Board Meeting Agenda 09-29-2020
MEETING AGENDA
Date: September 29, 2020 Time: 5:00 PM
Location: Government Center Complex, Fin #500 Type: Special
Scheduled Attendees:
Thomas C. Pollard, Chair Rae Hunter-Havens, Elections Director
Evelyn A. Adger, Secretary Joan Geiszler-Ludlum, Administrative Technician
Jonathan W. Washburn, Member Caroline Dawkins, Elections Program & Outreach
Derrick R. Miller, Member Coordinator
Russ C. Bryan, Member David Wells, Elections Database & Systems
Specialist
Visitor(s): Sheryl Kelly, Assistant County Manager
AGENDA ITEMS
1. Meeting Opening
a. Call to Order
b. Pledge of Allegiance
c. Approval of Agenda
d. Approval of Minutes (9/15/2020)
2. Public Comment and Questions
Public Comment (2-minute limit)
3. New Business
Review of Absentee Ballot Applications
4. General Discussion
Other Elections-Related Matters
5. Adjournnment
*Agenda packets are sent via email in advance of meetings.
Draft
Special Meeting
New Hanover County Board of Elections
September 29, 2020
Subject:
Approval of Agenda
Summary:
N/A
Board Action Required:
Staff recommends approval
Item # 1c Draft
Special Meeting
New Hanover County Board of Elections
September 29, 2020
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 the 09/15/2020 meeting.
Board Action Required:
Staff recommends approval
Item # 1d Item # 1d Draft
Board Minutes – 09/15/2020
REGULAR MEETING
New Hanover County Board of Elections
September 15, 2020
4:00 P.M.
ATTENDANCE
Members: Thomas C. Pollard, Chairman (via telephone)
Evelyn D. Adger, Secretary
Jonathan W. Washburn, Member
Derrick R. Miller, Member
Russ C. Bryan, Member
Staff: Rae Hunter-Havens, Elections Director
Caroline Dawkins, Elections Program & Outreach Coordinator
Joan Geiszler-Ludlum, Administrative Technician
Visitors: Sheryl Kelly, Assistant County Manager
Public Attendees: Deborah Dicks Maxwell, NHC NAACP; Catherine Young; Bob
Gatewood; Shirley Bolden, NHC NAACP
Telephone Attendees: 11
OPENING
Secretary Adger called the meeting to order at 4:01 p.m. The New Hanover County
Board of Elections meeting was held at 230 Government Center Drive, Suite 34,
Wilmington, NC. All members were present
AGENDA
Member Washburn moved that the agenda be approved as submitted. Member Bryan
seconded. The motion carried unanimously.
MINUTES
Member Miller moved that the minutes of the August 11, 2020 Board meeting be
approved as submitted. Member Washburn seconded. The motion carried unanimously.
Draft
Board Minutes – 09/15/2020
PUBLIC COMMENT
Secretary Adger called on the public attendees for comments and questions, limited to
two minutes each. There being no comments or questions from the telephone attendees,
Secretary Adger called on the in-person attendees for questions or comments.
Deborah Dicks Maxwell, NHC NAACP, expressed her appreciation for the Board’s
adoption of the additional One Stop Early Voting sites. She wanted it noted that residents
in zip codes 28412 and 28428 in the southern end of the county and 28429 in the northern
end had fewer convenient One Stop locations than other areas. She requested the Board
reconsider the Scottish Rite Temple on S. 17th Street, despite the added expense, to
provide additional access to One Stop voting for downtown residents.
Catherine Young asked whether the County’s plans to replace the Government Complex
will affect voting in November. Director Hunter-Havens reported that those plans will
begin in 2021 and will not affect voting or election operations in the 2020 General
Election.
There being no further comments or questions, Secretary Adger closed Public Comments
and Questions.
DIRECTOR’S REPORT
Secretary Adger called on Director Hunter-Havens for the Director’s Report.
a. Financial Update
The Budget Report outlines expenditures in the first two months of FY20-21 against
the revised budget total which includes the allocated CARES Act funding, shown
separately. Temporary employee pay is the largest use of CARES funds so far.
These include casual part-time temporary employees and contract employees working
the 2020 General Election.
b. List Maintenance
According to the Statewide Elections Information Maintenance System (SEIMS), in
August 2020 New Hanover County Board of Elections removed 1,238 voters from
the registration rolls consistent with NCGS §163-82.14, and processed 2,395 new
registrations, 12,086 duplicate registrations, and 3,881 registration updates. Members
asked about the source(s) of the number of duplicate registrations. Director Hunter-
Havens advised the majority come through the DMV portal.
c. Operations Update
Director Hunter-Havens reported that 18,966 absentee-by-mail ballots were mailed to
voters who submitted absentee ballot requests. As of Friday, September 11, 2020, the
office has received 23,606 requests for absentee ballots and is processing all valid
Draft
Board Minutes – 09/15/2020
requests in 24 to 48 hours. Voters began returning voted absentee ballots on Tuesday,
September 8, the majority by mail but a significant portion in person.
Member Miller noted that BallotTrax on the State Board of Elections website is
showing a number as “ballots voted” and gives the message “Ballot accepted, thank
you for voting”, which is not accurate as absentee ballots are not accepted until the
County Board acts upon the ballot and not counted until Election Day. Director
Hunter-Havens will bring this concern to the attention of the State Board of Elections.
Member Miller asked how deficiencies in returned absentee ballots are handled?
Director Hunter-Havens advised that the voter is contacted and given the opportunity
to cure a deficiency by signing a deficiency affidavit. The one type of deficiency that
cannot be cured using a deficiency affidavit is a missing witness signature. In that
case the voter may request that their ballot be spoiled and a new one issued and
mailed to the voter. The State Board of Elections has paused the deficiency cure
process to update their guidance and templates, which will be completed shortly.
Member Washburn asked whether there have been any instances of “ballot farming”
or “ballot harvesting”, where one person attempts to submit multiple voted absentee
ballots for multiple unrelated individuals. Director Hunter-Havens reported there are
no indications of such attempts so far. Member Washburn asked about reports he has
received of political operatives distributing misleading sample ballots or fake ballots.
Director Hunter-Havens reaches out to groups distributing materials that may be
misleading to assist them in making changes to avoid confusing voters.
d. Procedural Safeguards to Prevent Double Voting
Director Hunter-Havens outlined the procedural safeguards in place to prevent
double-voting. NCGS §163-275(7) makes it a Class I felony for a voter, “with intent
to commit a fraud to register or vote at more than one precinct or more than one time
… in the same primary or election ….” Attempting to vote twice in an election or
soliciting someone to do so also is a violation of North Carolina law. There are
numerous checks in place to prevent people from double voting. New Hanover
County uses electronic pollbooks for in-person voting during the One-Stop Early
Voting period. During early voting, information about who has already voted is
updated throughout the day. If a voter who has already voted tries to check in at any
early voting site, they will be prevented from voting a regular ballot. A voter will be
offered a provisional ballot if they insist on voting, and this ballot will be researched
after Election Day to determine whether it should be counted.
On Election Day, voters who voted during the early voting period or cast absentee-
by-mail ballots are flagged in the electronic pollbook as “Voter Has Previously
Voted” when the laptops are updated on the previous Saturday after the close of early
voting and before voting starts on Election Day. Absentee ballots that are received on
Election Day are not counted until after Election Day, and this procedure further
prevents double voting.
Draft
Board Minutes – 09/15/2020
After each election, the NC State Board of Elections conducts statewide audits that
check voter history against ballots cast and would detect if someone has tried to vote
more than once in an election. Because absentee ballots and early voting ballots are
retrievable, should someone try to get around the system, their ballot can be retrieved
and not counted, so it will not affect the outcome of an election.
Member Washburn asked for clarification of “intent to defraud” as opposed to
confusion or misunderstanding. Director Hunter-Havens responded that the few past
instances of double voting reported and investigated involved confusion or
misunderstanding. All reports are investigated. Member Washburn asked about
occurrences where someone owns a home in, say, Raleigh and has a second home in
New Hanover County and tries to register and/or vote in both locations. Director
Hunter-Havens responded that there is a state-wide cross check system in place to
prevent such occurrences.
Board Secretary Adger encouraged additional publicity about these safeguards to
keep the process above board, transparent and to inform the public. She reported
receiving a call from a voter who received more than one absentee ballot.
Director Hunter-Havens described a label printing issue/malfunction that has caused a
few duplicate ballot packages to be issue early in the process. The issue has been
identified and corrected by careful proofing of mailing labels and running the labels
at night when there is less demand on the printer to prevent overheating.
Member Washburn expressed his desire that the acceptance rate for absentee ballots
be as close to 100 percent as is possible and asked if there have been any other issues
so far. According to Director Hunter-Havens, some weather-related issues with
receiving container-return envelopes that are sealed or stuck to the ballot or other
materials in the ballot packet. These are being addressed with the voter as they are
reported and ballot sending procedures adjusted as needed. The cause may be heavy
rain during the delivery process, the high heat and humidity, or excess moisture in
sealing the outer envelope when mailing the ballot package.
Member Miller observed that the new container-return envelope appears better and
clearer. Director Hunter-Havens agreed, noting the signature locations are better
marked and separated to reduce confusion about who signs where. Cure affidavits are
used to cure errors made by the voter. Member Miller asked if signature verification
is part of the absentee ballot return verification process. Director Hunter-Havens
advised that signature verification is not authorized in North Carolina.
e. Meeting Room for Absentee and Special Board Meetings for the November
Election
The Board has two options to choose from for the location of the upcoming absentee
and special board meeting for the November General Election. Suite 34, where the
Board is currently meeting to fulfill social distancing guidelines for indoor meetings,
will be unavailable for the next several weeks due to equipment testing and use as a
One Stop Early Voting site.
Draft
Board Minutes – 09/15/2020
Option 1: use a combination of Finance Meeting Room #500 and Suite 34, both of
which have sufficient space for in-person attendance by board members and staff,
limited in-person attendance by visitors, and unlimited telephonic participation by
visitors. Meeting Room #500 can be used to conduct the required weekly absentee
ballot board meetings and the Election Day meeting. Suite 34 can be used to conduct
the pre-canvass and canvass meetings.
Option 2: use the Board of Elections Conference Room in Suite 38, which has
sufficient space for in-person attendance by the board members and staff only,
requiring only telephonic participation by visitors. There is not enough space in the
Conference room in Suite 38 to adhere to corona virus social distance guidelines and
accommodate public attendance beyond the board members and staff.
Chair Pollard voiced his support for option 1 to allow the public to attend and observe the
process. In response to questions, Director Hunter-Havens advised there will be
additional signage to direct attendees and there will be someone posted to guide attendees
to the Finance Meeting Room which is just off the Atrium near the west entrance.
Secretary Adger and Member Miller asked about security for the absentee ballots in
transit. Director Hunter-Havens acknowledged arranging for extra security in the past
and can do so for the absentee process this time as well.
By unanimous agreement, the Board adopted Option 1 for meeting locations for the
scheduled Absentee and Special Board Meetings.
d
NEW BUSINESS
a. Polling Place Change for Precinct FP07
Secretary Adger called on Director Hunter-Havens to present the report and staff
recommendation.
The previous polling place for Precinct FP07, Immaculate Conception Catholic
Church at 6650 Carolina Beach Road, has asked not to host the November General
Election due to the coronavirus pandemic. The New Hanover County Board of
Education has agreed to make Eugene Ashley High School cafeteria available as the
polling place for Precinct FP07, pending Board approval. NCGS §163-128(a) gives
county boards of election the authority, from time to time, by resolution, to establish,
alter, discontinue, or create such new election precincts or voting places as it may
deem expedient.
Director Hunter-Havens acknowledged that the Ashley High School location may be
unfamiliar to some voters and accordingly will provide additional directional signs as
well as signs at the old location to direct voters. In addition, voter registration cards
noting the polling place change will be mailed to all Precinct FP07 registered voters.
Member Washburn moved approval of the polling place change for Precinct FP07 as
presented and Member Bryan seconded. Discussion followed.
Draft
Board Minutes – 09/15/2020
Member Washburn asked whether this change could be permanent? Director Hunter-
Havens noted that all polling place contracts expire at the end of 2020, and new
contracts will be entered for the 2021-23 contract period. Member Bryan asked the
distance between the old and new polling places, which is about 2.1 miles driving
distance according to Google Maps. Member Bryan asked about steps to prevent the
signs from disappearing. Director Hunter-Havens noted the procedure is to set out
the signs later in the day on the day before and check them in the morning of Election
Day.
The motion carried unanimously.
b. Polling Place Change for Precinct WB
Secretary Adger called on Director Hunter-Havens to present the report and staff
recommendation.
The previous polling place for Precinct WB is the Fran Russ Rec Center. It is a small
voting enclosure that does not have sufficient capacity to adequately serve voters
while maintaining proper social distance under coronavirus pandemic guidelines.
The New Hanover County Board of Education has agreed to permit use of
Wrightsville Beach Elementary School as the polling place for Precinct WB, pending
Board approval. NCGS §163-128(a) gives county boards of election the authority,
from time to time, by resolution, to establish, alter, discontinue, or create such new
election precincts or voting places as it may deem expedient. The school location
provides more parking, enough area for a dedicated curbside voting area, and three
times the space for the voting enclosure.
Member Washburn moved approval of the polling place change for Precinct WB as
presented and Chair Pollard seconded. Discussion followed.
Member Washburn does not like the school location for its lack of visibility
compared to the Russ Rec Center. Other Members noted that the people who vote in
that precinct are likely to be familiar with the location. Director Hunter-Havens noted
that the new location maximizes the ability to serve 600 to 800 in-person voters
which is typical for Election Day turnout in Precinct WB.
The motion carried unanimously.
c. Temporary Transfer of Voters for Precinct H13
Secretary Adger called on Director Hunter-Havens to present the report and staff
recommendation.
The previous polling place for Precinct H13, Plantation Village, has asked not to host the
November General Election due to the coronavirus pandemic. As of September 13, 2020,
there are 4,523 voters in Precinct H13 who are eligible to vote in the November 3rd
election. NCGS §163-128(a) authorizes, upon resolution of the County Board of
Elections, voters from one precinct may be temporarily transferred, for the purpose of
Draft
Board Minutes – 09/15/2020
voting, to an adjacent precinct. The County Board of Elections proposal is subject to
approval by the Executive Director of the NC State Board of Elections.
When such a resolution has been adopted by the county board of elections to assign
voters from more than one precinct to the same precinct polling place, then the county
board of elections shall maintain separate registration and voting records, so as to
properly identify the precinct in which such voters reside. The polling place for a precinct
shall be located within the precinct or on a lot or tract adjoining the precinct.
The polling place for the adjacent Precinct H12 is Porters Neck Elementary School
(formerly occupied by Blair Elementary School), 416 Edgewater Club Road,
Wilmington, NC 28411. The voting enclosure used by Precinct H12 voters is the
multipurpose room. The proposed voting enclosure for use by Precinct H13 voters is the
cafeteria. While the two voting enclosures are adjacent to each other, voters of each
precinct will use two separate entrances on different sides of the school. Curbside voters
will use the parking spaces adjacent to the exterior entrances to both voting enclosures.
Election officials will place color-coded tickets on the windshield to indicate the precinct
of their residence. Curbside officials assigned to each precinct will use the color-coded
tickets to determine who should provide assistance to the voters in each vehicle. All
other voter parking will be located at the primary parking lot near the front entrance road
into the school.
According to Director Hunter-Havens, this proposal is made necessary by the lack of
alternative locations that meet the criteria for polling places for this election. She has
already conferred with the State Director and obtained preliminary agreement with this
plan, pending Board approval. This location offers additional advantages for safe and
covered queuing areas.
Member Miller had questions about how voter confusion will be minimized, as many
voters are not aware of their precinct designation. Director Hunter-Havens responded
that monitors in the curbside, parking and entry areas will have IPads to look up voters
and direct them to the correct entrance and precinct. While Provisional ballots are
available to voters who show up in the wrong precinct, she would rather help them get to
the correct precinct and vote a regular ballot.
Member Washburn asked if both precincts vote the same or different ballots? Both
precincts vote the same ballot style.
Secretary Adger asked how many voters are expected to vote in these precincts on
Election Day? Director Hunter-Haves reported each of these precincts has voted around
1,000 voters each in previous general elections.
Director Hunter-Havens further described the additional special mailing to each
registered voter in Precinct H13 to inform them of the transfer and will include the layout
maps to inform them on where to go on Election Day.
Member Washburn moved adoption of the proposal to temporarily transfer voters of
Precinct H13 to Precinct H12, voting at Porters Neck Elementary School (previously
Draft
Board Minutes – 09/15/2020
occupied by Blair Elementary School) during the November 2020 General Election.
Chair Pollard seconded. The motion carried unanimously.
d. 2020 General Elections Notice
Secretary Adger called on Director Hunter-Havens to present the report and staff
recommendation.
NCGS §163-258.16 requires each county board of elections to publish an election notice
of a regularly scheduled election not more than 100 days before the election. The election
notice shall contain a list of all of the ballot measures and federal, State, and local offices
that, as of that date, the official expects to be on the ballot on the date of the election. A copy
of the proposed Public Notice is enclosed in the Board Agenda materials.
Member Washburn moved adoption of the Public Notice and Chair Pollard seconded. The
motion carried unanimously.
e. Resolution to Adopt a Time for Counting Absentee Ballots
By statute, the New Hanover County Board of Elections must adopt a resolution for the
counting of absentee ballots for the 2020 General Election if the counting will begin prior
to 5:00 pm on Election Day. The Board may pass a resolution to count absentee ballots
at 2:00 pm at a meeting held after the election but before the county canvass. Attached is
a resolution to adopt times to count absentee ballots at 2:00 pm on November 3 (Election
Day) and November 12, 2020, the day before the canvass. Staff recommends approval of
the resolution which must be published in a newspaper having general circulation in the
county once weekly during the two-week period prior to the election.
Member Washburn moved adoption of the resolution as presented and Chair Pollard and
Member Miller seconded. The motion carried unanimously.
GENERAL DISCUSSION
Secretary Adger called on the Board for any general discussion.
Secretary Adger advised she is receiving calls from voters in Precinct W25, expressing
confusion about the changes in their assigned polling place for the 2020 General Election.
Director Rae Hunter-Havens reviewed the changes which the Board approved previously.
Precinct W25 previously voted at CFCC Health Services Building, which was also one of
the One Stop Early Voting sites previously. That site is too small to accommodate social
distancing required by the coronavirus pandemic guidelines. The One Stop Early Voting
site serving the same area is moved to the Wilma W. Daniels Art Gallery at CFCC, 200
Hanover Street. The Election Day Precinct W25 is moved to the New Hanover County
Public Library Main Branch, which will be closed for voting on Election Day, making the
main level available to better accommodate social distancing requirements. Special notice
of the Election Day Polling Place Change will be mailed to the voters registered in
Precinct W25.
Draft
Board Minutes – 09/15/2020
Member Washburn asked how many Absentee Ballots have been requested so far?
Director Hunter-Havens reported around 26,000 through September 11. He asked how
many ballots have been returned so far? Director Hunter-Havens estimated around 3,500
through September 11.
Chair Pollard reported that he plans to attend the next meeting in person. On behalf of
the Board, Secretary Adger wished him a speedy recovery and return.
ADJOURNMENT
Member Bryan moved that the meeting adjourn at 5:09 pm.
The next Board meeting is scheduled to be held on September 29, 2020, at 5:00 pm, and
will be a Special Board meeting to review returned Absentee Ballots.
APPROVED BY: RESPECTFULLY SUBMITTED:
EVELYN D. ADGER RAE HUNTER-HAVENS
SECRETARY ELECTIONS DIRECTOR
Draft
Special Meeting
New Hanover County Board of Elections
September 29, 2020
Subject:
Public Comment
Summary:
This is an opportunity for members of the public to provide comment on elections-related matters. Each
commenter will be limited to two minutes.
Board Action Required:
Discuss as necessary
Item # 2 Item # 2 Draft
Special Meeting
New Hanover County Board of Elections
September 29, 2020
Subject:
Review of Absentee Ballot Applications
Applicable Statutes and/or Rules
N.C. Gen. Stat §§163-229(b) and 163-230.1(f), Session Law 2019-239, Session Law 2020-17, NCSBOE
Numbered Memos 2020-19 and 2020-25
Summary:
County boards of elections are required to meet beginning on the fifth Tuesday prior to the 2020
General Election to review and take action on upon absentee ballot applications. County boards may
change the time of these meetings and schedule additional meetings if needed. Absentee board
meetings scheduled at a different time on Tuesdays and any additional meetings must be noticed in a
county newspaper at least 30 days before Election Day (October 4, 2020). If needed, county boards may
recess an absentee board meeting to a later date and time if it is not possible to complete review of
absentee ballots during the specific meeting period. County boards should send out a notice as soon as
possible in advance of the reconvened meeting.
Absentee board meetings require a quorum of members present with three members constituting a
quorum. Board members must be physically present during the meeting since the approval or
disapproval of the absentee ballot applications is a visual process. The counting of absentee ballots
cannot begin until a majority of the board members and at least one board member from each political
party is in attendance. If each political party is not represented by a board member, then the chair or
other member of the executive committee of the county political party of the absent member must be
present during the counting of the ballots. In this case, the representative of the political party will act
as an official witness to the counting and will sign the absentee ballot abstract as an “observer” per NC
Gen. Stat. § 163-234(9).
At each absentee board meeting, county boards will need to either approve or deny the applications. All
returned absentee ballot applications for the 2020 General Election must include the following:
1. The voter’s certification of eligibility to vote the enclosed ballot.
2. The certification of one witness, to include their residence address.
3. The certification, to include residence address, of any individual that assisted a voter in
accordance with N.C. Gen. Stat. §163-226.3.
Due to the expected increase in absentee by mail ballots, county boards of elections may delegate the
administrative duties associated with preparing the absentee ballots for counting and tabulation by
passing a resolution documenting the specific steps that staff can perform. The delegation of these
duties must provide for oversight by the board.
Preparatory steps that can be delegated and performed prior to the board meeting include:
Item # 2 Item # 3 Draft
Inspecting container-return envelopes for deficiencies and contacting voters as required
in Numbered Memo 2020-19.
Sorting container-return envelopes into categories for the board to review and approve.
Verifying the list of ballot envelopes against the absentee pollbook
Performing ballot duplication
Certain UOCAVA ballots and ballots that cannot be read by the tabulator require duplication in order to
be successfully scanned and counted by the tabulator. County boards may adopt a policy that
authorizes a bipartisan team of staff members to duplicate the ballots outside of an absentee board
meeting. The policy must include the following:
Each bipartisan duplication team must consist of at least three staff members, with no more
than two members being of the same political affiliation.
The Director must supervise and train all members of the duplication team and assign the
following roles:
o Ballot Caller
o Ballot Duplicator
o Ballot Reviewer
Prior to the start of the duplication process, each member of the team must complete a
participation log noting the date, time, with their name, role, and party affiliation.
Unless authorized by the Director, the duplication team must remain in each other’s immediate
presence during the duplication process.
All duplicated ballots must contain the following in the blank box at the top of the ballot:
o A notation to indicate the ballot is a duplicate of the original.
o The ballot number assigned to the voter
o The precinct and VTD of the voter.
Upon completion of the duplication process, the team must complete the following:
o Ensure the duplicated ballots are attached to the corresponding original ballots for the
Board to verify at its next scheduled meeting.
o Enter the time of completion and their signatures to the ballot duplication log.
o Provide the completed duplication log and the ballots to the Director.
The Director is responsible for ensuring that all ballots are kept in a secured container until the
next absentee board meeting.
The Board must review each duplicate ballot at its next scheduled board meeting prior to the
approval of the ballots.
If approved by the board, staff shall perform the initial sort of ballot envelopes into categories and
present their recommendations to the board at each absentee review meeting. The designated
categories for review of absentee ballot envelopes include the following:
Recommended for approval
Recommended for disapproval
Envelopes awaiting cure certification
Require further deliberation by the board.
Draft
There are three different types of deficiencies associated with absentee ballot applications: 1)
deficiencies that can be cured with a certification, 2) deficiencies that require the ballot to be spoiled,
and 3) deficiencies that require additional board review and action. Deficiencies associated with the
voter’s signature or witness information can be cured by sending the voter a certification. Deficiencies
that require that the ballot be spoiled and reissued include the submission of unsealed container-return
envelopes and envelopes indicating the voter is requesting a replacement ballot. Deficiencies that
require further board review and action include cases where the deficiency is first noticed at a board
meeting, envelopes with missing ballots, and envelopes with more than one ballot.
The county board of elections may by majority vote adopt a policy that they do not review individual
ballot envelopes that have been recommended for approval by staff and can accept staff’s
recommendation for those envelopes. This policy must include a process for the board to spot-check the
envelopes to ensure accuracy and consistency. Other designated categories of ballot envelopes must be
individually reviewed by the board. In addition, county boards may adopt a policy that delegates to staff
the tasks of 1) stamping every approved ballot envelope with “Approved” and stamping or otherwise
affixing the chair’s signature or initials to the ballot envelope or 2) authorizing the board to sign a cover
sheet containing a list of envelopes that were acted upon during the meeting and indicating whether
those envelopes were approved or disapproved in lieu of signing the individual envelopes. This policy
may also apply to the review and approval of one-stop “early voting” absentee applications.
All preparatory steps associated with counting approved absentee ballots must be completed before the
ballots can be inserted into a tabulator and optically scanned by the machine. Per Board Numbered
Memo 2020-25, “counting” occurs when the absentee ballots are opened, removed from the envelope,
and inserted into the tabulator. The tabulator, or optical scan machine, reads the ballots but does not
print the totals at that time and no election results are released. The “tabulation” of results occurs on
Election Day and is the result of the counting that has taken place at each absentee board meeting.
At the end of each meeting, all envelopes and ballots should be reconciled with the number of ballot
envelopes approved at the meeting equal in number to the number of ballots counted by the tabulator.
The county board should record the count on the tabulator at the start and end of each absentee
meeting using a Reconciliation Log Sheet.
Document/s Included:
Resolution Delegating Certain Administrative Duties to Staff; Absentee Poll Book; Reconciliation Log
Sheet (Provided at meeting)
Board Action Required:
Discuss as necessary and action required
Draft
Special Meeting
New Hanover County Board of Elections
September 29, 2020
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 Draft