Board of Elections & Registration - Regular Meeting

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[Music] [Music] The board of elections. registration board meeting for Thursday, May 15th, 2025 is now called to order. Thank you. All right, we will begin our opening ceremonies. Um, I will be doing the invocation. Following the invocation, we will be led with the pledge of allegiance by Miss Clara Harton. In that order, if you would please stand if you can bow your heads. As we begin this meeting, let's remember our purpose to ensure fair and trustworthy elections, inform and educate. May we work with integrity, listen with respect and honor the trust placed in us. May we also today keep in mind that today is uh peace officers memorial day. Let us remember those that have been in the line of duty that have either been disabled or fallen protecting and serving on a federal, state, and local level. These and all are the blessings we ask. Amen. Amen. I aliance to the flag of the United States of America and to the republic for it stands. One nation under God, indivisible, with liberty and justice for all. You may be seated. So, we will start off with our roll call. I will call each board member's name. When I do call your name in your district, if you would please acknowledge by saying here or present. Robin Mayor Knight, District

One Chair, present. Miss Clara Harden, District 2, present. Mr. Joseph Stale, District Three, here. Dr. Julia McCulla, District 4, vice chair, present. Mr. Ray Holland, District 5, present. All right. Please make note that all our board members are present. All right. Has everyone had a chance to look over the agenda for the day? Yes. Yes. All right. Are there any objections? None. All right. The agenda will be adopted as presented. Okay. Moving on to approval of the minutes. Um note that we do have two sets of minutes that need to be um approved. We have our March 21, 2025 special call board meeting. Are there any questions or any amendments or any corrections? Did I not move it? Did I not Do we have to? Okay. All right. I'm sorry. I'll back up. Go back to section C. I apologize. So, um, so can I get a motion for um to adopt the agenda? So moved. Second. All right. It's been moved and second. So the agenda uh is stands adopted. Thank you. All right. So uh back to section D, approval of minutes. Yes, ma'am. We didn't vote. Oh, I'm sorry. That's okay. I'll get it together. Co brain. All right. Um, all those in favor, let it be known. Um, with raising of your hands. All right. Any opposes? No opposes. Now, I'm sorry. The agenda is approved and adopted. All right. Moving on to approval of minutes. Um, we have two sets of minutes. We have March 21st, 2025, which was tabled to be um adopted

or approved today on our last meeting, and then April 17th, 2025 regular board meeting. So, we will start off with the March 21st, 25. Has everyone had a chance to review the minutes from that? Um, yes. All right. Do we have any questions? No. Any corrections? None. All right. Can I um get a motion to approve the minutes? So moved. Second. All right. It's been moved and second that the March 21st, 2025 special call board meeting minutes um be approved. All in favor? Let me know. All right. Any opposes? All right. Stand approved. All right. And now we will approve the um look for a motion for April 17, 2025 regular board meeting. Can I get a um motion for to approve? So move. Second. All right, it's approved and second to accept or approve the minutes for April 17th. All in favor? I. Any opposes? All right, the minutes stand approved. All right, on to item E, uh, public comments, and this would be for agenda items only for anyone in the public that would like to make any comments. Right, since there be none at this time, we will move on. All right. To section F, our financial report for April month end report. We will have that by our um election supervisor, Miss Shannon Nettles, please. Gosh, I'm so sorry. All right. I apologize. Good afternoon, board. Good. Good afternoon. All right. I sent you the budget report to take a look at for April. Keep in mind we still have May and June to go in this um fiscal year. Um I'll take any questions if there are

some. Um I know we are over on several accounts. Um bottom line though is at 75% right now. We do still have an election coming up. We'll have to pay uh poll workers for. We won't really need too many added supplies. And we also just had a training that several of us participated in. Um so we'll be very close to that budget mark by the end of uh June. Do you have any specific questions on any line items? Okay. All right. All right. Thank you, Miss Nos. If you will move on to section G with the election supervisor update, please. Okay. Like I said, we did just attend training recently. Uh the chairwoman attended her first Secretary of State training event all the way up in Dallas, Georgia. We had a nice um a nice training. Dennis and I were present for that. So, uh, I think it was a good, uh, overall update on kind of where the Secretary of State's office is with everything as well, um, going on in the election year this year. So, we had a a good training. I hope Robin thought the same. Um, and just wanted to go over some numbers with you all. Currently, we have just under 40,000 active registered voters in Camden County. uh but about 6,500 inactive voters. So we're at a total of 46,096. Of course, that is a very fluid number that changes daily based on uh driver's license applications, voter registrations, things of that nature. So

um right now with about 40,000 actives uh I know this one of the secretary of state's uh future endeavors and it's very soon we'll be going through any uh some of the mail some of the voter registration lists to verify addresses and things like that. So they are working on some mailings that are going out soon um like crossstate voters, change of address voters, things like that. So, we'll see a lot of I think a lot of changes to our voter role over the next several months. This will mostly take place after the June election, though. Okay. So, uh speaking of the June election, we have 37 absentee ballot by mail applications that we've received for the upcoming public service commission race. um pretty low number, but and those can't go out until when is it? The 19th. May 19th. May 19th. Yep. The 19th. So, uh right now there's still time to get an application in for anybody that you know that might want a um absentee by mail application for this election. We're excited that Mr. Rock returns to our office next week on Tuesday to be back in there full-time. Um, so we're we're we're all going to be glad to have him back. We have completed all of our poll worker training. I think we probably trained about 40 40-ish 45 pole workers for this election. Um the uh expected slower and lower turnout. Uh we won't have as many pole workers as we did in back in March, but we have completed training. We have certificates for all of those that were trained. and it went very well. Um, I'm going to let Dennis talk briefly on what he has recently completed for the upcoming

election as well. All right. Uh, good afternoon board. Good afternoon. All right. So, I just recently completed logic and accuracy testing for the upcoming June special primary. I completed it this past Monday. Uh overall I tested 48 ballot marking devices, 13 scanners, the in-house imagecast central scanner, which is the big scanner in the vault that scans all the ballots at one time and completed all setup on the election management system. Uh additionally, I completed all logic and accuracy testing required on poll pads as well. So we're in a good position. We're ahead of the game. We're gonna have no issues having full staff coverage on our advanced voting precincts and overall we're in a really good space. I wanted to take a second to thank Joe for coming and attending the first hour of logic and accuracy testing. I know I was quite a boore, but nevertheless, I appreciate your attendance. It it it really does mean the world. So, that's uh that's really all I got. And uh I want to add in that Shannon's not the only one looking forward for Rot to come back. We have missed his mind greatly o over this uh over this past period. So we're all really ready for him to come back and we're excited to have him back. So he's going to get a very warm welcome next week. Okay. And I just have one last thing with my report. Uh coming up tonight at 6:00 I am presenting um on elections and kind of what we do in our office to a group called the citizens academy that we have annually. I think I don't think they're doing it twice a year yet but just once a year. Uh a group of citizens that want to really that are really interested in in the behind the scenes of how the county operates. Um there's roughly just a few over 20 people I think registered in the

class. there maybe about halfway through. Um and so tonight I am grouped with finance and with grants and then we're going to have some fun in elections. I have some goodies to hand out to them um a presentation to give and tell them a little bit more about what we actually do in elections even when it's not like a huge election year. How we're always uh there there's never a short supply of work to be done. So tonight at 6 o'clock I have that citizens academy presentation. I'm looking forward to that. Just wanted to let you all know that because that's 20 so people that might not have uh heard about the upcoming June election. So, you bet. I will be handing out some information on that and making sure they know there's an election coming up. Okay. So, that's all I have for y'all. Thank you, Miss Shannon and Dennis and Missa. Thank you for all that you do as well. Everything that you do to keep everything running. All right. Now we're going on to uh our old business and I'd like for Miss Nettles to you would please give us an update on uh regarding Mr. Kyle Wrap's challenge of electors Alex and Shelby Law Elwin and Carol Collins and Mr. Zultan Meister. Okay. So board members in the front of your uh your binder if you haven't found it already you have three sheets um of paper in there. The very first one is from Miss Cindy Gelnar. It's uh on letterhead. She is the uh tax assessor for Grady County, Oklahoma, which is where the laws reside. I received this letter uh last week uh even though it's dated April 17th. I'm I didn't get it until last week. Uh a letter regarding the homestead exemption for Mr. Alexander Shaw, Mr. Alexander Law and Shelby Law, his wife at 307 Willow Creek Drive. Um, and just for the record, to

whom it may concern, this letter is meant as confirmation that a homestead exemption has been removed from the abovementioned property. This exemption was placed on the property by the previous owner and failed to be removed upon the sale to Mr. Law. The exemption has been removed for 2025 forward. If you have any questions, it says I can contact their office and it's respectfully signed by the Grady County assessor, Miss Cindy Galnar. Um, you do still it the property address if you go to Grady County, Oklahoma on their tax assessors website, that address still shows yes, it has a property exemption. I have personally reached out several times to um to Miss or to this tax assessor's office and haven't had any luck um getting getting Miss Cindy yet. Uh but I do feel that this is uh adequate information. They are not registered to vote in Oklahoma. They would the shop the laws would like to maintain their their voting status here in Camden County and this letter serves as their homestead being removed in the house um in Oklahoma. And I think like as I mentioned last time that I was here, they didn't really understand what a homestead exemption was. Didn't even know they had a homestead exemption. Uh and I clearly think this is just a mistake by the tax assessor's office and not previously removing the homestead exemption. um although I'm not really sure why it still shows up on the on the online version. So I would recommend that the challenge for these individuals be removed and that they be allowed to return to the active status and we can do all of these. You can determine a vote one at a time or all together. I don't know. I can go through

all three first and then if you'd like to move forward with that and we want to make sure it meets Mr. um Mr. Perhaps he's he's good with that. Like he's not still concerned about any of these individuals, but I can move on to the second one. Trying to get the microphone to come on. Um Yeah. If you can just go through each of them and then we'll come back and discuss and Yeah. that way. Yep. Yeah. All right. So, that was the the laws and I'm going to talk now about the Collins, Elwin Collins and Carol Collins. They have uh a PO box here in St. Mary's. Uh they received the certified letter. They received a letter prior to that as well that was not certified. They've received phone calls multiple times. I even tracked down Mr. Collins's son who no longer has contact with his father, so he couldn't tell me how to get in touch with him. We ended after the last meeting that we were going to check with maybe the nursing homes uh in the area to see if they were residing there and didn't get out to catch their their mail because their mail was delivered to their PO box. Um so I went to go do that and then I wasn't sure really that the those particular homes were going to even tell me if they were residents there or not. So I said, "Let me try the phone number one more time for Mr. Collins. And lo and behold, he answered the phone. Chipper as can be, sharp as attack. He was out RVing with his wife. They were in Tennessee. They consider Camden County home. They have every intent to be back here. This is their home base. Um, but they are travelers full-time via their RV. About four years ago, they sold their property. They lived in here

um for about 15 years uh at a residential address in St. Mary's. So the law allows for them to remain registered here if they intend to return and they can utilize their address where they resided before. Um since that is their plan is to come back. I specifically asked if they were registered in another state and had any intention of voting anywhere else. They said absolutely not. Um they were only registered in Camden. They had not received or been home to Camden to receive the certified letter. So I had to explain the entire challenge process to her. Um I spoke Mr. Collins quickly handed off the phone to his wife to let me talk to her about this situation. and um they're both eager to stay on the voter role here in Camden. So, it's easy to take their challenge off and put them at the residential address of their previous home and we still can maintain their their mailing address at the PO box that we have for them in St. Mary's and and that's what staff recommends. Okay, any questions about the Collins? Okay. And then lastly, Zultan Meester. We still have not heard from Mr. Meester. Um no reply back to our emails or our certified letters. Um he we did what we did find was a voter registration and absentee ballot request form from 2024. And on that form, he clearly states that he is a US citizen living outside the country and his intent is to to return is uncertain. Um, I didn't find an address where he had previously resided in Camden

County. So, uh, except for the hotel information that he's provided. I know Mr. rap said that he was a previous previously registered in uh Florida to vote as well. We have not made any kind of contact with Mr. Mester either via email or or te telephone. So um but he is a US citizen. That was one of the big questions from the last um the last meeting. And he he uh intends to return. he thinks it's just kind of uncertain and uh I can add to that is that the box specifically that he has marked if you have that exhibit the in I am a US citizen and my intent to return is uncertain that directly correlates to the Georgia law in terms of a permanent overseas citizen. So when you mark that that notation that your intent to return is uncertain that is you notating that you are permanently overseas. Uh, and so that what that would um mean for him with future ballots is he'd only be allowed to receive a federal ballot if he still claims the um the hotel address as the address he's using in Georgia. He wouldn't be able to get any local races. And that is an update on all of the individuals with uh that we were left in question after the last challenge hearing. Uh I don't know if Mr. Rap has any additional questions. While Mr. Rap is on his way up, can you just clarify for me if he had marked that box above that that said the intent is to return, would he be able to vote in elections other than federal? Well, then that would, you know, open him up

as to being uh registered at the hotel. But yes, it would in indicate that he would be able to vote in local because he intends to return to the um to the jurisdiction. I would say too it just is it depends on a little I mean I would need to ask a few more questions of him. Okay. Thank you. Yeah, I would think that because he's registered at a hotel, that's a commercial address. It is he could not be registered to vote at a commercial hotel, but because he's doing federal only, that's fine. The way the way he's got it set up, I don't have a problem with anyone else. Um, I'm thankful that the laws got that straightened out and that the Collins are doing well and up in Tennessee having good time on the RV. So, with that said, I will withdraw all the challenges I have uh pending and then we'll go on with Mr. Meester. See what he does. All right. Is that all, Mr. Rout? That's it. Is it? Thank you. Thank you. All right. Are there any questions from the board? Any more discussion? None. All right. All right. Um I'd like to ask if we can get a motion to remove Do we need to do that since he's dropped it? If Mr. reps dropping. Do we need to remove uh get a motion to remove? Well, I mean I I think it would be best if we had it on record that the board agreed to remove the challenge because they did have a challenge placed on each of their um record after the last meeting. Um you could move to accept the withdrawal of the challenge and that would allow us to take it off. Yeah. All right. Can I get a motion to accept the the removal of the challenge? So moved. Second. All right, it has been motioned and second. All in favor, let it be known by I and show of hands. I I All right, any opposes? All right, no poses. All right, thank

you. All right, thank you. Thank you. Okay, so that brings us to uh important Oh, missing missing on that new business discussion to schedule an upcoming work session. Thank you. All right. I'd like to suggest that we have um scheduled a work session amongst the board uh to go over bylaws and the strategic plan. Um being that we do have three new board members, I just think that it would be beneficial to make sure that everybody understands and um all on board. We have a date. I just whatever's conduc whatever is good for everybody else. So we do need to come up with a date and a time. Yes. Now I would like to and if you have any suggestions miss Shannon you have a date in mind as well. Well I have um provided I think all of you I mean you definitely have access to the bylaws and the strategic plan. It's in your book. It's also online. I've sent it to several of you as well because we do have new members. Um but there might be things in there that you're you all would like to discuss as a group. And generally the way I can pick a work session for any day. My suggestion earlier to the chairwoman had been that we potentially do it on the next meeting date. Um so because you have to have a work session and then you can come out of the work session um and then go into a meeting or go to your next meeting with what you have determined you want to change in the work session and then it can be approved upon at the following meeting. So, it's really up to you all um because of the schedules. So, that would be June 20th. June 20th. So, on June 20th meeting is a 3pm meeting already because it's a it's the the day that we certify the election. Um

we won't have any um UACava ballots. Uh I'm I'm hopeful that provisional ballots have been addressed by then if there are any. Um, I would recommend that maybe we do the work session at two and then have our meeting at three o'clock. Um, we could do our meeting and then the work session. It It's entirely up to you all. That is a Friday. Um, and the meeting at 3:00 shouldn't be I mean it shouldn't be terribly long. or we can give everyone time over the next month to review the strategic plan and the bylaws and then come up with a date for the work session at the June 20th meeting. Discussion, any thoughts? Um, I would think that first we would come up with an agenda and and what we want to cover and then do the date and time because then we should have a better idea of how much time we need. Any other thoughts or any other comments? A two o'clock work session on the day of the election certification is fine with me. Depends on what the group wants to do. Okay. So, I just need a motion because I think we kind of got it set for the 20 and then you're saying that we probably need to come up with an agenda prior to so some time to think on is what you're saying. Yes. Okay. I'm flexible either way. So, but Miss Clara does have a valid point that, you know, we should have an agenda. Then we all know what we're going to be discussing and have our thoughts together and how long it will take. So, I think that is a a great idea

that she has, but I'm flexible either way. I don't have any thoughts. Um, you do have thoughts? Yeah, I actually I do have a question in regards to that. Um, since it's going to be the entire board together, are we going to have to come together or is it going to be an official meeting recorded? Yes, we have to notice it and do all the same things we would for um a board meeting and it would be open to the public. Correct. The only difference is we generally I I don't believe we take public comments during work session. Right. Correct. There's no action taken during the work session. It's just simply for you to discuss whatever topic it is you're discussing. So like if you saw something in the bylaws that you really wanted to change, you wouldn't do it at the work session then. Um, and then it's not going to be on the agenda for the June 20th meeting because that'll already be in place. So, that would probably be a July um motion that we could have or a July agenda item. You can come to a consensus of what you all agree on and if you want changes and you know not changes, you just have to do it in a a regular meeting or a special called meeting. Yeah. So, Miss Claire, my question would do you think that would um because you brought up about the extension of time, would June be enough time for us to from now to June, you think? Or do you have another recommendation for another time frame? We're all on the same page because we're saying at 2:00, so that only gives us an hour before the meeting. But what if we need a little more time than that? See, because then it's not productive to

have a meeting that we didn't have the opportunity to get done every have a discussion that we needed to have. But I like to do stuff once instead of, you know, having to do it multiple times. I agree with that. But I have a question on that. The June 20th meeting is, assuming everything goes according to plan, how long should that one last? And since we're starting an hour earlier, could the work session be after that meeting? Yeah, it it could be after. I don't expect the 3pm meeting to go very long. Generally um we have to like if we had UAVA ballots outstanding or something we have to give and provisionals we have to give those individuals until 5:00 p.m. that Friday to come to us and provide what we need in order for their vote to be able to be counted. I can't promise that we won't have a provisional ballot that needs to be something needs to be figured out at 4:45 that afternoon. So, it's possible that, you know, we can certify the election at until 5:00. So, the meeting could potentially be we could have to recess for a little while and then come back. I would suggest doing it on a standalone day, not on a meeting day. Okay. Just from past experience. Yeah. Okay. So, does anybody have a calendar for another date? I have my calendar out to look for another date. Yep. I have the calendar up. Um, Thursday the 26th. Would that be a good day? 26th of of June. June. The following week. That works for me. I believe that. Yes, I'm good with that date. Yeah, that seems good because we have budget time right now. So, I've been looking at the

calendar just to make sure we don't conflict with any budget meetings. Okay. So, is everybody pretty much in a consistent? What time did you want to start it at? It doesn't matter to me. What? I'm flexible. So, would you like afternoon or what do y'all prefer? I don't It doesn't matter to me. Uh Shannon, do you guys I think Okay. So, Thursday the 26th is going to be the day that we So, because it's statewide race, we are mandated by the um state to do an audit uh for that race. So, that happens at 9:00 that morning. Uh so, I mean, I don't foresee it taking past lunchtime, but it's just hard to say when I don't know how many people are going to turn out to vote. Um, but we we do have to do an audit for that particular race. I don't do don't you think we'd be done by noonish? I I do not anticipate the audit running past lunchtime. Um, so I'd say probably for our office it would be better um for an afternoon start time if you would want our presence there like three or four. I was about to say about three o'clock. Would that be good for everybody? Is that good? Sounds good to me. Okay. Okay. All right, perfect. Get someone to make a motion for that. I'm I'm move that on the 26th at 3:00 p.m. we have a work work session of June of June 26th of June. Second. It's been motioned and second that June 26 uh be the date for our work session to discuss bylaws and the strategic plan. Are there any questions? All in favor, let it be known by I. I.

Any opposes? Opposes. All right. Approved. All right. So, going on to uh item J were important upcoming dates and we're going to have Mr. Joseph Stale go over those with us, please. All right. Uh upcoming dates. The deadline for the voter registration change of addresses for the June 17, 2025 special primary election will be Monday, May 19th. Uh we have Memorial Day holiday on Monday, May 26th. The special primary election for the public service commissioner. Advanced in-person voting begins Tuesday, May 27th through Friday, June 13, 2025. The last day to accept an absentee ballot application is Friday, June 6, 2025. The special primary election for public service commissioner districts 2 and three will be Tuesday, June 17, 2025. The next board of elections and registars regular meeting is Friday June 20th 2025 at 3 pm and independence holiday is going to be Friday July 4th 2025 chair chairwoman I left off Junth that's a county holiday or state it's a federal holiday isn't it? Um, yeah, June 19th. So, and it's Dennis's birthday. He's always on vacation on his birthday. He has the day off. Always. Thank you. Thank you, Miss Nettles. Do you need a motion to add? We need to add that, too. Okay. Okay. All right. Thank

you. All right. On to item K. And are there any additional public comments? Please take the podium. Um, I want to commend you for uh your uh at the hearing last month. Uh you made the very wise question to sorry I I'll start over. Uh I want to commend you for the way that you handled this challenge. I think that at the last uh meeting uh you made the very wise decision to uh start by asking uh Mr. Rap uh for to explain his methodology uh how he came up with uh a factual basis for his challenge and I thought that was very good. uh and uh I commend you for remaining calm as it turned out that the uh database that he used wrote ref uh was exactly what you would expect given what it is a very faulty database hardly better than the true the vote database that you had dealt with in 2020. uh and the uh fact that uh you went to so much work to do the work that Mr. Rap should have done. Uh I I commend you and thank you for that. Uh uh and I should say that uh I went by uh uh 601 St. Mary's Road uh after that uh and took a picture as a mailbox. the mailbox in

front of the house there does say 601 St. Mary's Road and that's the kind of research that uh should be done should be asked to be done uh before uh a a challenger uh uh harasses voters. Thank you, Dr. Begman. Are there any other public comments? Okay. I just like to say I I believe I did um reach out to you, Dr. McCulla, and thank you privately, but I do want to thank you publicly for standing in for me um and the rest of the board. And unfortunately, I was had CO and so I was um definitely under the weather and was unable to attend. Um hated that I couldn't be here, but um I do agree with Dr. Beckman. You all handled it very well and was it was very productive meeting. I just want to say thank you. All right. If there are no other questions or anything else, uh I'd like to uh get a motion to adjurnn the meeting. Please. So moved. Second. It's been motioned and second that we adjourn our meeting for today, May 15th. It is 4:37. Please make note. Motion uh meeting is adjourned.