BOARD OF ELECTIONS FOR NEW CASTLE COUNTY



BOARD OF ELECTIONS FOR NEW CASTLE COUNTY

Carvel State Office Building

820 N French Street

Wilmington, Delaware 19801

MINUTES OF BOARD MEETING OF JANUARY 8, 2008

Members Present: Mr. Austin Mr. Brady

Mrs. Dudlek Mr. Kuhrt

Mr. Krzyzanowski Mr. Lanouette

Ms. Parks Mr. Steele

Mr. Sterling Mrs. Whittington

Guests Present: Mr. Merv Daugherty, Red Clay Consolidated School District

Mr. Brian Moore, Red Clay Consolidated School District

Staff Present: Mr. Albence, Administrative Director

Mr. Sholl, Deputy Administrative Director

Mrs. Manlove, Commissioner of Elections

Mrs. Rodgers, Election Office Manager

1. Mr. Kuhrt moved and Mrs. Dudlek seconded a motion to approve the minutes from the 12/4/07 meeting. The motion passed unanimously.

2. The Board welcomed Mr. Merv Daugherty and Mr. Brian Moore of the Red Clay Consolidated School District to speak on the District’s request to the Board to approve the following polling place changes for the 2/28/08 Referendum:

• Los Jardines to replace Latin American Community Center

• Heritage Elementary School

• Richey Elementary School

• A. I. DuPont Middle School

Mr. Sterling moved and Mrs. Dudlek seconded a motion to add the above-referenced sites as polling places for the upcoming referendum.

3. Mr. Sholl reviewed the Financial Report for the previous month as well as other financial information. No major expenditures have been made in the past month. Routine supply purchases for upcoming elections have been the norm for recent expenses. Mr. Sholl also shared that a major upcoming expense will be the replacement of the burster machine, at a cost of $3,000-$4,000. Also, repairs are underway on a high-capacity heavy printer. Costs for this repair will be forthcoming. Warehouse upgrades include the purchase of a rolling ladder to improve safety and ease of access for materials stored on high shelves and electronic combination locks to secure sensitive materials. Mr. Sterling recommended that the Department investigate an alarm/surveillance system for the Warehouse. Staff will follow up on this item.

4. Mr. Albence recapped the continued increase in registered voters in advance of the upcoming 2008 election season. In addition to noting the removals that will be presented to the Board for approval tonight, Mr. Albence also reported that information sharing from Vital Statistics has returned to a more regular pattern. Efforts continue to streamline efficiency regarding this progress.

5. Mr. Albence informed the Board of the following upcoming elections:

• February 5 – Presidential Primary

• February 28 – Red Clay CSD Referendum (February 29 is alternate date)

• April 1 – Delaware City Election

• April 10 – William Penn High School (school election)

• May 5 – William Penn High School (school election)

• May 3 – School Board Elections

6. Mr. Albence discussed recent activity on the Department’s website. The number of visits continues to rise with the dawn of the 2008 election season.

7. Mr. Albence reported that the he and Mr. Sholl will participate in training on an upgraded version of the GEMS absentee ballot software, once certified by the EAC. This training will take place at Premier Election’s Ohio training center in March.

8. Mr. Albence reported that he and Mr. Sholl will participate in a Joint Election Officials Liaison Committee (JEOLC) meeting sponsored by the Election Center. This program is scheduled for January 10-11, and will be held in Washington, DC.

9. Mr. Albence updated the Board on the preparations for the upcoming Presidential Primary. The Board will be asked to participate in EVM Certification on January 24 and 25. A sign-up sheet for certification “shifts” was circulated among Board members.

10. Mr. Albence informed the Board about initial preparations are underway to prepare for redistricting that will take place following the 2010 Census. The U.S. Census Bureau is being very proactive in working with the State to avoid problems and/or to solve existing issues regarding this process.

11. Mr. Albence reported that Rep. Holt (D-NJ) has introduced a new bill that would direct states to abandon electronic voting machines. However, the bill does not include any mandates, and no legislative action is anticipated on this bill at this time.

12. Mr. Sholl informed the Board that efforts have begun to draft a “Cleanup Bill” to address a number of outstanding issues in DE Code Title 15, as well as some outstanding issues in the State Constitution. This bill will be presented to the General Assembly during the upcoming legislative session.

13. Mr. Albence reiterated that staff member Eric Ulrich (Warehouse) has been deployed with his National Guard troop to Afghanistan. Interviews will be held next week for candidates to fill the position on an interim basis (one year limited term appointment).

14. Mr. Albence informed the Board of upcoming community outreach initiatives by the Department.

• He reported on the ongoing Comcast Newsmakers series. Mr. Albence will continue to tape a segment approximately every six weeks through the 2008 election season, covering a variety of election-related topics. The next taping will take place on 1/14/08.

• Mr. Albence and Mr. Sholl will meet with the News Journal Editorial Board to foster an ongoing dialogue/public awareness campaign regarding election-related issues.

• The “Elections Summit” will be planned for the spring following the Presidential Primary.

15. Old Business:

None

16. New Business:

Next meeting is Thursday, February 7, 2008 (rescheduled due to Presidential Primary).

17. Commissioner Manlove provided the following update from the Commissioner of Elections (CoE) office:

• The Commissioner’s Office is working through a number of municipal election-related issues.

• The office is working with Electec/Danaher regarding the repair for door lamp wire assemblies in the EVMs.

• The office is also participating in the meetings with DTI/Census Bureau regarding reapportionment following the 2010 Census.

18. Board Removals:

a. Mrs. Dudlek moved and Mr. Brady seconded the motion to remove 92 names from the voter registration rolls due to a move out of state. Motion passed unanimously.

b. Ms. Parks moved and Mr. Austin seconded the motion to remove 29 names from the voter registration rolls as a result of the address verification process. Motion passed unanimously.

c. Mr. Brady moved and Mr. Sterling seconded the motion to remove 4 names from the voter registration rolls based on personal requests. Motion passed unanimously.

d. Mr. Kuhrt moved and Ms. Parks seconded the motion to make 10 corrections to birth years noted in voter registration records. Motion passed unanimously.

19. Mr. Sholl and Mr. Albence informed the Board regarding the recent accident with the Department’s box truck. No one was seriously hurt, and the truck is being repaired.

20. Mr. Sterling moved the meeting be adjourned. Mr. Lanouette seconded the motion. Motion passed unanimously.

Respectfully submitted,

Noel Kuhrt

Secretary

Next Meeting: Thursday, February 7, 2008

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