Election Management. State Certification Program FCEP II. Florida State Association of Supervisors of Elections FSASE. and

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1 Election Management State Certification Program FCEP II Florida State Association of Supervisors of Elections FSASE and Florida Institute of Government The Florida State University Instructor: Vicki Davis, SOE Martin County

2 PARTICIPANT GUIDE Florida Certified Elections Professional Level II Election Management Vicki Davis, SOE, Martin County January , Florida State Association of Supervisors of Elections, Tallahassee, FL The John Scott Dailey Florida Institute of Government at Florida State University No part of this publication may be reproduced in any way without written permission. ALL RIGHTS RESERVED. Level 2 Florida Certified Elections Professional 1

3 Florida State Association of Supervisors of Elections Florida Certified Elections Professional The FSASE s certification program is a statewide collaborative effort with the Florida Institute of Government at Florida State University (FSU) that has produced a comprehensive, multi-level program for state certification for Supervisors of Elections and their staff. During FSASE s strategic planning process in August 2005, both the need and initial commitment for such a program were expressed. The FCEP Program has been honored with the 2015 Guardian Award by the Election Center and the 2016 Eagle Award by IACREOT, now IGO. Designed to address statewide conformity, consistency of practices, and voter confidence, the Florida Certified Elections Professional Program (FCEP) was initially coordinated through the Florida Institute of Government at Florida Gulf Coast University. Each of the 67 counties was contacted and included during the research phase in one or more of the following methodologies: focus groups, telephone interviews and an online survey. All resulting recommendations were channeled through FSASE s Education and Certification Committee. The program consists of a three-tiered system to professional certification (Florida Certified Elections Professional I, II, and III) comprised of classroom content, participant workbooks, application activities, shared best practices, and end-of-course assessments. In addition, three strands of specialization guided the selection of courses into the curriculum: Election Process and Law; Administrative Skills, Research and Technology; and Human Resource Relations (Talent Management). Course content is based on real-life, practical experience for Florida elections. There are a total of 33 courses. An overarching set of core values directs all course content. The values are as follows: 1. Apply the highest ethical standards, integrity, competencies and professionalism 2. Seek to continuously improve the election experience in Florida 3. Maintain transparency in relationships with citizens, colleagues, staff and other agencies 4. Communicate openly and honestly, inviting the free expression of ideas 5. Collaborate as a team acknowledging diverse roles and expertise 6. Strive for personal excellence and professional development through purposeful and continual learning Participants who have successfully completed all coursework achieve the Master Florida Certified Elections Professional (MFCEP) or Master Florida Certified Elections Vendor (MFCEV) designation, are recognized at a formal FSASE event, and awarded a plaque and pin. At the conclusion of the July 2017 classes, 115 have graduated and achieved the highest level of certification 113 MFCEP and 2 MFCEV. Level 2 Florida Certified Elections Professional 2

4 FCEP LEVEL II Election Management Learner Objectives To review history leading up to election management today. To discuss 2016 nationwide statistics - EAVS. To recognize functions associated with election management. To identify challenges as we move into To participate in practical exercises applying to best management practices for election management. Slides 1-2 Level 2 Florida Certified Elections Professional 3

5 Election Management Agenda I. Overview and Introductions Notes II. III. IV. Review Election Management History 2016 Nationwide Statistics Functions of Election Management V. Challenges for 2018 VI. Application Activities VIII. End-of-course Quiz IX. Closure and Course Evaluation Slides 1-2 Level 2 Florida Certified Elections Professional 4

6 Elections Management Honorable Vicki Davis Supervisor of Elections Martin County January 23,

7 Learner Objectives 1. To review History leading up to Election Management today 2. To discuss 2016 Nationwide Statistics - EAVS 3. To recognize Functions associated with Election Management 4. To identify Challenges as we move into To participate in practical exercises applying to Best Management Practices for Election Management 2

8 History Leading Up To Elections Management Practices 1776: Only white men age 21 and older who own land can vote 1787: US Constitution 14 th Amendment 1868 Full citizenship rights to all men born or naturalized in the United States 15 th Amendment 1870 African-American Men s Right to Vote 19 th Amendment 1920 Women s Suffrage 24 th Amendment 1964 Poll Tax Prohibition 26 th Amendment 1971 Right to Vote at age : Federal Civil Rights Act passed to ensure that all men and women age 21 and older, regardless of race, religion, or education, have the right to vote 3

9 History Leading Up To Elections Management Practices 1965: Voting Rights Act suspended literacy tests, federal enforcement of registration and voting rights is provided, and the prohibition on poll taxes was extended. 1969: Florida Constitution Florida was not one of the states that ratified the 19 th Amendment during Passed by Florida s Senate and House of Representatives on May 13, 1969 and approved on May 22, 1969 without the signature of Governor Claude Kirk. 1975: Federal Voting Rights Act is renewed, permanently banning literacy tests and Section 203 is added 1984: Federal Voting Accessibility for the Elderly and Handicapped Act - ADA 1986: UOCAVA Uniform & Overseas Citizens Absentee Voting Act Federal law that protects the right of service members to vote in federal elections regardless of where they are stationed. 4

10 History Leading Up To Elections Management Practices 1993: NVRA/ Motor Voter Required states to establish voter registration procedures for federal elections so citizens can apply to register to vote when applying for a driver s license, by mail and at select state and local offices. 2000: Early Voting was created and was optional for the 2002 election and mandatory for election officials to offer for the 2004 elections to present. 2002: Help America Vote Act (HAVA) was enacted requiring statewide databases and eliminated punchcard ballots, lever voting equipment and provided voter education funding. 2002: Absentee ballots can be requested by anyone without a reason. A witness is no longer required 2008: Florida law requires use of optical scan voting equipment statewide 5

11 History Leading Up To Elections Management Practices 2009: MOVE Act Expanded UOCAVA requiring states to transmit ballots to UOCAVA voters no later than 45 days before a federal election and provides for the tracking of ballots 2011: HB 1355 was adopted into law reducing early voting days, increased the use of provisional ballots, etc bifurcated system pre-clearance counties and HB Federal Supreme Court Case pre-clearance no longer required 2013 HB 7013 was adopted 2014 Obama committee Presidential Commission of Election Administration 6

12 History Leading Up To Elections Management Practices Elections are classified as Critical Infrastructure under Department of Homeland Security 2017 Online Voter Registration (OVR) goes live RegistertoVoteFlorida.gov 2017 Trump committee Presidential Advisory Commission Now, let s discuss Elections Management in today s environment 7

13 Elections Management Today Elections office is often the smallest of all constitutional offices at the local level until Election Day then it becomes one of the largest Florida is ALWAYS under the microscope during elections o Florida is the third most populist state o Tied with New York which is a blue state - 29 Electors o Media always knows: California Democrat 55 Electors Texas Republican 38 Electors Florida the swing state 29 Electors "Ground zero in the battle for the White House is always Florida. With 29 electoral votes, Florida comprises nearly one-third of potential 'swing votes' in the Electoral College, making it the crown jewel of presidential politics," RPOF chairman Blaise Ingoglia said in an invite to the presidential candidates, which went out yesterday: 8

14 Elections Management Today Management is defined as: The Function that coordinates the efforts of people to accomplish goals and objectives using available resources efficiently and effectively. Wikipedia 9

15 Elections Management Today What is the definition of Elections Management? Small Group Activity Define Elections Management in 5 words or less 10

16 Elections Management Today Functions associated with Election Management v Planning v Organizing v Staffing v Leading v Controlling 11

17 Elections Management Today Public perception: Election Officials only work two days every other year. Managing an elections office is a full-time job o Complex responsibilities WHAT ARE THEY? o Administrative vs. Policy Making 12

18 Elections Management Today Elections Management Governed By Federal Laws o Voting Rights Act of 1965 o NVRA/Motor Voter o HAVA o MOVE Act o Proposed SENTRI Act State Statutes, Administrative Rules, Opinions o Chapters Always changing Local Ordinances 13

19 Election and Voting Survey - EAVS Federal Laws o Voting Rights Act of 1965 o NVRA/Motor Voter o HAVA o MOVE Act o Proposed SENTRI Act State Statutes, Administrative Rules, Opinions o Chapters Always changing Local Ordinances 14

20 Election and Voting Survey - EAVS Overall Turnout in 2016 Half of all states had turnout rates between 60 and 70 percent Florida had a 70% turnout Five states had turnout rates of more than 70% Ø Oregon Ø Maine Ø New Hampshire Ø Minnesota Ø Colorado 15

21 Election and Voting Survey - EAVS Registering to Vote Every state has voter registration except North Dakota 15 states allow individuals to register to vote at the polls on Election Day Oregon implemented Automatic Registration. Opt-out instead of opt-in 16

22 Election and Voting Survey - EAVS Registering to Vote 17

23 Election and Voting Survey - EAVS Poll Book Technology Most jurisdictions in the US (81.8%) use preprinted paper registration lists to check in voters at the polls 89% of jurisdictions that only use paper lists, the local jurisdiction prints the poll books In jurisdictions used e-poll books In ,146 jurisdictions used e-poll books o Some used e-poll books to update voter history and to locate polling locations 18

24 Election and Voting Survey - EAVS Pre-Election Voting In 2016, 41.3% of all ballots were cast before Election Day o 17.2% - Early Voting o 23.7% - Vote by Mail Vote by Mail Excuse Required provide a reason why they cannot vote in person No Excuse most common Permanent Absentee receive a ballot by mail for every election All Vote by Mail every voter receives a ballot by mail o Colorado, Oregon and Washington UOCAVA 19

25 Election and Voting Survey - EAVS 20 Provided by EAC

26 Election and Voting Survey - EAVS Provided by EAC 21

27 Election and Voting Survey - EAVS Early Voting There were an average of 6.1 early voting sites per 100,000 voters In 2016, early voting made up more than 60% of the total votes cast o Arizona, Florida, Montana, North Carolina, Nevada, Oregon and Texas Election Day Voting Conducting an election is a complex undertaking Federal elections must be held on the first Tuesday after the first Monday in November in every even-numbered year In spite of the increasing popularity of voting prior to Election Day, Election Day voting still remains the most popular method for citizens of the US 22

28 Election and Voting Survey - EAVS Precincts & Polling Locations In 2016, 178,217 precincts and 116,990 physical polling places 7.1% were election offices 92.9% were other locations schools, libraries, etc. Poll Workers 46.9% of responding jurisdictions reported a somewhat difficult or very difficult time recruiting 22.7% reported having a somewhat easy or very easy time In 2016, an average of 7.8 poll workers per polling place were deployed 23

29 Election and Voting Survey - EAVS Poll Workers 24

30 Managing Internal Processes Why have Policies and Procedures? Creates efficiencies and uniformity within the organization Illustrates how each piece affects the mission of the entire organization Guide for manager s decision making Assists with cross-training of employees 25

31 Managing Internal Processes Clear and Detailed Policies and Procedures Must keep Security forefront Voter Registration Voting by Mail Polling Place Procedures Poll Worker Recruitment and Training Early Voting Procedures Canvassing and Certifying Election Results Conducting a Recount Voter Outreach How to Handle Provisional Ballots, etc. What Functions do policies and procedures assist with? 26

32 Election Preparation Why is an Election Calendar needed? It is all about the details! Provides a project management timeline Every election has a beginning date and an end date Each task has a start and end date and is assigned to specific members of staff Many election tasks cannot be started until a preceding task is complete Individual tasks should be clearly noted on the election calendar Project management becomes more intense during the weeks approaching the start of Early Voting and Election Day Once again it is all about the details! 27

33 Challenges Election administrators have described themselves as the least powerful lobby in state legislatures and often the last constituency to receive scarce funds at the local level. PCEA Report, Page 10 elections tend toward the lower end of the scale of priorities, behind education, public safety, and health care, to name just a few resource competitors. 28

34 Challenges Technology New/Old equipment for 2018 Cybersecurity Lack of Resources The Budgeting Challenge Stats are the foundation for budget planning Develops a reliable picture of the future environment Many factors affect your budget including: ü Number of elections ü Number of voters involved ü Length of the ballot ü Number of polling locations ü Number of poll workers ü Equipment used ü Overtime ü Temp staff ü Voter outreach and education 29

35 Small Group Activity What budget challenges are you facing in your county? Does technology/equipment factor into your budget challenges? Share a minimum of two issues with the large group 30

36 Challenges PCEA Recommendation: In every respect possible, the responsible department or agency in every state should have on staff individuals who are chosen and serve solely on the basis of their experience and expertise. Staffing & Professionalism o Recruiting o Hiring o Training o Managing o Retention o Succession Planning 31

37 Challenges Poll Worker Recruitment Training Professionalism Large Group Best Practices for recruitment and training; how to recruit professionals? Polling Locations Schools, Churches, Clubhouses o Security o Lay out, flow, parking o ADA Compliant o What happens if you can t use a precinct/location during the Election Cycle? Large Group Discuss the challenges and practices used 32

38 Challenges Managing 3 Elections in 1 With every change in Legislation, there is an Effect Elections administration/management is governed predominately by Florida Statutes There is a change in the method voters are choosing to cast their votes 33

39 Challenges 34

40 Challenges Managing 3 Elections in 1 Observations from the chart Voters tend to vote at their precinct during a governor s year Ø % voted at precincts; 31%voted early/mail Ø % voted at precincts; 55% voted early/mail Ø % voted at precincts; 43% voted early/mail Ø % voted at precincts; 56% voted early/mail Ø % voted at precincts; 54% voted early/mail Ø % voted at precincts; 69% voted early/mail Large Group By what method are voters casting votes/how does this compare to past history in your county? 35

41 Challenges Managing 3 Elections in 1 Vote by Mail Ballots 1. If any person accepts a benefit in exchange for possessing more than 2 absentee ballots per election in addition to his or her own ballot or a ballot belonging to an immediate family member what does he/she face? 2. If the ballot is to be mailed to an address other than the one on file, Florida Statutes requires a signature. What is the exception? 3. If signature is missing or is different than the one on file, Florida Statutes allows voters to cure their ballot by completing the affidavit and providing a copy of their ID by 5 pm on the day before Election Day. a) Can the affidavit and ID be delivered by someone other than the voter? b) How can you return a signed Affidavit? c) What must accompany the Affidavit? 36

42 Challenges Vote by Mail Ballots Managing 3 Elections in 1 4. What is the exception to the Election Day Emergency Excuse delivery of a ballot? 5. Election officials are allowed to compare a voter s signature on the voter s certificate or absentee ballot affidavit against the voter s signature on the precinct register. What were Election officials previously limited to? 6. Is the SOE required to provide the voter a specific reason for the ballot s rejection? 37

43 Challenges Managing 3 Elections in 1 Early Voting 6 to 8 hours with a maximum of 12 hours per day Shall be offered a minimum of 8 days with a maximum of 14 days Permissible sites include fairgrounds, civic centers, courthouses, county commission buildings, stadiums, convention centers, government owned senior center or government owned community center Maintain at a minimum the same number of sites for a general election as used for the 2012 general election What is our statutory bonus regarding Early Voting Sites? 38

44 Challenges Managing 3 Elections in 1 Election Day Last opportunity to cast a vote Voter who moves from one Florida county to another county to vote a regular ballot if the new county uses an electronic database as a precinct register e-poll book 39

45 Challenges Voter Outreach and Education According to the EAC s Election Management Guidelines, Election Day is truly a community-wide event that needs the involvement of the entire community to ensure success. Doesn t matter how much outreach we do, there will always be voters who didn t know Imperative to "get the word out" What is the easiest and cheapest way to get information to a large crowd? Ø Press Releases Ø Websites Ø Facebook Ø Twitter Ø Instagram Ø Blogs Ø Others? 40

46 Challenges Voter Outreach and Education Communications Plan Who are your customers? o Voters o Age ranges o Non-voters o Persons with disabilities o Non-English speaking voters What are the most common questions voters ask? o Am I registered to vote? o Where do I vote? o If I have voted by mail in past, my ballot is automatically mailed to me, right? Elections Office should be the official resource for accurate and timely election information 41

47 In Closing Challenge You To: Identify and manage Challenges as we approach 2018 Continue to share best practices Communicate your message Operate Efficient Offices = Successful Elections Election Officials care about counting every vote not just the ones that help a particular cause. Their vision of creating a more functional electoral process requires they keep the big picture in mind while also Managing the many facets of a vote-counting operation. Election Administration Publication 42

48 In Closing Challenge You To: Identify and manage Challenges as we approach 2018 Continue to share best practices Communicate your message Operate Efficient Offices = Successful Elections Election Officials care about counting every vote not just the ones that help a particular cause. Their vision of creating a more functional electoral process requires they keep the big picture in mind while also Managing the many facets of a vote-counting operation. Election Administration Publication 43

49 Credits Presidential Commission on Election Administration Report (PCEA) Washington Secretary of State o Elections Training Materials Elections Assistance Commission o Election Management Guidelines o EAVS Survey Wikipedia o Management 44

50 Meet Your Instructor: Vicki Davis, SOE Election Management FSASE FCEP II Vicki Davis is a 6th generation Floridian residing in Martin County since She has been married for 45 years and has two daughters and four grandchildren. Vicki owned and managed her own retail business in Martin County for 20 years. Following eight years of service on the Martin County School Board, Vicki was elected in November 2004 to serve as Supervisor of Elections for Martin County and was sworn into office on January 4, Vicki earned her Bachelor's degree in Public Administration from Barry University, is a National Certified Elections Administrator, a Master Florida Certified Elections Professional and is past-president of the Florida State Association of Supervisors of Elections. She has an extensive history of volunteer and community service and currently serves on the Indian River State College Board of Trustees and on the board of the Martin County Salvation Army Women s Auxiliary. Level 2 Florida Certified Elections Professional