WARREN COUNTY BOARD OF ELECTIONS

Transcription

1 WARREN COUNTY BOARD OF ELECTIONS First, we would like to thank you for being a Voting Location Manager for this upcoming election. Secondly, we wanted to remind you that your Trouble Shooter will set up your polling location for you based on guidelines established by our office. We ask that once you arrive at your polling location DO NOT rearrange any of the equipment. Your equipment should be clearly labeled with your precinct number. If you do have a question about your set up, please discuss it with your Trouble Shooter on election morning. As a Precinct Election Official, it is your job to assist voters and to help ensure that the election is conducted lawfully. In addition, you will: work as part of a team to ensure that the polling location is set up properly and that Election Day runs smoothly and successfully; ensure that every voter is able to check in and vote freely by preventing any attempts to obstruct, intimidate or interfere with their rights; ensure that all forms, ballots and voting machines remain available, safe and free from tampering. YOU RE PART OF A TEAM The Board of Elections must appoint 4 precinct election officials per precinct, consisting of two Republicans and two Democrats. Team work is critical to making our elections successful. Every team at each polling location will consist of a Voting Location Manager, and 3 elections officials. While the VLM is in charge of their precinct ballots, in multiple precinct locations, the other 3 officials will work in any position at the location. Remember that you cannot talk about politics while serving as an election official. 520 Justice Drive Lebanon, Ohio Phone: Fax: Website:

2 REMINDER: RECENT CHANGES Ohio Election Law requires that a voter must be processed at any E Pollbook Station in the location. As a result of this law change, in multiprecinct locations, all E Pollbooks are set up at a central table by the main entrance and are programmed to process any voter in that polling location. The E Pollbook Station will verify the voter and send them to the correct Ballot Processing Station to receive their ballot. All locations with 3 or more precincts have a Location Coordinator. This is a position appointed by the Board of Elections. These Coordinators will be the main contact at these locations. All Voting Location Managers (VLM) will work with the Location Coordinator to assign/rotate Election Officials to each position at the location and ensure that breaks and lunches are scheduled. The Location Coordinator will be in contact with the Trouble Shooter and the Board of Elections throughout the day. All Location Coordinators will bring back all VLM supplies such as the Ballot Bags (with M100 Memory Cards) Supply Bags and this green binder containing the Chain of Custody form. As a Voting Location Manager you are responsible for helping to put your supplies in the vehicle of the Coordinator. This will be detailed later in the job instructions in this manual. It is important that you offer a democratic worker the opportunity to ride along with the ballots back to the Board of Elections. We only need one ride along per location and they must be in the same car with the ballots to qualify. The ride along will get paid an additional $ Please document on the payroll sheet if there are no democratic workers who are willing to ride back with the ballots. All locations with 3 or more precincts will have a separate Provisional Processing Station. All Provisional voters will first stop at the E Pollbook Station for verification. If the voter is determined to vote provisionally the E Pollbook Station will mark the reason on the back of the provisional envelope. The Authority to Vote slip will be taped to the envelope to show that the voter s current address is required to vote at this location. With their envelope in hand, the voter will proceed to the Provisional Station. The Election Official at this table assists the voter in completing the rest of the envelope and then they proceed to the correct Ballot Station. This position does not have to be manned at all times if this Official is needed elsewhere. Voters needing additional assistance for any reason can also be directed to the Provisional Station.

3 Although all Election Officials are assigned to a precinct for scheduling purposes, everyone should think in location mode instead of as individual precincts. All Election Officials will work as a location to set up, serve voters, give breaks, and clean up. We recognize that some Election Officials have worked at a particular precinct for years and may not adjust well at first. We are hoping that it will be obvious that this cooperation benefits everyone as the location runs more efficiently, especially during busy times and when there is a large voter turnout. As a VLM you are still responsible for the ballots for your specific precinct and have the choice of working the Ballot Station or the E Pollbook Station during the day. The following pages are details concerning your duties as a Voting Location Manager (VLM). These instructions should help you know what to expect prior to and on Election Day. PRIOR TO THE ELECTION PREPARATION On Friday and no later than Sunday before the Election you will need to call the Election Officials listed on your payroll sheet. Please confirm that they are planning to work and will be on time Election Morning. Remind them to not park in the closest spots at the location on Election Morning. Review all of the enclosed job descriptions packets. If you are working at a 3 or more precinct location you should expect to receive a call from the Location Coordinator. You do not need to call your location or your Troubleshooter. If applicable we have included your Coordinator s information in the pocket of this green binder. You will find the emergency contact information for the local police department for your polling location. If you have to call the police for any reason please call our office to give us the details as well. Go through your supplies and become familiar with the documents. (Reminder If you were usually the person receiving the location signs in a multi precinct these were given to the Location Coordinator.) Call the Board of Elections office if you have any questions.

4 ELECTION MORNING PREPARATION Arrive at your polling location between 5:45 and 6:00am. Account for the Election Officials on your payroll sheet. **Call our office if any on your list have not shown up by 6:45am. **If applicable: Meet with the Location Coordinator and decide as a team which position everyone should work to begin the day. We encourage cooperation so that everyone has a chance to work in various spots during the day. Remember, as the VLM, you have a choice to begin the day at either the Ballot Station or the E Pollbook Station. You are ultimately responsible for the ballots throughout the day but not required to work that position. The positions available at a polling location are: (At each station, you will need to hand out the station specific instructions) 1. Precinct specific Ballot Station(s): One Republican and One Democrat at all times per station. 2. E Pollbook Station: 1 person per tablet. Since voters select their own party affiliation on the tablet during a Primary election it does not matter the political affiliation of the PEOs working this station. 3. Provisional Station: 1 Election Official party affiliation does not matter. This Station is only available at 3 or more precinct locations and does not need to be manned at all times if people are on break. 4. Floater: The number of floaters varies depending on the number of precincts located in the building. If all of the other positions are staffed then the extra workers are considered floaters. Please try to familiarize yourself with the job description for all of these positions. The Location Coordinator will work to schedule breaks and lunches amongst all the positions and will need Election Officials to be flexible at the location to allow everyone a chance to take a break.

5 ELECTION MORNING M 100 VOTING UNIT (Before 6:30am) Locate your M 100 scanner and M 100 Keys (located in your blue supply bag) inspect both sides of the ballot box for verification that it is empty. Turn the M 100 key to OPEN/CLOSE POLLS. The M 100 display will tell you to then turn the key to VOTE. A zero results tape will print. Verify and sign the tape if the results have 0s next to the candidates/issues. Place report in the results envelope. Keys should be removed and stored back in the supply bag. Once these steps are complete the unit will be ready to process the first voter.(power on instructions are also located in your accordion binder) Note that the only ballots that will go through your M 100 scanner are the specific ballots assigned to that unit/precinct. ELECTION MORNING AutoMark There is 1 Automark unit per voting location centrally located in the voting room. You must make sure that you or another Voting Location Manager turns this unit on before the polls are opened. This unit is simple to turn on. Place key in slot and turn it to VOTE. This unit can be used by anyone with any type of disability to assist them with the marking of the ballot. This unit only marks the ballot. The marked ballot should then be placed in the appropriate M 100. Federal Law mandates that the machine is left on for the entire day of the election. Do not turn this unit off early.

6 ELECTION MORNING E POLLBOOKS AT A GLANCE Be sure and find your E Pollbook instruction manual/ E Pollbook Job Description in your supply bag and keep it by the E Pollbook. (This will give you step by step instructions to process a voter and expectations of that station.) Follow the instructions in the E Pollbook manual to power on the unit so that it is ready to process the first voter. All E Pollbooks are linked together using a small white router at multiple precinct locations. Once a voter is processed at one tablet then all other tablets at that location will receive that information. Once a voter is processed using the E Pollbook, the printer will print an Authority to Vote slip. The voter must take this slip with their ID and proceed to the Ballot Station for processing. If it is determined that a voter must vote a provisional ballot then you need to select the reason on the back of the provisional envelope. Print an Authority to Vote slip based on the voter s current address, tape it to the envelope, and have the voter proceed to the Provisional Table. Since you are processing Provisional Voters using the voter s current address only, the Authority to Vote slips that print will not have a voter s name listed. NOTE: There will not always be a Provisional Station at a location. If the station is unavailable, have the voter proceed to the correct Ballot Station after you have marked the reason and given them an Authority to Vote slip based on their current address. If the printer fails you need to hand write a vote slip that is provided in the E Pollbook manual. This should only be used for printer failure. Report all failures immediately to the Trouble Shooter or the BoE Office. ELECTION MORNING Ballot Station You will need a member of the opposite party present before you open the ballot bag. Open the ballot bag and sort ALL the ballots onto the ballot table for inspection. You will have Democratic, Republican, Green and Issues Only ballots for this election. All party ballots are banded together. If you have splits you will have each of these four types of ballots for each split. All

7 splits are marked with a sticker designating the split, as well as numbered differently than split 1 ballots. Please sort your ballots and become familiar with each stack. If space is an issue you should keep a stack of major party ballots (for each split) out on the table and store the rest of the choices in the ballot bag. The Ballot Station must have the Paper Pollbook that will be found in your blue supply bag. Each voter s stub number and ballot style MUST be recorded in this book. (Ex: REP 1, DEM 4, GRE 2, NON 10) Always, always, always start assigning the ballots at stub number 1 unless you have splits. Split ballots are numbered according to the split so Split 3 ballots will begin at Important: Never give a voter a ballot unless they have an Authority to Vote slip with ID or an Authority to Vote slip and a completed provisional envelope. THE BALLOT STATION MUST HAVE A DEMOCRAT AND REPUBLICAN PRESENT AT ALL TIMES. ELECTION MORNING Signs You will need to make sure that you hang or display all of your required signs (most located in your accordion binder with specific instructions) including but not limited to: All Precinct specific signs Voter List 2 Sets of Maps & Street list Large Precinct name/number. Should be placed above or on Ballot Station for clear viewing from across room. Place Flip Carts at E Pollbook Station and Ballot Station Check for withdraw notice if applicable. Should be placed in each voting station. Observer notice. If applicable, this notice must be placed at each station at the location. Make sure that all of the Election Officials are wearing name tags. All Officials must display their first name by writing it on the tag. All generic signs are given to the Location Coordinator at 3 or more precinct locations. If you are in a single precinct or the lowest precinct of two, you will have the generic signs with your supplies. Please help display all generic signs throughout the location.

8 END OF NIGHT PROCEDURES As a Voting Location Manager you are responsible to make sure that all of the following closing procedures are completed in your assigned precinct: After all voters have cast their ballots through the M 100, you can start the close down procedures. Put the key in the M 100 and turn the key to OPEN/CLOSE POLLS. Push the button that says YES to the question Close polls now? Two results tapes will print. One tape should be placed on the outside of the polling location door. The other tape will be used for the Ballot Accounting Chart. Turn off the M 100 and remove the memory card. Place memory card in special red zipper envelope located in the Results Envelope and place in Results Envelope. Blue ballot bags have alternate directions for M 100 card. One of each party must take all ballots out of the ballot box and neatly place them in the ballot bag on top of the unused ballots. Use the results tape to help complete the Ballot Accounting Chart. *If applicable: WRITE IN ballots will be diverted to one side of your ballot box. These ballots will need examined and accounted for. You have been provided a write in envelope that contains the valid write in names and instruction on how to process these ballots. *If applicable: All 17 year old envelopes should be recorded on the Ballot Accounting Chart. Record the red seal number on the Ballot Accounting Chart. This seal will be used to lock the ballot bag once the Location Manager has verified the contents. Secure all of the voted provisional ballot envelopes from your precinct. Record the number of envelopes on the Ballot Accounting Chart. Place all Provisional Envelopes in the plastic yellow bag (found in your accordion folder.) Please place the provisional yellow bag, 17 year old Envelopes, Soiled and Defaced Envelope, and Authority to Vote Slip Envelope in the ballot bag on top of the voted ballots. Place the Results Envelope with: results tape, red envelope with memory card, Ballot Accounting Chart, and payroll sheet inside the black Ballot Bag. Place Paper Pollbook and Emergency Signature Roster loose in ballot bag. One of each party shall take the unzipped ballot bag to the Location Coordinator (if applicable.) Once the Coordinator physically verifies that the M 100 memory card is inside of the bag, the bag can be sealed. If you do not have a coordinator you need to verify the M 100 card is in the ballot bag before sealing it.

9 Both parties should witness the sealing of the bag. The ballot bag should be placed in the Location Manager s vehicle if applicable. Once ballots are in the vehicle, the car should be secure at all times. Take down all of your postings, hanging lists and all other election materials and place back in blue supply bag. The Blue Supply Bag should also be taken to the Location Coordinator s vehicle if applicable for transport back to the Board of Elections Office. Notify the Board of Elections if there is any damage to the location. PACKING UP EQUIPMENT (You should discuss with your Trouble Shooter where to store your equipment at the end of the night) You should make sure that the M 100 is disassembled from the ballot box and placed in its assigned case. Don t forget the extension cord and lid. Disassemble the E Pollbook. Follow the instructions listed in the E Pollbook instruction manual. Work with another Voting Location Managers at the location and disassemble the Auto Mark. It should be placed in its case and stored with the other equipment. IMPORTANT REMINDERS All workers at the location should be willing to work any position and any table at the location regardless of the precinct that they were originally assigned. At the end of the night, return the M 1000 memory card by placing it in the plastic red envelope and place it in the Results Envelope. This envelope must be returned in the sealed ballot bag. See alternate instructions for blue ballot bag. At the end of the night return the payroll sheet inside of this Green folder. If you do not have a Location Coordinator feel free to call the Trouble Shooter if you have any general questions or would like to help them set up your polling location. If you have a Location Coordinator they will have the Trouble Shooter information. Go through the contents of your Blue Supply Bag and make sure you are familiar with all the contents. All your signs are in the Blue Supply Bag, and most if not all, are in the accordion binder. Please work together at the end of the night to remove all signs from the location. These signs do NOT need to be returned in the accordion binder. Remember, the flags to mark the 100

10 line will be placed by your Trouble Shooter, but will need to be returned by one precinct at your location. Do not open the Black Ballot Bag until election morning. IMPORTANT: On election morning, make sure that you and your Precinct Election Officials are not parking in the closest parking spaces near the building. These spots are reserved for our voters. Mention this to the Election Officials as you call them prior to the election. As soon as you arrive at your location election morning, turn all of your equipment on to make sure everything is powered up and ready to go. Your Trouble Shooter will have a thumb drive containing voters who voted after we distributed the E Pollbooks. Your Trouble Shooter will update every E Pollbook with absentee voter data that our office provided. YOU DO NOT NEED TO WAIT FOR YOUR TROUBLE SHOOTER WITH THIS INFORMATION to process voters. The Director and Deputy s cell phone numbers are listed at the end of this letter, and should only be used in an extreme emergency. FREQUENTLY ASKED QUESTIONS FROM OUR PEOs You may be asked during the day to help clarify what the ballot issues mean or to explain something about the candidates. As much as you may want to help, you are PROHIBITED by law from speaking about anything political at a polling location. This includes explaining to a voter anything about the ballot language. If a voter asks you a question please say something like, Unfortunately we are not allowed to provide any further clarification on issues/candidates on the ballot. In the back pocket of this folder are special business cards for the E Pollbook Table. Feel free to give these to voters who want to contact our office with questions or concerns. Look for your paycheck to arrive in about 2 3 weeks after the election. We will send out a blast the day the checks arrive at our office and will give everyone 2 days to pick up their checks and then we will mail them to you. Again we want to thank you for taking the time to work the polls. We could not have successful elections without your help. Sincerely, Brian Sleeth Shari Huff Director Deputy Director Cell: Cell:

11 Questions you may be asked by the voters: If I select a party ballot will that become my political party? A: YES the ballot you choose in a Primary Election determines your political affiliation until you vote in another Primary. It is the only time in Ohio that you can change your political affiliation. If you select Issues Only your political affiliation will be listed as Non partisan. What do the ballot issues mean? Does voting yes mean yes or no? A: Unfortunately I legally cannot provide any further explanation on these issues. Full ballot language is posted if you would care to read more. How close to the entrance are campaigners allowed to stand? A: 100 Feet from the front doors of the polling location. Why did they move my polling location again? A: The most common reasons we move a polling location is because it is no longer a good fit for the facility or the building no longer meets current ADA requirements. Moving a polling location is one of the most difficult decisions we have to make at the Board of Elections. We never move locations without giving considerable thought to how it will affect voters, and doing our best to notify each voter in the affected precinct. Why didn t the board of elections let me know my polling place moved? A: We are required by law to send cards to each registered voter alerting them of the polling location change. We also post signs at old locations in order to direct voters on Election Day. How can I sign up to be a pollworker like you? A: The easiest way is to complete the pollworker signup form. Our office will contact anyone interested. You can also call our office and offer to help. Why is the M100 machine beeping at me? A: The M100 will beep for several reasons; the ballot is blank, has unreadable marks or the voter has over voted a race. It will also beep if the voter begins to put the ballot into the scanner then removes it. You will need to wait 5 seconds then reinsert ballot. Where are the write in candidate s names? A: The list is sent to the polls in the accordion folder and should be left at the Ballot Station, available for voters who request it. This list should never be displayed. Updated 4/2018