Precinct Official Orientation & Training

1. Precinct Official Orientation & Training

2. Emily Lippolis Agency Legal Specialist Allison Blackman Election Prep & Support

3. Precinct Officials

4. Best practice for appointment process • Provide each party chair with • Copy of appointment statutes • Duties from administrative code • List of actual requirements • An “application” or method for collecting information from appointees

5. Board members party chairs Talk to party chairs about recommendations. Can they? • Is the person physically capable? • Can the person use technology?

6. Board members party chairs • Will they? • Will this person use the checklists? • Will they work well with others?

7. Board members party chairs • Did they? • Did they maintain“the appearance as well as the reality of care, efficiency, impartiality, and honest election administration”G.S. 163-166.5

8. Does the Chief Judge have to be the party of the governor? No. There is no particular party requirement for the chief judge.

9. Can unaffiliated voters be appointed? • Yes. • If a party includes an unaffiliated voter in their recommendation list • If no such list is provided by the party, the board by unanimous vote may appoint an unaffiliated voter to serve

10. Can you appoint in-laws into the same precinct? • No • Relationship of first cousin or closer • Other “in-law” relationships • Parent, spouse, sibling on the ballot? • Not eligible to work in precinct with that ballot • May work in other precinct

11. Can an appointed precinct official be removed? • Yes – but follow due process • Directors • Post-election review with documentation • Could training or a candid conversation work? • Board • Removal is power and duty of the board • Appoint well, save issues later

12. Welcoming your new officials

13. Orientation Schedule and duties • Provide a schedule for the next two years • Provide all appointees with a list of duties • Statutory • Practical

14. Orientation Training starts here Give a notebook (or provide digitally) a copy: • Station Guide • Handbook • Checklists

15. Orientation Communication and training should happen early and often.

16. Precinct Uniformity

17. NC Voting Site Station Guide • Use the Station Guide in every precinct and one-stop location • Canvass date update • September/October update Help Station pages 9 and 12 • Cover the number 10 with a 6 Remove for November

18. Handbook • Provide a copy of the Precinct Official Handbook for each voting site • The Handbook has a detailed account of in-precinct procedures • Email a copy to your election officials

19. Checklists and Forms Provide checklists to your officials including • Election Supplies Pick-up & Return Checklist • Ballot Chain of Custody Form • Notice to Same Day Registrants (OS) • New ATV…and more

20. Required on Election Day when using electronic pollbooks • Printed backup pollbook • Pre-printed manual ATV forms

21. NEW ATV

22. Why do we have a new ATV? • Employs lessons learned from the post-election audit • Requirements are easier to read • Further reinforces qualifications for registration and voting

24. Ms. King, this is your Application to Vote form, please: • check your name, • address, • (if applicable) primary ballot preference on the form, • and review these statements on the form. • If everything is correct and true, please sign here. ALB Sarah Ann King

25. ATV Management • Review new ATV at training • Remind officials it’s a team effort • Check-in is not solely responsible • Ballot station should review for completion • Chief Judge must flip through ATVs and provisional envelopes regularly • Rover/Coordinator also must check ATVs and provisional envelopes

27. Felons and Same Day Registration • New voting guide for people in criminal justice system • Available in English and Spanish • Clarifies eligibility • Use this to inform your same day registration (SDR) staff at your OS sites

28. Citizenship and Same Day Registration • Lawful permanent resident (LPR) = not eligible to register and vote • Most countries don’t have this middle step • Compulsory voting in some countries • Not all countries prohibit non-citizens from voting • Make sure your precinct officials understand the difference between residence in the state and a “permanent resident” (green card holder)

29. Citizenship and Same Day Registration • There is no reliable “citizenship database” • Voters attest to citizenship status when registering and presenting to vote • If a person presents a green card as HAVA identification, follow regular requirements for determining if the ID is current and valid (i.e., not expired).

30. Moving Right Along

31. Group Assignment Time Estimate • 5 minutes to get situated and introduce yourself • 20 minutes to discuss the topic • 20+ minutes to share the experience and how it changed your processes • Closing remarks

32. The topic: • Think about your most difficult experience with an appointed precinct official. • How did you manage this situation? • How did this experience change your approach to the process? • What do you do now that you didn’t do before this happened?

33. Send us your ideas Share your best practices Notecards available now Google doc submission Please provide before 8pm tonight in order for us to share tomorrow. 8:00 PM

34. Best Practices  Results from the notecards and GoogleDoc Survey

35. Have separate training for chief judges ​ • Have board members participate in training​ • Year-round training for precinct officials in addition to statutory requirements including training on conflict management, voting equip, OVRD, technology at polls (phones and laptops), challenges to votes, provisional ballots​ • For a reasonable fee, one county uses a court mediation group to conduct conflict management training for precinct officials​ • Focus group meetings in odd years with precinct officials​ • Counties are successfully recruiting retired teachers. Check with your county board of education and/or county government contact to inquire about a list of retirees for precinct official possibilities​ • Training! Training! Training!