326 No Labels 686 Republican 54,445 Unaffiliated 76,426 We The People 41 American Indian 395 Asian 1,544 Black 17,588 Multi-Racial 765 Native Hawaiian or Pacific Islander 17 White 137,124 Other 4,791 Undesignated 19,466 vtr_nvra_stat.rpt Page 3 of 5May 08, 2025 1:06 pm NVRA REPORTNEW HANOVER COUNTY BOARD OF ELECTIONS Hispanic 4,497 Not Hispanic 110,250 Undesignated 66,943 Female 87,450 Male 73,426 Undesignated 20,814 Unprocessed Registrations - Incomplete Queue 00 - No Application Source 75 01 - Public Assistance 4 02 - Disability 0 03 - Other (ESC) 0 04 - Armed Forces 0 05 - DMV 138 06 - Mail-in 16 07 - In-person 0 08 - Library & High School 0 09 - Spanish Language Application 0 10 - Online Registration 3 17 - Registration Drives 1 21 - Medicaid Renewal 0 95 - Voter Return of NCOA 16 96 - FWAB Registrant 0 97 - FPCA Registrant 0 98 - Voter Change On Confirmation 0 99 - Voter Change On Verification 0 Unprocessed Registrations - Archive Queue 00 - No Application Source 2 01 - Public Assistance 0 02 - Disability 0 03 - Other (ESC) 0 04 - Armed Forces 0 05 - DMV 0 06 - Mail-in 0 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 1 96 - FWAB Registrant 0 97 - 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 5May 08, 2025 1:06 pm NVRA REPORTNEW HANOVER COUNTY BOARD OF ELECTIONS 04 - Armed Forces 0 05 - DMV 0 06 - Mail-in 0 07 - In-person 1 08 - Library & High School 0 09 - Spanish Language Application 0 10 - Online Registration 0 17 - Registration Drives 2 21 - Medicaid Renewal 0 96 - FWAB Registrant 0 97 - FPCA Registrant 0 vtr_nvra_stat.rpt Page 5 of 5May 08, 2025 1:06 pm Regular Meeting New Hanover County Board of Elections May 13, 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 # 4 Regular Meeting New Hanover County Board of Elections May 13, 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 # 5