MADISON COUNTY BOARD OF ELECTIONS REGULAR: SESSION Board of] Elections Conference Room Wednesday, August 10, 2016 9:00. A.M. MINUTES CALLTOORDER Chair Smathers called the meeting of the Madison County Board of Elections to order at 9:03 a.m. at the Board of Elections Conference Room. In attendance were 4 members of the public; Dyatt F. Smathers, Chair; Ray Lewis, Secretary; Jerry Wallin, Member; Wade Gahagan, Deputy Director; and Kathy Ray, Director. AGENDA Moved, Seconded (RL, JW) and Carried (3,0) to set the agenda. APPROVAL OF MINUTES Moved, Seconded (RL, JW) and Carried (3,0) to approve the. July 13, 2016 meeting minutes. CHAIR'S REPORT Chair Smathers commented that it is a pleasure to serve with the other Board members and staff. He elaborated that this Board chooses to stay engaged and informed. He congratulated the Director on being appointed to the North Carolina He informed the meeting attendees that the 2016 Edition ofl Election and Related Laws and Rules ofNorth Carolina has been released. He further informed the attendees that G.S. 163-165(d) establishes the ordering of the candidates on the ballot for the upcoming General Election by political party of the governor and strict alphabetical order for partisan Hei indicated that no complaints have been received regarding the change oft the Board of Elections office hours. He finalized his report by emphasizing the convenience oftraveling to Concord rather than Raleigh for the August 2016 Association of! Directors ofElections (NCADE) State Level Executive Committee. candidates. State Board of Elections Conference. MEMBERS' REPORTS Secretary Lewis commented that the 2016. Edition of Election and Related Laws and Rules of North Carolina will need to be updated as per the recent Federal Fourth Circuit judges ruling. Chair Smathers added that forms and training will need tol be revised accordingly. DIRECTOR'SI REPORT The Director presented the. June. 30, 2016 budget and expenditure report, and informed the Board that the. July31,2016 She reported on the. July 2016 Fort Myers, FL national Certified Elections Registrations and Administration (CERA) training. The training was very informative, included many hands on activities for election planning, and was attended by budget report will be added to the September 14, 20161 meeting. several North Carolina election office administrators. Page 1 of3 The Director informed the Board that party chairs haver received Board communications to initiate the poll worker assistant search for the upcoming November g" General Election. JLD BUSINESS Discussion ensued regarding the November 8, 2016 General Election One-Stop Plan. The Board considered the one-stop early voting plan and hourly reduction request that has been already been submitted to the State Board ofl Elections, parking, security, facilities, and public/voter traffic patterns. The early votingperiod will begin on' Thursday, October 20, The Chair proposed a change from the Beech Glen Community Center toi the Mars Hill Public Library due to the extended early voting period and the amount of public traffic and activities that take place at the Beech Glen Community Center. He also revisited past challenges the Board has experienced with securing the voting equipment at the Community Center. Moved, Seconded (DS, RL) and Carried (3,0) to establish one-stop early voting sites at thel Mars Hilll Public Library, the Board of Elections Room 26, and thel Hot Springs Community Center with voting hours at the Board of Elections to be 8:30 a.m. until 6:00 p.m. weekdays, voting hours at thel Hot Springs Community Centerand Mars Hill Public Library to be 10:00 a.m. until 6:00 p.m. weekdays, and all three sites to be open from 9:00 a.m. 2016 and end on Saturday, November 5, 2016. until 1:00 p.m. on all Saturdays. NEW BUSINESS The Director announced that Mars Hill Precinct ChiefJ Judge Linda Campbell has submitted her letter of resignation due to persistent health problems. Hot Springs Democratic Judge Tammy Shelton and Laurel Precinct Republican. Judge Audra Chandler will resume their duties during thel November 8, 2016 General Election. The Chair instructed the Director to be Aoved, Seconded (DS, RL) and Carried (3,0) to assign poll workera assistant assignments on General Election Day as follows: 4assistants to each of the Mars Hill, Grapevine, Ebbs Chapel, and North Marshall Precincts;2 assistants to each of the remaining 8 precincts; and 5 runners to the Board of] Elections Office. Moved, Seconded (DS, RL) and Carried (3,0) to assign one-stop early voting poll workers as follows: 4workers each to the Board of Elections and Mars Hill Public Library sites, 3 workers to thel Hot Springs Community Center Moved, Seconded (DS, RL) and Carried (3,0) to approve a resolution to add two: additional absentee meetings, take preparatory steps to count absentee ballots at each absentee meeting, and to begin counting absentee ballots at 2:00 prepared with recommendations at the September 14" meeting. site, and' Temporary Office Assistant Jacob Ray as the one-stop coordinator. p.m. on General Election Day. OTHER MATTERS The Director reported on the United States Postal Service and North Carolina State Board of] Elections actions to address postmarking issues on absentee ballot return containers. The State Board of Elections has redesigned the absentee ballot return container to measurements acceptable to the USPS postmarking equipment. The Director informed the Board that ithas a Business Reply Account with USPS that pays the postage on return mail that does not have sufficient paid postage The Director also informed the Board that the 24 2DI barcode. scanners purchased to complement the electronic pollbooks for delivery to thel Board. have been returned to the company (Barcodes Inc.). CITIZENS COMMENTS Page 2 of3 A citizen indicated black be used to strike out information on the voter registration form because blue appears as 1c citizen inquired whether Libertarian candidates will be on the General Election ballot and when the filing window A citizen inquired whether straight party voting has been reinstated. He was informed that straight party votingi is not highlighting. closes for Green Party write-in candidates. allowed. A citizen commented about the cost per vote in the state of Oregon. A citizen inquired about planned voter education strategies. ANNOUNCEMENTS Deputy Director Wade Gahagan commented that several directors and staff from across the state have personally complimented Madison County Board of Elections for its outstanding performance. Next Regular Meeting: Wednesday, September 14, 2016 at 3:00 p.m. at the Board of Elections. ADIOURNMENT The Chair adjourned the meeting at 10:51 a.m. Kathy Pyatt Smathers, Chair Sb26 Raglewis, Secretary 34 Page 3 of3