Forsyth County Board of Voter Registrations & Elections Regular Monthly Meeting April 1, 2025 at9 a.m. Forsyth County Voter Registrations & Elections Office 1201 Sawnee Drive Cumming, Georgia 30040 MINUTES Present at the meeting: Barbara Luth, Chairman Joel Natt, Vice Chairman Anita Tucker, Secretary Carla Radzikinas, Assistant Secretary Debbie Stair, Member Mandi Smith, Director Carol Balcome, Assistant to the Director Bryce Wilson, Supervisor, Communications & Training Jamain Whyce, Supervisor, Elections Equipment & Warehouse Karen Pachuta, Jarrard & Davis I. Call Meeting to Order 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 Radzikinas made a motion to adopt the agenda as published. Motion carried unanimously. IV. Adoption of Minutes A. Regular meeting of March 4, 2025 Secretary Tucker with a second from Member Stair made a motion to adopt the minutes as prepared by staff. Motion carried unanimously. V. Public Comments There were no public comments. VI. Old Business A. June 17, 2025 Special Primary Election and possible July 15, 2025 Runoff 1. Precincts and polling places Director Smith stated the two public notices have run to relocate Sharon Springs Park to Sharon Forks Library as the Election Day polling location for the 21-South Forsyth precinct for the 2025 election cycle. 2. Advance Voting* Director Smith provided to the Board the results of the online survey regarding Advance Voting for the 2025 election cycle. Director Smith stated there were 180 responses. The responses report provided to the Board will be included with the minutes of the meeting. The Board discussed whether to hold Advance Voting in 2025 at the Elections Office only because of a possible low turn-out and short ballot. Vice Chairman Natt with a second from Secretary Tucker made a motion to postpone the decision on Advance Voting locations until the special called meeting on Monday, April 14, 2025. Motion carried unanimously. 3. Set required meeting dates Director Smith asked the Board to set the precertification and certification meeting dates for the June 17, 2025 Special Election. Vice Chairman Natt with a second from Chairman Luth made a motion to set the date of the precertification meeting for Friday, June 20, 2025 at 3 p.m. Motion carried unanimously. Vice Chairman Natt with a second from Secretary Tucker made a motion to set the date of the certification meeting for Monday, June 23, 2025 at 9 a.m. Motion carried unanimously. B. November 4, 2025 General Elections 1. Precincts and polling places See previous discussion 2. Advance Voting* See previous discussion. 3. Set required meeting dates Vice Chairman Natt made a motion to postpone setting the certification dates until the September regular meeting. Vice Chairman Natt withdrew his motion. Secretary Tucker with a second from Member Stair made a motion to set the date of the precertification meeting for Friday, November 7, 2025 at 3 p.m. Motion carried unanimously. Vice Chairman Natt with a second from Chairman Luth made a motion to set the date of the certification meeting for Monday, November 10, 2025 at 9 a.m. Motion carried unanimously. VII. New Business A. 2026 Budget Director Smith provided the Board with a list of budget requests for 2026. She stated she is budgeting for five Advance Voting locations, an additional five polling locations, additional equipment, and a Deputy Director position. The Board had a general discussion about these budget requests. VIII. Director's Report Director Smith presented the Director's Report. Voter Registrations & Elections Department Director's Report April 1, 2025 Board Members House Bill 837 was not passed during the 2024 legislative session. Additional legislation to clarify the term start and end date of the BRE members will need to be considered during a future legislative session. No additional legislation was submitted during the 2025 legislative session. Board Party Took Office Current Current Member Term Start Term End Barbara Luth Chief Registrar & 04/02/2019* 07/01/2021 06/30/2025 Chairperson Joel E. Natt Republican 02/03/2015* 09/01/2023 06/30/2027 Anita Tucker Democratic 03/01/2022* 09/01/2023 06/30/2027 Carla Radzikinas Republican 04/04/2016* 09/01/2021 08/31/2025 Debbie Stair** Democratic 03/04/2025* 09/01/2001 08/31/2025 *Filled the unexpired term of outgoing member Staff Current filled staff/positions: 11 full-time (2 unfilled) and 5 part-time (1 unfilled). Legislation pending/approved bills)/Change to Election Code/State Election Board (SEB) Several bills relating to elections and/or voter registration are still being considered as of today's meeting. The last day of session is scheduled for Friday, April 4, 2025. Election Information 2025 Election Dates (dates calculated internally based on HB 1312 2024 legislation) Tuesday,June 17, 2025: Special Primary for the Public Service Commissioner (PSC) District 2 and 3 Candidate Qualifying: April 1 through April 3, 2025 (11th week prior to the special primary; duration=2 % days) Advance Voting: Tuesday, 05/27-Friday, 06/13/25 (no voting on Monday, 05/26/25 in observance of Memorial Day holiday) Tuesday,July 15, 2025: possible Primary Runoff date, if needed Tuesday, November 4, 2025: City of Cumming Municipal General Election Mayor, City Council Post 1 (Crane) and Post 2 (Evans) Candidate Qualifying: week of August 18 (minimum of 3 days) Tuesday, November 4, 2025: General Election for PSC, District 2 and 3 ) Advance Voting: Tuesday, 10/14-Friday, 10/31/25 (no voting on Monday, 10/13/25 due to the state observed Columbus Day holiday) Tuesday, December 2, 2025: General Election Runoff date, if needed Candidate Qualifying Candidate qualifying for the Public Service Commission Districts 2 and 3 has been set for April 1 (9:00 a.m.) through April 3, 2025 (noon). Qualifying for these contests will take place with the Secretary of State's Office. Candidate qualifying for the City of Cumming Municipal General Election has been set for Monday, August 18 through Wednesday, August 20, 2025. Qualifying hours are from 8:30 a.m. to 4:30 p.m. daily. Pursuant to O.C.G.A. 21-2-131 (a)(1), qualifying fees were set by the City Council at their January 21, 2025 meeting. There are three contests up for election in 2025: Mayor, City Council Post 1 (Crane) and City Council Post 2 (Evans). Qualifying for these contests will take place with the Cumming City Clerk. Polling Places and Precincts and Redistricting All polling places have been notified of the 2025 election calendar. As was discussed in previous meetings this year, Sharon Springs Park Community Building is no longer available to serve as a polling place during the renovations at the park. The public notice to change the Election Day polling place for precinct 21-South Forsyth from Sharon Springs Park Community Building to Sharon Forks Public Library was published in the Forsyth County News on Wednesday, March 12 and Wednesday, March 19, 2025. The BRE will consider the change at a special called meeting on Monday, April 14, 2025 at 9 a.m. at the Voter Registrations & Elections office. Staff are currently reviewing annexations that have taken place by the City of Cumming since 2023. The City of Cumming voting precinct lines will need to be updated prior to their November General Election to accommodate any changes that have occurred. Department of Parks and Recreation As noted above, Sharon Springs Park Community Building along with Sexton Hall Senior Center and the entire park complex are undergoing renovations and construction that are expected to be underway for 2+ years. Ethics Reporting / Candidate Qualifying Campaign Contribution Disclosure Reports (CCDR): Reports due following the State Ethics Commission's schedule. In 2025, candidates and elected officials will follow the Non-Election Year schedule. 2025 CCDR Due Dates: Non-Election Year June 30 five-business day grace period December 31 five-business day grace period 2025 PFDS Filing Period: Non-Election: Year January 1, 2025 - July 1, 2025 Personal Finance Disclosure Statements (PFDS) are financial reports for the previous calendar year. PFDSS do not have a grace period. Open Records Request(s) (ORR) Number in parenthesis indicates the number from the same month last year # received b/w 03/01/2025 - 03/31/2025 0 (2) 2025 Cumulative 8 2024 Cumulative 55 2023 Cumulative 51 2022 Cumulative 109 2021 Cumulative 48 Budget / Finance The Department's budget is due on April 4, 2025. Staff are currently working on the budget. The estimated schedule for first presenting the department's budget to the Finance Budget Team is in late April. Voter Registration Voter Registration Statistics by Status: As of March 31, 2025 Countywide Total registered voters: 186,688 (178,283) Active voters: 172,241 (161,739) Inactive voters: 14,447 (16,544) City of Cumming Total registered voters: 4,923 (4,391) Active voters: 4,531 (3,941) Inactive voters: 392 (450) Pending voters Total: 555 Pending age 153 Pending verification 22 Pending msinglncompete-incores information 61 Pending citizenship 319 Challenged voters Total: 0 Felon 0 Voter challenge 0 Cancelled voters Total: 288 Deceased 142 Felon 40 Hearing 28 Mentally Incompetent 0 Moved out of county Not available Moved out of state 77 No Activity for 2 General Election cycles 0 Not verified 0 Voter requested 1 Notes: **An MOC report is not currently available in GARViS. Voter Registration Activities Routine voter registration processing and list maintenance activities are ongoing. Voter Challenges The voter for whom the challenge was postponed in the March 3, 2025 BRE meeting, Bob Horton, submitted signed documentation requesting to have this name removed from the voter roll. The voter's request has been processed and the voter's record is now in cancelled status. Election Equipment / Supplies Routine charging and inventory of the touchscreens and printers are complete. Routine charging and inventory of ballot scanners, UPS units, and Poll Pads are ongoing. S&T/Software/Hardware Building Update The generator for the building is currently not operational. We continue to wait on the needed parts. Public Facilities has been advised of the 2025 election calendar. Disaster Recovery Training/Outreach Staff is in the process of updating poll worker training materials for the 2025 election cycle and scheduling poll workers for the upcoming election. Calendar for Poll Worker and Outreach Upcoming Events Communications Department web page views: 1,962 Press releases issued: 1 Social media posts: 2 Billboard messages: 0 Calendar of Upcoming Events 2025 April 14 Special called BRE meeting to consider Election Day polling place change May 6 BRE regular monthly meeting May 26 Memorial Day; county holiday; offices closed T, 5/27-F, 6/13 Advance Voting for the 06/17 Special Primary (includes Sat: 05/31 & 06/07, & Sun: 06/01) June 3 BRE regular monthly meeting (meeting to be held in CMR at Admin Bldg) 06/17 Special Primary Election Day F, 06/20 Pre-Certification meeting M, 06/23 Certification meeting July 1 BRE regular monthly meeting July 4 Independence Day; county holiday; offices closed M, 07/07-F, 07/11 Advance Voting for the 07/15 Special Primary Runoff, if needed T, 07/15 Special Primary Runoff Election Day, if needed F, 07/18 Pre-Certification meeting M, 07/21 Certification meeting August 5 BRE regular monthly meeting September 1 Labor Day; county holiday; offices closed September 2 BRE regular monthly meeting October 7 BRE regular monthly meeting T, 10/14-F, 10/31 Advance Voting - 11/04 General Election & Special Election (includes Sat: 10/18 & 10/25 & Sun: 10/12) November 4 General Election Election Day F, 11/07 Pre-Certification Meeting November 10 BRE regular monthly meeting (Monday) M, 11/10 Certification Meeting (to be held in conjunction w/the regular monthly BRE meeting) November 11 Veteran's Day; county holiday; offices closed M, 11/24-W, 11/26 Advance Voting for the 12/02 General/Special Runoff, if needed November 27 & 28 Thanksgiving; county holiday; offices closed December 2 General Election Runoff Election Day, if needed F, 12/05 Per-Certification meeting for 12/02 Runoff, if needed December 8 BRE regular monthly meeting (Monday) M, 12/08 Certification meeting, if needed (to be held in conjunction with the regular monthly BRE meeting) December 24 & 25 Christmas; county holiday; offices closed (Wednesday & Thursday) Respectfully Submitted, Mandi Smith Director, Voter Registrations & Elections IX. Recess Regular Meeting Vice Chairman Natt with a second from Member Tucker made a motion to recess the regular meeting and enter into Executive Session at 9:43 a.m. for legal purposes. Motion carried unanimously. X. Executive Session Chairman Luth called the Executive Session to order at 9:45 a.m. Vice Chairman Natt with a second from Secretary Tucker made a motion to adjourn Executive Session and call the regular meeting back to order at 10:07 a.m. Motion carried unanimously. Vice Chairman Natt stated there were no votes taken and the Board discussed pending litigation and certain other actions accordingly. Vice Chairman Natt with a second from Secretary Tucker made a motion that the letter being provided by legal will contain signatures of all the Board members. Motion carried unanimously. XI. Adjournment Vice Chairman Natt with a second from Assistant Secretary Radzikinas made a motion to adjourn at 10:08 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: May 6, 2025 Bo Barbara-Luth, Chairman Joel E. Natt, Vice Chairman lho Anita Tucker, Secretary - Carla Radzikinas, Assistant Secretary Debosh Stain Deborah Stair, Member