Forsyth County Board of Voter Registrations & Elections Forsyth County Voter Registrations & Elections Office  Regular Monthly Meeting February 6, 2024 at 9 a.m. 1201 Sawnee Drive Cumming, Georgia 30040 MINUTES  Present at the meeting: Barbara Luth, Chairman Joel Natt, Vice Chairman Carla Radzikinas, Secretary Anita Tucker, Assistant Secretary Dan Thalimer, Member Mandi Smith, Director  Bryce Wilson, Coordinator - Communications: and Training Jamain Whyce, Coordinator - Elections Equpmentwarehouse  Carol Balcome, Assistant to the Director Patrick Jaugstetter, Jarrard & Davis Call Meeting to Order  I.  Chairman Luth called the meeting to order at 9 a.m.  II.  Pledge of Allegiance III. Adoption of Agenda  Vice Chairman Natt with a second from Assistant Secretary Tucker made a motion  to adopt the agenda as published. Motion carried unanimously. IV. Election of Officers (postponed from January 3, 2024 meeting)  Secretary Radzikinas with a second from Chairman Luth made a motion to nominate Vice Chairman Natt with a second from Member Thalimer made a motion to nominate Carla Radzikinas as Secretary. Motion carried unanimously. Vice Chairman Natt with a second from Member Thalimer made a motion to nominate Anita Tucker as Assistant Secretary. Motion carried unanimously.  Joel Natt at' Vice Chairman. Motion carried unanimously.  V. Adoption of Minutes  A. Regular meeting of January 3, 2024  Assistant Secretary Tucker with a second from Member Thalimer made a motion to adopt the minutes as prepared by staff. Motion carried unanimously.    VI. Old Business  A. Update on changes to precinct and polling places starting with the 2024 Director Smith said the precinct and polling place changes approved by the board have been processed in the statewide voter registration system which are reflected when voters look up their registration on their My Voter Page. B. Discussion of the Board of Registrations & Elections Rules Regarding The Board discussed whether to have a public comment section on their  election cycle  Public Comment agendas.  Assistant Secretary Tucker suggested having a comment period for items not on Vice Chairman Natt suggested the Public Comments section be shown on the agenda after the Adoption of the Minutes and before Old Business. Member Thalimer asked that the same comments not get repeated by speakers. Assistant Secretary Tucker with a second from Vice Chairman Natt made a motion to amend the public comment rules to add a 20-minute public comment section on the agenda that will allow for ten speakers with 2 minutes each to Vice Chairman Natt with a second from Chairman Luth amended the motion to have the county attorney bring back the amended public comment rules to the next meeting. The new rule will take effect, if adopted, at the March 5 meeting.  the agenda on any election related topic.  speak.  Motion carried unanimously.  The original motion as amended carried unanimously.  VII. New Business  A. Redistricting  Director Smith stated a judge's ruling changed the U.S. Congressional District in Forsyth County from 6 to 7. She said this has been updated in the statewide voter registration system. Director Smith said precinct cards will be mailed to all voters in the county. She said the precinct cards for those voters who were affected by the precinct and polling place changes will be mailed tomorrow, February 7 (approximately 38,000). Precinct cards for all other voters will be mailed over the course of the next few weeks (approximately 140,000).    B. Candidate qualifying for the May 21, 2024 General Primary and NonPartisan General Election and independent candidate qualifying for the November 5, Director Smith stated candidate qualifying will be held in the warehouse area of the Elections Office March 4 - March 7 from 9 a.m. to 4:30 p.m. and Friday, March 8 from 9 a.m. to 12 p.m. She said the public notice advertising qualifying will be posted on our webpage and will run in the Forsyth County News in the  2024 General Election  coming weeks.  C. Discussion of March 12, 2024 Presidential Preference Primary  1. Logic and Accuracy testing  Director Smith reported Logic and Accuracy testing has been underway since January 22. She reported the equipment for all four Advance Voting locations has been tested and the equipment for 25 of the 29 Election Day locations  has been tested.  2. Early opening of absentee ballots  Director Smith requested to begin opening absentee ballots on Tuesday, Vice Chairman Natt stated he had a problem with the request because the people opening ballots will see the results early in the process. He stated he will not support the Director's request to open the ballots starting on Tuesday, Assistant Secretary Tucker stated Director Smith will abide by all the rules and she is good with the request to start opening absentee ballots on March Director Smith said if there is an influx of ballots she would like to start opening the ballots on Tuesday, March 5. Ifnot, she would wait until later in the week. She also stated the opening of absentee ballots would take place in Secretary Radzikinas stated she would compromise with a start date of  March 5 for a few hours a day through the week.  March 5.  5.  the office area with windows for public viewing.  Thursday, March 7 to begin opening absentee ballots.    Assistant Secretary Tucker with a second from Secretary Radzikinas made a motion to start the early opening of absentee ballots no earlier than Thursday, March 7, 2024. Motion carried 4-1 with Vice Chairman Natt opposed. 3. Set date, time and location of election certification meeting  Vice Chairman Natt with a second from Secretary Radzikinas made a motion to hold the election certification meeting at the Forsyth County Voter Registrations & Elections Office on Monday, March 18 at 9 a.m. Motion  carried unanimously.  Vice Chairman Natt with a second from Assistant Secretary Tucker made a motion to take a two minute recess at 9:41 a.m. Motion carried unanimously.  Chairman Luth called the meeting back to order at 9:49 a.m.  4. Risk Limiting Audit*  Public Comments were made by the following people:  Frank Schneider Debbie Stair Becky Woomer Daryoush Roodehchi James Hendrix Gayle Troyer  Assistant Secretary Tucker said she had been through the process in 2018 when Secretary of State Kemp acquired the new voting equipment. She said citizens were skeptical of only having a QR code on the printed ballot therefore, the printed ballots were changed to include the names of the candidates selected by the voters. She said this is the fifth election cycle where an audit or recount has taken place and no evidence of fraud or errors Vice Chairman Natt said we will have three Risk Limiting Audits this year with ar mathematical formula to follow. He said the Elections Office is down manpower and has limited resources to conduct a 100% hand count post  has been found.  election audit.  Chairman Luth stated no motions need to be made and reiterated that a Risk  Limiting Audit will take place per Georgia Election Code.    D. Discussion of May 21, 2024 General Primary and NonPartisan General  Election  Director Smith said the basic information is in the Director's Report. She said the Board has already approved the Advance Voting dates and times. Director Smith said at the next meeting the Board will be asked to consider the drop box location, certification date and time and any other items the Board wishes to Vice Chairman Natt asked about the Monday after the election being Memorial Day and whether certification will be held on Tuesday, May 28. Director Smith  discuss/consider for the election.  said she would confirm the date with the state.  E.2 2025 Budget  Director Smith said the budget process will begin soon. She asked the Board to  begin thinking about any items they want added to the budget.  VIII. Director's Report  Director Smith and staff presented the Director's Report.  Voter Registrations & Elections Department  Director's Report February 6, 2024  Board Members Board Member Barbara Luth Joel E. Natt Anita Tucker Carla Radzikinas Dan Thalimer  House Bill 837 was dropped on March 27, 2023 to amend the provisions relating to the start and end date of BRE members as ity was set in HB7 776. The status of HB 837 as of January 8, 2024 was: House second readers.  Party Chief Registrar & Chairperson Republican Democratic Republican Democratic  Took Office Current 04/02/2019* 07/01/2021 02/03/2015* 09/01/2023 03/01/2022* 09/01/2023 04/04/2016* 09/01/2021 09/01/2021 09/01/2021  Current Term End 06/30/2025 06/30/2027 06/30/2027 08/31/2025 08/31/2025  Term Start  *Filled the unexpired term of outgoing member  Staff  Current filled staff/positions: 91 full-time (2 unfilled), 4 part-time (4 unfilled) and 3 interns. Legislation pending/approved bills)/Change to Election Code/State Election Board (SEB)  The next SEB meeting is Tuesday, February 13, 2024  Election Information    Candidate Qualifying  The Board of Commissioners (BOC) set the candidate qualifying fees by the February 1, 2024 deadline. March 4-8: Candidate Qualifying for the May 2024 General Primary and Nonpartisan General Election Both the Democratic and Republican Parties have confirmed they are agreeable to conducting qualifying at our facility as we have done in previous years. Anotice advertising qualifying has been sent to both parties for their approval. Once approved, we will publish it in the Forsyth County News as well as on our website.  These fees are posted on our department's website.  Qualifying days and hours:  Monday to Thursday: 9 a.m. to 4:30 p.m. Friday: 9 a.m. to 12:00 p.m. (noon) March 12, 2024 Presidential Preference Primary (PPP) Voter Registration deadline: February 12, 2024  Advance' Voting schedule (as was voted on by the BRE in the 06/06/23 BRE meeting)  Elections Office ONLY  Week 1: 02/19-02/23, M-F Saturday: 02/24 Sunday: 02/25 Week 2: 02/26-03-01, M-F Saturday: 03/02 NO Voting: Sunday, 03/03 Week 3: 03/04-03/08, M-F Advance Voting hours: M-F: 8 a.m. to 6p.m. Sat/Sun: 8 a.m. to 5 p.m.  Elections Office, Hampton Park Library, Sharon Springs Park, Midway Park  Absentee Ballot drop box: open at the Elections Office during the same days and hours as Advance  Voting  Timeline for submitting absentee ballot applications (for civilian voters): December 25, 2023 through Friday, March 1, 2024. Mailing ballots: Monday, February 12 through Friday, March 1 Early absentee ballot opening: discussion in today's BRE meeting  Election Day: Tuesday, March 12  All 29 Election Day polling places open for voting from 7a.m. to 7 p.m. Monday, March 18 at! 5 p.m. is the deadline to certify the results  Certification of election results: BRE to set date, time and location of meeting in today's meeting  Risk limiting audit (RLA) as required per GA Election Code  March 20 through March 21 Discussion in today's BRE meeting Voter Registration deadline: April 22, 2024 Elections Office ONLY  May 21, 2024 General Primary and NonPartisan General Election  Advance Voting schedule (as was voted on by the BRE in the 06/06/23 BRE meeting)  Week 1: 04/29/-05/03, M-F Saturday: 05/04 Sunday: 05/05    Elections Office, Hampton Park Library, Sharon Springs Park, Midway Park  Week 2: 05/06-05/10, M-F Saturday: 05/11 NO Voting: Sunday, 05/12 Week 3: 05/13-05/17, M-F M-F: 8 a.m. to 6 p.m. Sat/Sun: 8 a.m. to 5 p.m.  Voting hours:  Absentee Ballot drop box days, hours and location: to be set by the BRE Timeline for submitting absentee ballot applications (for civilian voters): Mailing ballots: Monday, April 22 through Friday, May 10 Early opening of absentee ballots: to be discussed at at future meeting Risk limiting audit (RLA) as required per GAI Election Code  March 41 through May 10  Certification of election results: BRE to: set date, time and location of meeting at ai future meeting  May 301 through May 31  Polling Places and Precincts  The approved precinct line and polling place changes approved by the BRE and BOC, respectively, in their December 2023 meetings have been updated ini the statewide voter registration system, GARViS. The public can view their voteri information ont their My' Voter Page aty www.mypsosgagov. The Director appeared before the Board of Commissioner's (BOC) in their January 23, 2024 meeting to request a budget adjustment of $125,000 to cover additional postage and printing of the precinct cards. The BOC approved the request. Department staff designed a precinct card for this mailing to be mailed to all registered voters as of January 23, 2024. The cards are being printed on pale yellow paper in hopes of catching peoples attention. The first batch of cards (approximately 38,000) are set to be mailed on February 7 to the voters impacted by precinct  and polling place changes. Redistricting  The cards for the remainder of the voters (approximately 140,000) will be mailed in thet following weeks. This ensures all registered votersi int the county are notified oft the Redistricting change in U.S. Congressional district lines due to a judge's ruling which changes the district representing Forsyth County from 061 to district 07. Polling place visits and mock election equipment setups continued during the month ofj January. Staff visited Johns Creek Baptist Church and Lanier United Methodist Church to review the setup for use of the facilities Department of Parks and Recreation (formerly a recurring line item on the monthly BRE Agenda titled: Parks and Recreation Architectural Design Liaison; as of December 2023 this topic is part of the Director's Report). As of February 2024, the completion date for the construction at: Sawnee Mountain Parki is still set for the end  as polling places during the 2024 Election Cycle.  of February.  Ethics Reporting /Candidate Qualifying  Campaign Contribution Disclosure Reports (CCDR) Candidates and elected officials who intend to qualify for al local contest during this) year's candidate qualifying period, March 4-8 8, 2024, are classified. as being in their election year. Those in their election year will follow the State Ethics Commission Election Year schedule. Elected officials who do noti intend to qualify to run for an office in 2024 are in their 'non-election year and  will follow the State Ethics Commission Non-Election Year schedule.  2024 CCDR Due Dates: Election Year    January 31 April 30 June 30 September 30 October 25 December 31 June 30 December 31  five-business day grace period five-business day grace period. five-business day grace period five-business day grace period. five-business day grace period five-business day grace period. five-business day grace period five-business day grace period.  2024CCDR Due Dates: Non-Election Year  Personal Finance Disclosure Statements (PFDS) are financials reports for the previous calendar year. PFDSS  do not have a grace period. 2024 PFDS Filing Period: Election Year 2024P PFDS Filing Period: Non-Election! Year Open Records Request(s)(ORR) #re received b/w 01/01/2024- - 01/31/2024  January 1, 2024-1 15 days after the day the candidate qualifies to run for office  January" 1, 2024- - July 1,2 2024  Number in parenthesis indicates the number, from  the same month last year 7 (3) 7 51 109 48  2024 Cumulative 2023 Cumulative 2022 Cumulative 2021 Cumulative Budget/Finance Voter Registration  The process for submitting the department's budget for 2025 will begin soon.  Voter registration processing and list maintenance activities were ongoing during the month of] January.  Voter Registration Statistics by Status: As of February 1, 2024  Countywide Total registered voters:  178,428 (178,387) 161,474 (164,860) 16,954(13,527) 4,333 3,873 460 257 165 33 20 39 400 6 394  Active voters: Inactive voters: Active voters: Inactive voters: Pending voters Total: Pending age Pending verification Pending citizenship Challenged voters Total: Felon Voter challenge  City of Cumming Total registered voters:  Pending missing/incomplete/incorrect information    Cancelled voters Total: Deceased Felon Hearing Mentally Incompetent Moved out of county Moved out of state Not verified Voter requested Notes:  420 90 73 0 1 Not available 250 0 0 6  No Activity for 2 General Election cycles  **An MOC report is not currently available in GARViS.  Election Equipment/Supples  Routine charging and inventory of touchscreens and printers are in progress. Routine charging of ballot The process to purchase additional ballot scanners and ballot boxes is underway. The Director appeared before the BOC during their January 23 meeting to request their signature on the purchase agreement to purchase 4a additional ballot scanners and ballot boxes. The request was approved, and the signed document willl bei forwarded to Dominion' Voting systems to complete the purchase. Ast the vendor was unable to provide us with the necessary paperwork int time, the request for the BOC's approval and signature oft the agreement to purchase 8 additional ballot scanners and ballot boxes is on the BOC's agenda for their February 20, 2024 Logic and. Accuracy (L&A) testing oft the election equipment to be used in the March 12, 2024 PPP started on January22,2024. AsofFriday, February2,2024, L&A testing is complete for thet four Advance) Voting locations, Pursuant to SEB 183-1-12-.05 and following the directives of the Secretary of State's (SOS) Office and the equipment vendor, KNOWINK, required updates were applied to the poll pads being used during the Staff intend to utilize the cellular feature of the poll pads on Election Dayi int the upcoming election.  scanners and UPS units are ongoing currently.  meeting.  as well as 25 oft the 29 Election Day polling places. There are no issues to report.  upcoming PPP.  IS&T/Software/Hardware Building Update Disaster Recovery Training/Outreach  The 2024 Poll Worker Kickoff Event was held on Saturday, January 6. There were 234 poll workers, 12 staff members and 4 BRE members in attendance. The Kickoff Event was held for all poll workers who plan to work during the 2024 election cycle. This was an opportunity to meet one another, reconnect, meet office staff, and an opportunity for us to thank everyone for their commitment to the elections process. Additionally, 7 members oft the Employment: Services department manned tables to accept the necessary paperwork for poll workers to: submit their I-9 verification. We are appreciative of their partnership in the process of poll worker One New Poll Worker Preview Session was held inj January. There were 11 attendees and all 11 expressed an The scheduled poll worker trainings fort the 2024 PPP are complete. There were at total of 21 in-person training sessions conducted between, January 10and February 3. This equates to 81.5hours ofi in-persont training over  onboarding!  interest in continuing to become a poll worker for the 2024 election cycle.    the course of 25 days. Over 330 poll workers have attended at least one of the in-person training sessions.  The remaining online poll worker training session will be released to poll workers soon.  Equipment InvESTment Management  Total 21 81.5 747  Number of Sessions Total Hours Number of Attendees  9 40.5 330  8 24 320  4 17 97  Staffi isi int the process ofs scheduling makeup training sessions and New Poll Worker Preview Sessions fort those Staff is preparing the poll worker assignments schedule for the 2024 PPP. As of today, all 29 Election Day Poll  still interested in working during the 2024F PPP. Manager positions are filled. Communications  Calendar for Poll Worker and Outreach Upcoming Events  Information about the upcoming election has been posted to our department website, including the Voter Information Guide and Sample Ballots. The updated maps have also been posted to our website. Shout out to the communications Department for their assistance with securing us al billboard adi for poll worker recruitment. The electronic billboards are located throughout the county and are: set to display the ad through the middle of February. Additionally, the Communications department has started the media push  for advertising the PPP, including press releases and social media posts.  Calendar of Upcoming Events events that fall on holidays) Election  2024 Election Dates (dates calculated internally; SOS has posted with some outstanding questions regarding March 4-8: Candidate Qualifying for the May 2024 General Primary and Nonpartisan General  March 12: Presidential Preference Primary May 21: General Primary & Nonpartisan General Election June 18: General Primary Runoff November 5: General Election & Special Election December 3: General Election Runoff  2024 March 5 April2 May7 May 27 June 4 July2 July4 August 6 September: 2 September 3 October 1 November 11 November 12  BRE regular monthly meeting BRE regular monthly meeting BRE regular monthly meeting Memorial Day; county holiday; offices closed BRE regular monthly meeting BRE regular monthly meeting Independence Day; county holiday; offices closed BRE regular monthly meeting Labor Day; county holiday; offices closed BRE regular monthly meeting BRE regular monthly meeting Veteran's Day; county holiday; offices closed BRE regular monthly meeting  November 28 &29 Thanksgiving county holiday; offices closed    December 10  BRE regular monthly meeting  December 24&25 Christmas; county holiday; offices closed  Respectfully Submitted, Mandi Smith  Director, Voter Registrations & Elections  Vice Chairman Natt asked Director Smith to send him a picture of the billboard Vice Chairman Natt asked about the recent poll pad updates. Coordinator Whyce Chairman Luth asked Coordinator Wilson to the send the Board any upcoming poll Vice Chairman Natt asked Director Smith to send the Voter Information Guide to the  recruiting poll workers.  said it was an iOS version update.  worker training dates. party chairs.  IX. Recess Regular Meeting X. Executive Session (if needed)  No Executive Session was needed.  XI. Adjournment  Vice Chairman Natt with a second from Assistant Secretary Tucker made a motion  to adjourn at 10:26 a.m. Motion carried unanimously.  *Public comments allowed for this agenda item.  The above and foregoing minutes are hereby certified as being correct and ordered recorded.  Today's Date:  March 5, 2024  Ball Barbara Luth, Chairman N  Vice Chairman  hihik Carla Radzikinas, Secretary    iIh Anita Tucker, Assistant Secretary 974 Dan Thalimer, Member