Board of Elections for New Castle County s3

Minutes, Board Meeting

February 3, 2009

Page 3

BOARD OF ELECTIONS FOR NEW CASTLE COUNTY

Carvel State Office Building

820 N. French Street

Wilmington, Delaware 19801

MINUTES OF BOARD MEETING OF FEBRUARY 3, 2009

Members Present: Mr. Austin Mr. Brady

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

[NOTE: January 6, 2009 meeting was cancelled due to inclement weather.]

1. Mr. Steele called the meeting to order at 7:00 p.m.

2.  Mr. Sterling moved and Mrs. Whittington seconded a motion to approve the minutes of the December 2, 2008 meeting as presented. The motion passed unanimously.

3.  Mr. Sterling moved and Mr. Brady seconded the motion to recess the meeting to permit caucusing regarding the nomination of Board officers. Following the caucus period, Mr. Steele called the meeting back to order. Mr. Brady nominated and Mr. Sterling seconded the nomination of Mr. Steele to serve as President. The motion passed unanimously. Mr. Kuhrt nominated and Mrs. Whittington seconded the nomination of Mr. Sterling to serve as Secretary. The motion passed unanimously.

4.  Mr. Sholl reviewed the Financial Report and informed the Board of the following information:

·  Expenses for the Special Election in the 6th Representative District totaled $36,695

·  The Department is reverting $87,600 in funds to the General Fund for FY2009

·  The Department expects to revert $35,800 in funds to the General Fund for FY2010

·  The Department will recover $125,255 in election costs from HAVA funds (via the Office of the State Election Commissioner).

5.  Mr. Sholl informed the Board of upcoming elections, which include:

·  February 11- Correctional Officers Association of DE (COAD) Election

·  February 19- 5th District New Castle County Council Special Election

·  March 2- Town of Middletown Election

·  April 7- City of Delaware City Election

·  April 18- City of New Castle Election

·  April 25- Town of Elsmere Election

·  May 2- Town of Townsend Election

·  May 12- School Board Elections

6.  Mr. Sholl presented a comprehensive recap of 2008 calendar year statistics for the Department, compiled for the 2008 Voter Registration Report.

7.  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 382,720 as of February 1, 2009.

8.  Mr. Sholl reported that the Department’s website activity has returned to customary non-election season usage levels. He also noted that the “Common Look and Feel” template of the site changed on January 20th, in conjunction with statewide website updates requested by the Markell administration.

9.  Mr. Albence reported that the Department has moved forward with the US Census Bureau Block Boundary Study project. He and Mr. Sholl have met with Census staff to refine the initial data set submitted. Some additional adjustments will be made to conclude the current phase of work on the project.

10.  Mr. Albence reported that he and Mr. Sholl attended the 2009 Joint Election Officials Liaison Committee (JEOLC) meeting in Washington, DC on January 8-9, 2009. A number of important topics were discussed, including possible federal legislation that could significantly impact voter registration standards and general election administration. He highlighted the Department’s opposition to the Universal Right to Vote by Mail Act, a bill discussed at the conference. This Department opposes this proposed legislation based on objective academic research as it would impose costly burdens on the Department without a subsequent increase in voter participation.

11.  Mr. Albence informed the Board that the Electronic Signature project will be launched on February 18, 2009, in Kent County. A comprehensive staff training session on the new system is scheduled for February 9. A statewide rollout of the application will be completed by summer 2009.

12.  Mr. Sholl informed the Board that he will be participating in the EAC Standards Board meeting (February 25-27 in Orlando, FL), travel covered by Federal funds.

13.  Mr. Albence provided an update on upgraded Firmware installed in the Department’s voting machine fleet. The testing of these upgrades is currently underway.

14.  Mr. Sholl provided a recap of the 6th Representative District Special Election, held on December 20, 2008. The election was well-run overall, with some minor issues. The Department has analyzed these matters and is determining and implementing improvements for in future elections.

15.  Mr. Albence updated the Board on a planned Departmental audit of selected absentee counts from the General Election, a quality control measure.

16.  Mr. Albence and Mr. Sholl updated the Board on the following legislative efforts underway:

·  Seeking repeal of the 10 Day Hold requirement, as this has proved to be costly and ineffective.

·  Revisions to the conduct of Special Elections

·  General updates/”cleanup” of Title 15

·  Means to recover costs for the Department’s conduct of municipal elections.

17.  Old Business: None

18.  New Business:

·  Next meeting is Tuesday, March 3, 2009.

19.  Board Removals & Birth Date Corrections:

·  Mr. Brady moved and Mrs. Whittington seconded the motion to:

o  remove 358 names from the voter registration rolls due to a move out of state

o  remove 589 names from the voter registration rolls through the address verification process

o  remove 5 names from the voter registration rolls through personal requests

o  remove 4,566 voters through the inactive voter removal process

o  make 12 corrections to birth years noted in voter registration records.

The motion passed unanimously.

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

Respectfully submitted,

James A. Sterling, III

Secretary

Next Meeting: Tuesday, March 3, 2009