Board of Elections - Regular Meeting

Can you hear us on Zoom? Can you hear us?

Are you speaking? Uh, okay.

Okay, Frank, you should hear me now. Yep, we can hear you. Yeah, that's what it was because I back. Awesome. Okay, great. Well, I'm gonna go back on mute, but yeah, you're live in the room. So, if you mute until we're ready. We have two out of three. Okay. You're just asking that now. No,

we had my nephew over. I my parents were watching yesterday and then my family came and he was screaming the entire time because I think he was so overwhelmed and held out my family. I was like everybody get outside this poor baby. I think he also All right. Call to order the November 3rd, 2025 meeting of the Montgomery County Election Board. Seeing all three commissioners present. Hearing one. Tom, are you there?

Is there? Yep. [clears throat] Seeing two, hearing one. Um Frank going to lead us in the pledge. To the flag of the United States of America to the republic for it stands one nation indivisibley and justice for all. [clears throat] Okay, keep it brief. We'll just bring Oh, do we have any public comments? Go ahead.

What? Oh. Um, first we'll move to approve the minutes. Is there a motion to approve the June 9th and September 25th minutes of the Montgomery County Election Board? So moved. Moved by Commissioner Winder. Is there a second? Second. Made by Commissioner Dello. Any [clears throat] board comment? All in favor? I I I The minutes are approved. Next, we'll hear from Frank.

Good afternoon, election board. Uh section 2675 of the election code permits the board of elections to temporarily appoint qualified individuals to fill any vacancies occurring at any time in the five days preceding an election. There is a list attached to your agenda entitled poleworker appointments for the 2025 municipal election. We are requesting that the board move to approve the individuals on this list to serve in the named election districts and the named positions for the 2025 municipal election and for that election only. Got it. So um how many can you tell us how many vacancies there are in terms of people running or not running or

uh I can get that information. I do not have that at the hand. Okay. Well, how how many these these are all of the appointments including the people who run and hold the positions? Yes. So, we still have to appoint them. Uh, no, it's just the software that we use. We can exp export everybody or we have to go through and export them one at a time. So, everyone's on there if they are an elected position and therefore not up for an appointment. They are noted as such on that spreadsheet. Got it. Any questions? How many is it total? Uh about 2450.

Is there a motion to a motion that the name the people whose names are set forth on the attached document titled pole worker appointments for the 2025 municipal election as non-elected pole workers be designated to serve as members of the various local boards of elections throughout Montgomery County for the 2025 municipal election only. So moved by Commissioner Winder. Is there a second? Second. By Commissioner Deello. Any board comment? All in favor? I I I uh the workers are appointed. Thank you. Go ahead.

Section 3146.8 Eight of the election code states that the board of elections is to conduct the pre-candus of votes cast via mailin and absentee ballots. Section 3050 of the election code states that in the days following the election, the board of elections shall examine provisional ballot envelopes to determine if the individual voting the provisional ballot is entitled to have that ballot counted. The code gives the board the authority to delegate their responsibilities to representatives authorized to act on the board's behalf. I have provided a document titled canvaser appointments for the 2025 municipal election. I'm requesting that the board vote to approve the people named on that list to serve as the canvas board and on the absentee mail and canvas board for the 2025 municipal election for the purpose of examining and making determinations as to what provisional absentee and mailin ballots may be counted.

How many people is this? Uh about 100. Any questions? Is there a motion to appoint the name set forth on the attached document titled canvaser appointments for the 2025 municipal election to work as members of the mail in an and absentee ballot canvas board to assist in the computation of the municipal election on November 4th, 2025. So moved by Commissioner Bellow. Is there a second? I'll second that. Seconded by Commissioner Winder. Any board comment? All in favor? Hi. Hi. I

The canvas board is appointed. Okay. Closing comments. If you want to stay up for a second. Sure. Um, are we going to count ballots with no date? Uh, as of uh right now, yes, we will. Okay. Do you want to say anything further about that? Um, I'm not a legal expert, but uh, unless a a legal challenge were to be filed, uh, that would preclude us from doing so, it is our intention to canvas ballots that do not have any date on them, we will be still, uh, segregating those ballots and scanning them separately in the event that litigation comes out after the fact.

Do you have any idea how many we already have? Uh there's about 500 total on the cure log and that is uh I think the first or second largest group of uh as far as deficiencies go. The other being unsigned entirely still will not count. Any questions for Frank? Go ahead. Can you just specify you mean prompt ballots where the outside envelope does not have a date on it? Correct. Yes. Okay. Think that's important. Famous misdated undated outer envelope. Yes.

Okay. Got it. And I think that should be good. I didn't really make any opening comments, but tomorrow's election day. So if anyone is watching this or Rachel Mina is gonna write about it, we should note that. And to date, we have 106,335 ballots. That was the number that uh we ended up finishing at barring any um additional last minute emergency ballots. And to date, we've received a little over 78,000 back. Yeah. Which is an odd year record. It's significantly higher than we were anticipating uh for this election. It's about 21% higher.

50% higher. 15% higher than we were predicting for this year. 15% higher than you already predicted because if 21 was 92,000 then 20 that was probably the peak, right? Uh yes. Yes. Yeah. So this must be at least a mail-in record. Yes. And Yeah. No. So 7 a.m. to 800 p.m. make a plan to vote on election day. How many polling places do we have right now? Uh we have 428 polling uh places across 313 physical locations. And did you move to the lower Frederick location? Yes. Everyone got an update on that? Yes. We mailed cards out the Friday after that meeting.

Great. You going to vote in person? You vote in person, right? I always vote in person. Yes. Awesome. Any closing comments? Is there a motion to adjourn the November 3rd, 2025 meeting of the Montgomery County Election Board? So moved by Commissioner Wer. Is there a second? Second. By Commissioner Dello. Any comments? All in favor? I The meeting is J. Thank you very much for the holiday. T prime.