Electoral Board Meeting   9/23/2025

Good morning, everyone.

It is time for the nine o'clock meeting of the September 23rd electoral board meeting, which is being called ordered.

We have four of all three members and the registrar here.

Brief announcements from the registrar who needs to get back to her office.

Okay, everything is going well.

Absentee voting opened on Monday, the early absentee, and everything's open on Friday, I'm sorry.

Today's only Tuesday.

Okay.

We've had two days, um, Friday and Monday of the early absentee voting.

And that has gone well.

We were over 500 each day.

So we're up to 1,072 in person voting and we have mailed out over 7,500 absentees and emails.

So we're right on schedule and everything seems to be moving right along there.

We have our

Jonell, who's the chief deputy, she is actually in a training thing right now.

That's all I really have.

Would you like to entertain questions if there are any?

Sure.

I wondered item seven, I'll call it C, log forms.

I think that's a great time to take it.

The gold form that's used, the log oath, that is for if someone does not have their ballot with them.

They've been mailed a ballot and they lost it, didn't come, whatever the reason is, they don't have the ballot.

So in order for them to get a ballot and vote in person at the early voting place,

we have them fill out a gold form.

The issue that we have run into and there have been quite a few of them people I don't know how whether it came across in the news how they got it but they think that they should have had their ballot in their hand by the 19th of September however code says that we have mailed or emailed those ballots at that time.

So they haven't received them yet.

They should be getting them this week and depending on how far away they go, they should be getting them this week, into this week, next week.

So they have plenty of time to vote those.

However, their understanding was they hadn't gotten their ballot, so they came to vote.

So therefore they had to use that gold form.

We do get questioned all the time, how many people have actually used that gold form because there is another ballot out there and we have to keep count of all our ballots and to make sure that everything cross-references.

Obviously, if that person tried to vote their ballot they received at home and mail it in, it would not count.

They have already been marked as voting in person.

however this is an accounting to make sure that everybody understands that there's nothing very it's just a form that we need in order to have those numbers and if I get called by one of the parties or by somebody who's running a campaign and saying how many people do you have that are voting that have you know received their ballot but came in and said they didn't get it

Again, it's a check, you know, if ballots get lost in the mail, people don't, so we need that, and I know it's a little extra work for the people that are working in the cap, but I really would like those numbers, because those forms get put into an envelope, and I don't want to be searching through forms and trying to figure out how many voted each day.

If I have that log, I can set, we have 10, and I think that will,

I think those numbers will go down because people will start getting their absentee ballots and they'll realize that they have it in hand.

But in order for us to keep track of that, and I can tell you that political parties and candidates, that's it.

They've got that in their head and they know that that's going on, so they want to know those numbers.

So to me, when they call, I can say, yes, we've had this many, and then we can also, we can account for everything.

If everybody has a question, because it was raised to us by someone working at Early Voting, I understand the rationale for the goal oath form.

Maybe half a dozen, maybe.

I think in our in-person absentee, they're actually sending them over to the chief.

And again, it is a question that gets asked from the state level or frankly from candidates and political parties.

So having that number, I'm not

I want to see how that form, I want to see what we're, how much we're getting with that.

Basically, I need a number of those for every day.

So maybe we can do a total of numbers and they don't have to fill out the forms.

That may be adequate.

We just, we know that those were two things that have been questioned at the state level and have been questioned by political parties.

So we were just in order to.

We're back with that.

It may be the numbers.

The Chief's question, why are we having to do this extra paperwork?

Partly because we've never done it before here.

And it is extra paperwork for them.

Can I offer a kind of a compromise?

That's fine, except for, I mean, the address does identify who they are.

You know, you could have Tom Smith and I don't, there might be 10 Tom Smiths in that precinct.

I just think it is an identifying thing.

Rather than ask them for the last four of their social,

We need to identify that that, and you know, some, it may not occur very often, but there are father, son, you know, just to make sure we have, we are attributing it to the right person.

You know, did that absentee ballot get mailed to Junior?

And it was actually Senior who came in to vote and said he didn't, you know, so it just identifies that person.

No, the numbers.

Well, right.

But in order for me to take that list and make sure that those ballots, because there are live ballots out there for those names, and to make sure we have accountability for all of those.

Because if you have one and you have a name,

and then another person by that name actually votes a ballot and it got put long into the poll book.

You know, somebody checked in the wrong person.

It's just to me to write down a quick address is not asking them too much.

I think I need something to identify with.

If they'd rather do less for the social that seems to upset people more.

So I think that we need an, I need some identifying for me to be able to

count in my bookkeeping in there with my ballots.

And by having a log, you have a ready record.

Right, I don't have to go searching through, you know, forms.

And again, that's the reason for the, on the golden run one, because those are the ones we seem to be getting.

And you will all along, there'll be people that their ballot didn't arrive,

you know it came and their husband put it somewhere and they didn't you know you get that and so I to me I don't feel like asking them to write down the name and address is is a big job for them to do I think that that's a very simple thing you know I I am not comfortable with just a name because just a name doesn't and sometimes people will say you know

Sally so-and-so, well that's not the real name, so you know I kind of have to have some other identifier, S4, you want to do that, or progress, but something to identify, something for me to be able to identify that.

Now on the confirmations, I don't, I can see where that is not a necessary item, and again maybe we only need to know numbers on that.

I want to see

You know, we thought we'd try it out for a little bit and see what the numbers are.

If the numbers aren't there, then we'll just say, I have this many.

By having the logs for both of those, if someone comes in on election day, you've got the logs.

The poll book is going to be marked, and I have no way of verifying that, but if I have that list, I'm able to troubleshoot, you know, I mean, they could be in the wrong precinct, and they

They've moved and they want to do the SDR.

Could you explain more about the ID?

OK, that is when a person comes in and does not have an ID with them.

They do not have an ID to show.

So they receive a form that they have to fill out and say, I am who I say I am.

It's just a simple sheet.

It's not even a whole sheet of paper.

It's a half sheet.

There's no ID.

That's all you have to have.

I could say, I left my ID at home.

No, I got it.

I just didn't understand what you meant.

I mean, they're on the poll book, so we know they've registered.

Well, let's monitor the confirmation of identity.

And I'm fine with that.

That should not be that many.

I'm not as

concerned with the numbers on that as I am with the Goldenrod.

Because there are localities that will send them that say, we're not gonna give you a ballot till you turn in that other ballot.

I mean, we're not gonna let you vote till you turn in that other ballot.

There are localities that do that.

Smaller localities can, because they can send the person home to go.

But here, again, that's been your custom to do the Goldenrod form and let them vote.

I'm following what you've done there.

Maybe for one, possibly for the other.

I haven't ever heard of a request in this area, so it's something that's completely foreign to me.

and obviously a need that was not met this way in the past.

Anything else you'd like to tell us from now?

I mean, it's moving right along.

We're right up to date on everything to be mailed out.

We've loaded our, see the one I've used in Waynesboro you have to put your code in every time, but actually we've already loaded our postage onto it so we have the correct amount of postage and we will

I think if I don't have a password or code I can't give it to you.

So that's up and running and so we're able to take care of those on a daily basis.

We will be pushing out our absentees that get mailed from ES&S

Probably twice a week.

We'll see what our volume is, but you know, it will go definitely twice a week.

And that's within the letter of the law to do it twice a week?

Oh, yeah.

Some places do it every day.

It depends on your volume, but you pay for it.

Generally, our size unit, according to Tyler, or our size locality, we're in the two to three.

Because as long as you're within code, which says when you receive that ballot, you have three days to mail it out.

So we'll always be in code.

Thank you, ma'am.

Okay, do we have any other announcements from the board?

Do I hear a motion to approve the agenda as a truth?

Alex is currently in the in-person absentee.

Yes.

Is that your question?

I just asked him, do we have new EO applications to approve?

And he said, hold that till Friday.

Thank you.

So we have approval of the agenda as we have just, as I amended it.

Are there any other announcements in England's life, Nick?

That's the next, that's number four.

We're doing number three.

Are there any public comments from anyone, either in the remote area, please raise your hand on the Zoom, click participate, no comments, no questions.

Lady and gentlemen in the room, any other questions?

And you have a gold oath shirt on, because that's exactly the color of goldenrod.

Jim, would you like to present your minutes for me?

Oh, Rick, I'm sorry.

You're on.

What do you think the deadline date might be for any new EO applicants?

to be able to be considered for this election.

We don't have a number of date as in Monday, October the whatever.

What we have said in the past, and we haven't actually discussed it, is that as long as someone can be approved and come to officer of election training, and we all know that there's a makeup training,

the last Saturday before, we prefer people come to regular training because it's a little bit more intense.

We hope to get our assignments done by the end of this week and include everyone who has been approved in that possible assignment.

We will not need as many total numbers as we had for the presidential.

But new officers may be assigned even after these assignments are done this week.

OK. And fill them in.

OK. Well, sir.

Great.

Thank you.

Any other questions, comments?

If we talk about something, please raise your hand.

And we'll recognize you when we get to your subject.

Jim, would you like to?

Did you all have time to look at the minutes?

I have not looked at two minutes from yesterday.

I'm sorry.

So would you entertain a friendly motion to wait and do those at our next meeting?

And I looked at the first one and then saw the other.

Okay, old business voting system security letter.

I think, Bucky, you have something.

Yeah, we brought the security plan we can discuss in closed session.

Okay.

Okay, thank you.

The ADA inspections and certificates for the polling places.

I have made contact, as they say,

with a lovely lady named Tiffany Morris at the school system.

And I have also spoken with somebody from the county, people who look at ADA and hopefully that will be completed by today, but certainly by Friday.

The scheduling for the ADA.

and then I've got assignments for the board members divided by threes.

And Tiffany's the person not in the schools.

She's with the schools.

They're kind of hard to find.

So they're gonna call.

I've spoken to them, Jim.

They're just trying to get their stuff together.

so hopefully today or tomorrow.

And we'll have a schedule ready or a list of places each of us can go.

I've tried to divide them by where we live so I'm kind of the east side, Jim you're the kind of the south and Bucky you're kind of the north.

Yancey School was a school and now it's a community center.

It's not a school anymore because they've done changes.

They've made physical changes down there.

Next business is new business, and this is, we're gonna have to wait for, this is part of Alex to assign and figure out when we're gonna do the cage, help him to load the cages, which is gonna be an additional responsibility for the board.

Most of the materials are in the cages.

I think we can leave him where he is and do this on Friday, because it's going to happen between now and Friday.

So he's taking care of in-person absentee voting.

We had a question for our esteemed counsel.

mostly because I don't want you to feel like coming here was a waste of your time, but I understand that we need to keep printed copies of our minutes added to an item.

So it'll take a lot less room that way.

We just found records the other day back from when Jim was the registrar.

There are some people who like, I know Bucky is not, because Bucky is all things electronic, but there's some people who like having the written word on paper.

So I would not suggest, with all due respect, they don't take up that much room.

I just wanted to know what the law required.

I understand.

Thank you.

There is a retention schedule that's

It's viewed from the question of board minutes.

I think it is.

I think Jim's probably agree with Jim.

Everything I've ever heard at any statewide meeting or electoral state board meeting, it's

I mean, I've found minutes from back in 1945.

Still around.

Viva's only 50 years old.

You need a signed version for the minute.

You were signing something the other day.

Maybe it's been a week.

Yeah, I looked with the minute book.

I'm just posting them online.

Yeah.

OK.

Anybody have any other?

OK. Next meeting, we have a meeting already scheduled for Friday of this week.

And we have two other meetings scheduled

after that.

We have a regular October meeting.

Regular October.

Second.

I don't have anything else.

And then we've got the post-election meeting scheduled.

Work sessions, that's, session is different.

For the 9th, yeah.

I'm looking at the calendar, I can see.

Do you want to?

I would suggest that.

I think that's a good time.

You may meet on Thursday the 2nd.

Oh, that's right.

Okay.

All right.

How about Wednesday?

How about Wednesday the 1st?

Are you available?

I'm not available that week.

You're not available that week at all?

Yes.

That's why there's nothing scheduled.

Will you be available on the 30th of September?

Or is it the whole week that you're gone, Bucky?

And when is our first training?

I think so.

I don't have a schedule.

So I think we need to have a meeting before, so can we squeeze one in on the 6th?

That's a Monday.

And do all the

Well, Bucky's gone next week, so we can't do it next week.

I've got scheduled stuff that morning, yes.

So I can be available at 1 o'clock.

Okay, so our next, our additional meeting now is October the 6th, Monday at 1 o'clock.

Everybody okay with that?

Okay.

And we'll go over all the training, scheduling, etc.

Friday because Alex will be able to be here then.

There is nothing else I move that we go into.

Friday, and that was like at 8.30 or something.

No, sir, that has not changed.

We're having a lot of meetings.

Yeah.

It's hard to keep up.

Oh, will it?

So it may be.

Yeah, you may.

Worthlessly.

Hang on, that's the regular meeting?

Yep.

So it's posted on the internet.

We have posted on the internet that all the regular meetings are at 9.30.

We can change that.

Let's keep one at 9.30.

8.30, 9, 9.30.

Just confuse everybody so nobody knows when we stop.

Okay, Executive Session.

I move that according to Code Section 2.23711.A, Code of Virginia Subsection A to discuss and consider the appropriate items

So it would be the same motion that we have been using, but we need to add in voting security plans.

Yes, sir.

All in favor, say aye.

Aye.

We're on into executive session.

We're in progress.

Okay.

The call back time is now 11.49 a.m.

The electoral board is back in open session compliant with code section 2.2-3711a.

of Cody, Virginia.

We are back in open session to board members certify that they only discuss those things which they said they would discuss on the end and nothing else.

Thank you very much.

So you're gonna, excuse me, make those changes on the- Yes.

Sign it Friday.

Which would then mean, I think we're in a position to sign the letter.

Yep.

The letter being?

The letter that Stacy gives you a template for that says you've done this and you have these things.

So we don't have to send the security plan.

They don't want to see it, they just want us to sign that we've done it.

All in favor, aye.

Aye.