Board of Registrars - Regular Meeting

All right. So, uh, let's see. It is 10:00 a.m. Look at that. Perfect. Okay. Welcome to the board of registars meeting and uh it's 10:00 a.m. on Tuesday the 24th. Um and uh call the the meeting to order here. So the first agenda item they have we should do a roll call vote please on Zoom. Okay. Yep. All right. So um uh Rachel here present. Present. Amy Barry present.

Lisa Yates present. And John Bonina present. Perfect. Thank you. Okay. So our first agenda item is approval of the January minutes. Um I some discussion here. Um any discussion about No, they all look good. Yeah, they look good. No, looks good. All right. So I make a motion to approve the meeting minutes from January 12th, 2020 2026. Second.

Okay. So moved. Moved. Okay. All right. So uh our next agenda item is the um voter registration placement system that it's coming out from the state. Yeah. So, last time I talked about the program and it was like coming out that week and they rolled it out for a couple days and then they took it back. It just wasn't up to speed. They had a couple adjustments to make. I don't know when they're going to put it out, but they put the old one back in place and I'm going to be honest, I'm pretty happy. Oh, are you? I mean, I didn't dislike the old one, but I'm starting to get busy with nomination papers. I know how to use this one. So, you know, I didn't have to learn anything now.

Yeah, the timing. Okay. nice if they came out with it last fall, right? Well, yeah, it was supposed to be last summer. I mean, the census is really still, you know, very popular in our mail. So, we um there's no new date for it. Okay. Okay. I went to a training two weeks ago and they said they're working to get all of the um latency issues resolved and they'll just keep us posted, but there's no date at this time. Okay. Yeah. They were supposed to have like six weeks of training so none of that stuff happened.

No, we only had one week which was nice cuz I shut the office to do it and we only had the one week of training and I mean it seems like it'll be a great program but it was very slow and so I think you know there's a lot of large cities and towns and when we're all on this program sometimes it takes a while to generate the extract. So I I don't know the you know what the latency issue was a big problem. So the state's going to take care of it and I will keep you posted. Kind of kind of beta testing it anyway. So yeah. Okay. So great. All right. So um yeah, I mean it doesn't make sense for them to roll it out in the middle of election season either.

No, it was I mean they were the training was great that we had but I think they realized that there was going to be a problem and um I they got in front of it. So it was great. Very good. Yeah. All right. So, our next agenda item, we did get um the Democratic town committee statement of organization paperwork filed. Yes, it is. This isn't really under the board of registars like responsibilities, but it's come up at a couple meetings. Yes. But the paperwork is now on file with the clerk's office. Yes. Yep. Glad to hear that. I did receive verification on that, so that's good.

Um Yeah. Okay. And um this next agend agenda item um meeting with the select board uh was uh delayed from initially January because couldn't make it. Um so we're rescheduled for March 17th. Right. I was excited apparently because I put it on there twice. Yes, I noticed that. You noticed that. I think I was moving it down to kind of like keep everything in order, but um yeah. So, um, yeah. Yeah. So, what, uh, topics do you want to bring up so I can prepare Amber for that? Do you just kind of want to explain to them that we're going to be rolling out these little public service videos?

Yeah. Um, what are they looking I mean, because they're the ones that invited us to their They didn't really invite us. We I asked if we could have a spot based on a meeting that we Well, maybe it was last year. I think it was last year the select board wanted to start a new thing where they had each of the committees and boards come in at that point. Yes, that it never ended up happening last year. So I wasn't sure what the purpose of them wanting to do that was just putting faces names. I don't know. Do you I don't recall. I think it was just to say hi. Yeah, I think it was to uh you know to to meet the new select board members and you know that kind of thing. And

um you know I mean it it is it is not a committee that the board registars is not really a committee that a lot of people know about it I think you know so um although it's public knowledge and available for people to learn about it but um I think it's a good thing for us to be able to meet with them and talk about what we do and uh how we do it. Okay. I think that that would be the purpose for them to

Yeah. thought I thought it was in the context if I remember correctly of us, you know, having some, you know, strategic vision of how can we get out in front of people in town a bit more to h to, you know, just have them be informed about we exist, what is our mission, you know, what what are we doing? I don't really see it as for the benefit of the select board people, you know, ne so much. Although, you know, if they have questions, you know, that's that's great. But it's, you know, it's a town public forum where, you know, um, people attend and learn about, you know, town town functions. And, you know, we're we're we're more contributing to, you know, state and national elections. We don't have a have a role for for town elections. Uh, but, you know, nonetheless, for people to um, you know, just to have the visibility and more understand what we're doing and, you know, encourage people to vote never hurts. I mean we can um will this um description that we've been working on be up and running?

Yes, I believe it will be. So we can you know reference that. That would be a good thing for us to um you know really use as tell people to use about um learning about what what the election process is. So um and uh you know I think uh to to understand um you know um what what we what we do that's basically the idea. You know we're not going to have a lot of time right?

No we don't have a lot of time. So, okay. Um, and then also we should make a recommendation whether we are or aren't going to have in-person early voting for the local town election. Y,

um, I don't remember. I don't recall what did it were we was there going to be any kind of fact uh section in the website or with the um like the presentation stuff that you're doing. Um just things such as um you know like questions that people might have such as you know oh well what happens if somebody you know moves out of town and you know just some of the common information of well you know you have to go through two voting cycles before they can be you know

you know that kind of I don't know if that if that's advantageous you know to help people understand the process. Um, so I do have uh those linked but they are answered by the state which Okay. So I do have those on there. Okay. Mhm. So yeah, stuff like that I think. um you know going along with Rachel's just yeah I mean if if u yeah I mean I think I think there is it is important if we're going to put that up on on the website you know a description of the board registars and what we do and how the voting process works we should definitely reference that

within our meeting with the select board because I I think people need to really that's the whole idea of it to be transparent Right. Absolutely. Yeah. And it's and it's not that we're not transparent. It's just you have to go digging to try to figure out where the information is. So why make it so hard if we can just either give links to the state stuff or just put it in there at least and it makes it easier so people don't think we're hiding anything. Right. Right. Thank you for putting all that together, too. Yeah. Sure. Yeah. Thank you.

Yep. Are there any changes or corrections? The cable company or cable committee Bob really will get started on um putting a voice behind those and um having some live shots in in those. I did do a one with less color, but I don't know what he'll end up using for color. But um you know the one with the website, he can use a cursor and point and then have the page come up. It's hard to just do it on a flat sheet, but he will. Um Yeah. So, he does all that. He's really good at that. So, I mean, this is just a PowerPoint flat sheet.

Yeah. But he can do that. So, is the wording Did you have any changes or corrections with that? Really? Um, it's pretty this is a good good thing here. How people can track their ballot through the secretary's track my ballot system that you know that page I think is really Do you need these Lisa? Important. Oh, here I just got

mine printed like odd. Yeah, mine printed odd, too. Because it's a PowerPoint, I think. And the orange one, there was something wrong with the orange one. Yeah, the bullseye one that that would not allow them to print. So, um just came in.

That's probably my printer. That's good. Y this one. Yes. Yes. Okay. And then now this page will be

so he'll have he'll have the homepage then it'll show you how to go to the to the different section. Yes. Okay. Good. Yeah. I think that's Yeah, I think that's good. And then we can always expand upon that. That's right. If if we you know hear feedback or if we you know come across something that would be helpful, we can Okay. A work in progress. Okay. I'll ask him to get started then. That's great. Got to start somewhere. So, okay. That's great. Thanks for doing that. Yeah, sure. Thanks to more work for you, but appreciate it. Yeah, it'll be nice when it's done. Yeah. Yeah. And I'm thankful for his skills.

Yeah, that's great. Any thoughts, Rachel? No, sounds great. Great stuff. Okay. [clears throat] So, um any other um I know we moved to that, but we were talking about the select board meeting, so we're done with that pretty much. We know. Yes. So, ju I'll go ahead and post it as a separate meeting. Um because if you can come, it will be a quorum because I'll be there too. And so if you want to speak as the chair, John, I'll have everything ready for you with the slides

and um any other information. But if we're just going to give them our mission and reference the service announcements and then make the recommendation in regards to the um inerson early voting, I'll give them a memo of that, but we'll just state that. Okay. Yeah. So, how does that work since we're going to be a quorum in their meeting? We can do we have to come to order? I mean, how does that work? We don't. We'll just be there and then I'll just make the notes based on that. But we can also do use their minutes. Okay.

That would be good. That'd be good to meet them too. Yeah.

Forward to that. Okay. And um so if no other comments on that, move to the next agenda item, which is recommending um a recommendation regarding inperson early voting for the town election. So I think just to frame it, I think we have talked about how this um is is a very expensive proposition for the town and u the turnout. Does it really um yield the amount of uh voters to to make it worth it? Right.

It is expensive or others especially at this time when the budget and everything is really highly you know you know a hot hot topic. It doesn't make sense to Yeah. So Rachel, just when we haven't done it in the past. So

So just to catch you up, I had pulled the numbers last year. I had just started and I pulled the numbers and the number of people that attend versus the cost to have staff to process and everything. We also offer the absentee and the uh early vote by mail. So or the vote by mail option. So it people can still vote early. They can just do it through the mail. So, we chose not to do it last year because the cost was so much. Same with the year before. I don't know if they've ever done it. I don't think they usually do feta. Yeah. Any thoughts, Rachel? No, that sounds that sounds reasonable.

Yeah. Yeah. Okay. So, um Yeah. And again, I think like you know the um Amy and the town and us like we're trying to get the word out more about like different options and participation and so I think that offsets any you know kind of loss of opportunity. I mean you just have to go mail something you know it's not right. Yeah. Yeah. So we should probably take a vote on that because we'll be making a recommendation to the board. Okay. So, um, all in favor of accepting, uh, or deciding not to, uh, do early voting, uh, for town election in person.

In person. I second it. Okay. All in favor? I I I All right. So pretty height and uh yeah I think it's uh it's you know we have these other options. It's a good thing. So um all right and we did talk about the PSA with the grafting community television on the board of registr. So we're good with that right?

Yes. And um our next agenda item was to uh appoint Michael Janette Tom Bernard as assistant registars uh effective April 1st to March 31st, 2027. So Rachel, we did this last year too. It's just basically allowing them to like uh do the nomination papers and um the petition papers to use your stamp and stuff. they they have no bearing on the committee. Their um party enrollment has nothing to do with it. It's just they're employed in the office. So, you as the board are appointing them to do some of these jobs that they do anyway.

Okay. Thanks for clarifying. Sure. And also, whenever they do use our stamp, they put their initial on it so that we know, you know, it's confirmation of who actually was using the stamp. Okay. So, um do we need a vote on that? Yes. So, um can we u I make a motion. Thank you.

That makes you a motion to appoint Michael Janette and Todd Bernard as assistant registars for an appointment date of April 1st, 2026 to March 31st, 2027. Second approved. I Yeah. All right. Good. Thank you. Thank you. So, all right. I think we're we're at our next agenda item, which is what's our next meeting unless So, do you think that we need another meeting before the 17th or um

um I guess that um as far as the PSA stuff, are we going to be showing the board any of that stuff or just telling them about it? Um I don't know if we'll have that amount of time. I don't know how busy their schedule is. Um, we could I mean, we can schedule a meeting like a couple days before just to review that if you want. It might be a good idea. So, do it the week before. Yep. More comfortable. Okay. If we can uh have a meeting.

Also, like one way to disseminate information uh because we're participating in a select board meeting is we could submit material to them. they include it in the packet and it doesn't necessarily get you know get discussed but it's you know any it's accessible to anyone it's part of the you know meeting meeting materials right so that is that is a nice way like if we have you know if it's a powerpoint you make a PDF of it you include it um and then you know it's available to anyone you know some people do look at all that stuff for sure what is the when do they when does the information have to be in for them to put the pack it out usually. Is it a week?

Yeah, they usually do it like the Friday before. So, but the meeting's on Tuesday the 17th. So, if we When When are you out of town? Oh, not until the 20 for 20th. Oh, okay. It's So, we could do um the 10th, 11th, maybe the 12th of It's a Tuesday, Wednesday, or Thursday of the March. 10th would work for me. is that it's a Tuesday. Yeah. Rachel, how's the 10th look for you? Uh it's great if you don't mind. Uh one more Zoom. I'll be here for the select board uh meeting and attend that, but I'll be traveling that particular day.

Okay. What time works for you then? As of now, anytime pretty much. Okay. Okay. 10 o'clock then. Yeah. On the 10th. Okay. Okay. So, we don't have anybody to publicly comment. So, I guess that means that uh uh we're going to adjourn. Do I have a motion to adjurnn? Motion to adjurnn. Okay.

Second. I second. I [laughter] whatever I can read my own. We bumble through that a little bit, but that's okay. We get through it. All right. Through the meeting.