Minutes, Board Meeting
May 14, 2009
Page 2
BOARD OF ELECTIONS FOR NEW CASTLE COUNTY
Carvel State Office Building
820 N. French Street
Wilmington, Delaware 19801
MINUTES OF BOARD MEETING OF MAY 14, 2009
Members Present: Mr. Austin Mr. Brady
Mrs. Dudlek Mr. Krzyzanowski
Mr. Kuhrt Mr. Lanouette
Mr. Steele Mr. Sterling
Mrs. Whittington
Staff Present: Mr. Albence, Administrative Director
Mr. Sholl, Deputy Administrative Director
Mrs. Rodgers, Election Office Manager
Mrs. Manlove, State Election Commissioner
1. Mr. Steele called the meeting to order at 7:00 p.m.
2. Mr. Brady moved and Mr. Kuhrt seconded a motion to approve the minutes of the April 7, 2009, meeting as presented. The motion passed unanimously.
3. Mr. Albence reviewed the Financial Report and reported that all expenditures are at expected levels at this point in current fiscal year.
4. Mr. Albence reviewed the School Board elections of May 12, 2009. The election went smoothly overall, and highlights include:
· Results were reported by approximately 9:15PM.
· Three (3) machine issues were reported
The canvassed election results match the unofficial results and, therefore, the Department recommends that the Board certify the election results in all five (5) school districts.
Mr Sterling moved and Mr. Lanouette seconded the motion to approve the canvass of the School Board elections.
5. Mr. Albence reported that the Voter Registration Unit is current on all work at this time. He also informed the board that the total number of registered voters in New Castle County is 376,881 as of May 1, 2009.
6. Mr. Albence and Mr. Sholl reported on updates regarding the implementation of the e-signature program:
· The Department is staying current with the workflow generated by the program.
· The Department is receiving virtually all transaction from DMV, which is a significant improvement vs. the prior arrangement.
· However, some transactions are not triggering the e-signature process—and this issue is being investigated.
o In light of this reality, the Department is mailing out applications for signature to affected individuals.
· The Department is noticing an increase in duplicate and void transactions
7. Mr. Albence informed the Board of upcoming elections, which include:
· May 19 St. Ann School (Student Council)
· May 20 Cedar Lane Elementary School (Principal for a Day)
· May 28 Howard Vo-Tech High School (Class Officers)
· June 3 Our Lady of Fatima School (Student Government)
8. Mr. Albence reported that the Department’s website activity remains at expected non-election season usage levels. He also reported that the Mr. Sholl has begun implementing a “plain language” initiative to ensure maximum readability and comprehension of material on the agency’s site.
9. Mr. Albence reported that he and Mr. Sholl have met with Census staff and have completed the Block Boundary Study for the 2010 Census.
10. Mr. Albence provided an update on upgraded Firmware installed in the Department’s voting machine fleet. This process is virtually complete, save for 1 machine in the Wilmington office. Initial testing of these upgrades has been successful.
11. Mr. Albence reported on changes to Carvel Building security connected to recent budgetary issues. Guards will now be on duty from 7AM-7PM on weekdays, and 7AM-5PM on weekends and holidays. Outside of these hours, only employees with access cards will be able to enter the building. Capitol Police have assured the Department that coverage will be provided when events extend beyond standard hours (e.g., election nights). This change goes into effect on May 22, 2009.
12. Mr. Sholl updated the Board on the following legislative efforts underway in the General Assembly:
· Bill to modify Party Change deadline has passed Senate.
· Constitutional amendment to eliminate 5 year waiting period for felons to regain voting rights has passed House (1st leg of amendment process—this legislation must pass two consecutive General Assembly sessions).
· Bill to place School Board elections on November ballot is pending.
· A status update on Elections-initiated bills:
o The omnibus Title 15 revisions bill not yet introduced
o The Code rewrite RE: Special Elections not yet introduced
o Amendment to Code on Municipal Elections (to resolve minor conflict) not yet introduced
o Constitutional Amendment (regarding archaic language in the Constitution)
o UPDATE: (UOCAVA) Code change to permit electronic return of ballots for military and overseas citizen voters passes the House.
13. Mr. Albence reported that the Department has volunteered to revert two (2) unfilled positions in the Department. With the implementation of the e-signature program, this reduction will have minimal impact on office operations.
14. Commissioner Manlove reported the following updates from the Office of the State Election Commissioner (SEC):
· A revised Memorandum of Understanding will be completed with DMV to ensure that the e-signature process will yield a 100% transfer rate of all DMV transactions.
· Elections staff will be reviewing potential alternate vendors for absentee ballot production and tabulation systems.
· A comprehensive review of the HAVA State Plan will be conducted next week, in consultation with a representative of the Election Center.
o One issue to be considered: should an increased investment of HAVA funds be considered to enhance accessibility of facilities used as polling places?
· The relocation of the SEC office will take place in early August, most likely.
15. Old Business: None
16. New Business:
· Next meeting is Tuesday, June 2, 2009.
17. Board Removals & Birth Date Corrections:
· Mr. Sterling moved and Mr. Lanouette seconded the motion to:
o remove 38 names from the voter registration rolls due to a move out of state
o remove 183 names from the voter registration rolls through the address verification process
o make 12 corrections to birth years noted in voter registration records.
The motion passed unanimously.
18. Mr. Sterling moved the meeting be adjourned. Mr. Austin seconded the motion. Motion passed unanimously.
Respectfully submitted,
James A. Sterling, III
Secretary
Next Meeting: Tuesday, June 2, 2009