Board of Elections - Regular Meeting

Nice real proud. So I will call to order May 14, 2025 meeting of the Montgomery County Board of Elections. Ask our Director of Elections, Frank Dean, to lead us in the pledge of allegiance. Ice flag of America and to the republic for it stands nation indivisible with liberty and justice for all. Okay. Any opening comments? Any general public comments? Okay. Great. All right. So, we will move on to the business and we'll hear from Frank Dean on the appointment of our poll workers and tag agents. Morning election board. Uh today I have three requests for you. Uh the first is for the appointment of temporary pole workers. The election code permits the election board to temporarily appoint qualified individuals to fill any vacancies that may occur on election day. There is a list attached to your agenda entitled pole worker appointments for the 2025 primary election. We are requesting that the board move to approve these individuals on this list to serve in the named election districts in the named positions for the 2025 primary election and the back elections. Any questions? Questions. Is there a motion that the people whose names are set forth on the attached document titled

pole worker appointments for the 2025 primary election as non-elected pole workers are designated to serve as members of the various local boards of elections throughout Montgomery County for the date of the 2025 primary election only? Second. uh address I said moved by Commissioner Dello, seconded by Commissioner Winder. Is there any board comment? All in favor? I work are appointed. Second is for the appointment of election tabulators. The election board is given authority to appoint qualified individuals to serve as election tabulators by the PA election code. There's a list attached to your agenda entitled election tabulator appointments for the 2025 primary election. We're requesting that the board move approve the individuals on this list to serve as election tabulators the 2025 primary election and for that election only. Any questions? These are all county employees. Uh no, the tabulator lists are uh folks from outside of the county. Oh, right. Right, right. Usually pole workers. Right. Yep. Sorry. Any other questions? Is there a motion to appoint the name set forth on the attached document titled election tabulator appointments for the 2025 primary election to work as members of the election tabulation board to assist in the computation of the primary election held on May 20th, 2025. So moved by Commissioner Deello second. Second by Commissioner Wend comments. All in favor? I motion passes. The tabulators are appointed. Okay. I didn't hear you first. Okay. Okay. Next one. Uh the final uh request is for the authorization of uh the canvas and provisional boards. Section 3050 of the election code states that in

the days following the election, the board of election shall sign a provisional ballot envelope to determine if the individual voting the provisional ballot is entitled to have that ballot counted. Section 3146.8 of the election to vote states that the board of elections to conduct the pre-candes cast via mail in an absentee ballots. The code gives the board the authority of stale to delegate their responsibilities to representatives authorized to act on the board's paths. You then provide the document titled canvaser appointments for the 2025 primary election. I am requesting that the board vote to approve the people named on that list to serve as the provisional canvas board and on the absentee mail and canvas board for the 2025 primary election for the purpose of examining and making determination as to what provisional absentee and mailin ballots may be counted. Okay. Any questions? That's my question. That is uh that's a mix of county and non-counties. So that's the difference between vendor and county then. Yes. Because I don't see a a clear uh full representation for both parties in that canvasing. Uh we do our best to keep it um bipartisan, but uh especially in primary, it's a little bit harder to get folks, especially from the county uh because um we're always open to having more folks help out. But I asked you that last week or two weeks ago when I asked you I said how the people that worked at general last year did we contact them who work in the primary and you said we do. Yes. No, but you mentioned to me you said we're those seats are going to be filled by all by pretty much county employees. It is primarily like we don't need as many people. We only have maybe we're probably going to get about 50,000 ballots back. uh and we don't have to stay for the full 24-hour cycle, right? So there's not as big a push to get more folks in because we need people working especially throughout the

night. That's primarily where we used a lot of our outside help initially. But I see a lot of vendor on here as well. Uh they could be um they're pro if they have a vendor number that doesn't necessarily mean they are non I'm just going down you have role you have vendor or county that's what I'm looking at on the spreadsheet that I have aologize I might do over on the table there so the vendor number um is typically utilizing non-county folks it could be that that person is a pole worker that it's not being utilized in in this election. Uh uh if there were a desire to have a more bipartisan layout, I can certainly make that moving forward. I think it should be. What are the statutory requirements? Uh as far as running the canvas, I'm not aware that there are any. We keep a partisan uh breakdown when we are reviewing right in votes and tab tabulation uh and reconciliation and that make up the election of two Democrats. Any other questions? All right. Is there a motion to appoint an except four from the attached document titled canvaser appointments 2025 primary election to work as members of the mail in absentee ballot canvas board to assist in the computation of the primary election held on May 20th moved by commissioner. Is there a second? I'll second the motion. Um, any board

comment? Uh, all in favor? I I can are appointed. So, it's just harder to find Republicans than Mono. I don't know. No, it's not. I asked the question. So, you didn't really uh put out much of a this time because the the demand is just not there. But I can certainly make it a priority moving forward that we have, you know, sufficient representation from both parties. Well, obviously our conversation was misunderstood when we're talking. I apologize for that. That's fine. Yeah. Primary, we'll we'll deal we'll we'll talk again for the general. Yes. I think whatever is the even way to recruit people is waiting. I mean, we send out a blast, right? Yes. It's not like we intentionally Yeah. It's not like we intentionally picked D's and Rs. Yeah, we first. Yeah. I don't want to give the impression that I'm I didn't say that. Right. No, I'm just I'm just Yeah, I'm just going to record. Yeah. And the Do you have a ratio or do you explain like what the current ratio is? Current ratio of makeup. Uh the in the county itself or within the canvas? Both. Uh the county I think is uh leaning two to one Democrat to Republican. Um the canvas itself I don't know off the top of my head. No. Uh we just send out the email to usually county employees because they're they're the easiest to uh get a hold of and manage and get authorization to work on election day. The ratio is 10 to Oh, okay. Thank you. Okay. It's not like 90 to 10 or so. Understood. Um, no, it's important. I think Well, I'll just say my closing comments. I've been to a number of the poll worker trainings. Thank you for hosting those. We had 250 people in one

of the Zooms, 290, I think. And both parties, people are people have been doing this for decades in many cases. I think I've met a few pole workers who've done this for 50 years. and then a number of people who are doing this for the first time and they're all just stepping up to help their friends and neighbors vote no matter who they're voting for. So, it's always nice to to see that and it's complicated. Those trainings are two hours long and there's a lot of things to go over and a lot of problems that could happen, but I'm appreciative for everyone who who does the work to, you know, to know how to navigate all that. Your your team is at the top of the list. So, thank you. Our pleasure. Any any comments? Are we at closing? Yes, we're at closing. Okay. I didn't know where. Yeah. No, I mean it's it's um you know, it's primary. You know, it's unfortunately does seem to be a lot of voter interest in this primary so far, which is typical uh especially after presidential year. So, uh we'll get through next Tuesday. Should be a good day. Weather should be nice. Open. Yes. And hopefully we'll see a decent voter turnout. We're anticipating around a 30% turnout. Yeah. That tracks with historically good elections. Um but we're you know prepared for any outcomes and uh yeah moving forward I'll just be happy to make sure that there's greater representation of both parties. Okay. Is there a motion to adjourn the May 14th, 2025 meeting of the Montgomery County Election Board? Moved by Commissioner Dello. Is there a second by Commissioner Wer? Any board comment? All in favor? I meeting Mr. Chair.