Okay, welcome everyone to the July 16, 2026 elections commission meeting.

And we do have a quorum now.

Thank you for waiting.

And we're going to do a call to order.

Commissioner Belcher.

Commissioner Butter.

Here.

Yes.

Commissioner Lindsay.

Here.

Commissioner Moore.

Commissioner Pam.

Commissioner Ritzy Hernandez.

Commissioner Seabrook.

Right.

Commissioner Barley.

Commissioner Wagner.

Here.

Commissioner Whitehurst.

Vice President Ramon.

Here.

President Dieter.

Here.

Okay.

We'll move on to the next item.

Are there any adjusted changes to the agenda?

Hearing none, I will move to item three, approval of meeting minutes.

Are there any changes to the minutes?

I'll move to approve.

Okay, we have a motion by uh Commissioner Ramon and seconded by Lindsay for approval of the minutes.

Could we take a vote?

Commissioner Butter.

Yes.

Commissioner Henderson.

Listen.

Commissioner Lindsay.

Yes.

Commissioner Seabrook.

Yes.

Commissioner Wagner.

Yes.

Vice President Ramon?

Yes.

President Needer?

Yes.

Okay.

That passes with one abstention.

And we'll move to announcements and communications.

Does staff have any?

Uh announcements that we'll make is that we are conducting the special general election for the 14th congressional district that is scheduled for August 18th.

So we're conducting that.

We also are started the November 3rd statewide general election that that candidate nominations period is ongoing now.

Great.

Are there any announcements from commissioners?

Yes, Commissioner Lindsay.

One is um we do have an opening um for a voting rights organization.

So anybody knows of somebody.

And this is one that we're not nominating to the board of supervisors.

Um I'm just kind of working on it on my own because nothing seems to be happening anywhere.

Um but I was gonna suggest that maybe there could be a future agenda item.

Maybe we consider actually putting a nominations committee back to look for somebody that just let the board of supervisors know, even though we're not initially nominating them.

Uh we're gonna have another opening.

Um disability rights organization C BL.

Um, and I just want to note that we don't have a single AAPI person on this body, which is not bad.

I'll make a county.

Um, so I'm sort of trying to connect with some AAPI organizations that might be able to put one of these cities or both of them would be the better.

Um the other one was just I'll just say, I'll just throw it out there, and it's not for discussion, it's not on agenda.

But um, I think the um agenda item, any agenda items probably ought to go back on the agenda because I found that um somewhere um the standard thing that can happen is somebody can say to make a motion to put something on a certain agenda.

They could make a motion say that the body shall um take up an agenda item in the next three months or you know, next month or whatever.

They can make a motion like that and second it'll vote, and then it's the commission has decided to put something on the agenda if they want.

I think that's probably a good thing.

Um so I just wanted to make that suggestion.

Okay.

Well, I do want you to know that the county board of supervisors um just recently did put on the opening um seeking um request for that position that's open.

So actually advertised it they advertised it.

So it is out there that they just did that.

Any other announcements from commissioners?

Um this is my last the Susanna's my last meeting.

So you're gonna be looking for it's totally right personally, also okay.

Thank you.

Thank you, Andrew uh Susan Henderson.

And we thank you for your service.

Okay, and you'll have to let me know if anyone online Karen or somebody raises their hand.

Um let's open it up for public comment on issues not on the agenda.

If you would like to make a public comment, please raise your hand now.

Okay, close closed public comment.

Next item up is the monthly update from the registrar voters author.

Today I'm going to provide our monthly update on a specific topic.

And this is um one process that we added to the um voting at a vote center.

Uh and this was a suggestion of that came in, I think via email.

Um, and this is voters having the opportunity to vote their vote by mail ballot at a vote center without an identification envelope.

I know that's a lot, but essentially what it is is you get every voter gets a ballot in the mail, and they can a voter can actually take that ballot to a vote center and drop it off voted in um the trolley there at the vote center.

So I'm just gonna give a little um explanation of how that happens.

So if a voter chooses to vote that ballot, um, they can bring it to a vote center and check in, just like any other voter, they have to check in, and then at that time, um, one of the board members will verify their address and um then as one of the options it is to vote the vote by mail ballot that they received.

Um, at that point, we'll see the ballot that they have, and then we will verify that the ballot that they have is what matches um the ballot that they should have in the system, which is the precinct number.

And because sometimes you know, people vote together and they mix some things, and um let's say it is the ballot that they were um that they should be voting.

Um, we also make sure that um voters are aware if it's a multiple card um ballot and they only have one, we'll make them aware um there's actually two ballot cards for this.

Do you want to just vote the one?

Because it is their option, or would you like a set?

And then once that's determined, we'll do either or we'll let them vote the one card or um give them a new set and void the one that they brought in.

So they have an exact set.

Um then once that's done, um, they get a secret secretly secrecy sleeve.

Sorry, that's hard to say.

And if the ball, if the ballot is not voted, they can go to a uh voting booth and actually complete their ballot.

Um, or it's probably already voted, and then they will take their sleeve and they will be directed to the trolley to deposit their ballot in the trolley.

So far, does anybody have any questions with that?

Is it considered provisional or just no, no, no, no provisional.

They actually have their ballot that they received in the mail.

They're checking in and stating that I want to vote my vote by mail ballot.

We're verifying that it it's you know their actual ballot that they should be voting on that they're eligible to vote on by the precinct number.

We're also making sure that if it's a multiple card ballot and they only have one card, do you only want to vote the one card, or do you want the full set?

And they they're given the opportunity to do either or then once the ballot is voted, and then they're walked over to the trolley, and they can deposit that um those ballot cards or the ballot card into the trolley, and now they have question.

Is that trolley?

This is all elections go through a one-six five, right?

Okay, so is that trolley only for that purpose, or is it used for other cards that people deposit?

All the cards that are voting.

So somebody just walks in and they vote, you know, in a booth or something that day, that's where they put their cards.

Yeah, yep.

Okay, yeah.

And then those ballots are handled just like the other ballots are that come to central and our scan.

Pretty simple.

Great.

Any other questions?

No, I just want to say thank you.

Um, there's uh some election integrity vote.

I talked to an election integrity person and they said they were thrilled about 30165 being uh being uh being now supported, uh but they just have questions about it.

So they're on now, but if not, they can they can check out the video.

Um so I think this is gonna be very happy.

Okay, bye.

Congratulations.

Thanks.

Good job, T.

All right.

Moving on to ongoing agenda items for the ad hoc committee reports.

Uh Commissioner Butter has raised our hands.

Oh, Commissioner Butter.

Yes.

Um ROV Cornejo.

Is that that was implemented for the last election, or that's going forward?

Oh no, moving forward, that's what that's part of our processes now.

But it was also done in June, right?

Yeah, it was done in June.

Yeah.

And um, you'll somehow publicize that so voters will know.

We do.

It's in the voter guide, it's in the information that's sent to voters.

It's definitely publicized.

And we had voters doing it.

Okay, that's very good news.

Thank you.

You're welcome.

Okay, thanks, Karen.

Okay, um, the first ad hoc committee is voting participation.

And Commissioner Seabrock.

Yeah, so um we've continued work with the Alameda County, our labor council, and they've been a great part, but we're requesting more data analysis from the Columbia Legal Council, and um, I shared some examples that was um okay that requests a little extent, so I'm not gonna go into a whole lot of detail, but we wanted it broken down by jurisdiction by ethnicity rates and across the last two to six elections of problems.

Oh, this is just request now.

We may get back from the from the the council and say we can do this much time there.

So do the request and we are waiting to go back and then in terms of what they can do and a timeline when they can deliver from that.

All right, anyone have any questions for Commissioner Sebra?

Commissioner Butter.

Okay, Commissioner Butter.

Um, yes.

Um you you mentioned some of the criteria you're using um to analyze um the the voters.

Um you're not including age, is that correct?

All right, don't we?

Yeah, yeah.

Yes, can we um well?

We didn't include age because when I calculated the number, the amount of data we're asking for, it's gonna be several hundred lines of data.

Um so it I mean it's just it's the whole county, you know, it's just a lot of data, and they're doing it for us for nothing.

Um so we just made a judgment call.

Um, as it happens, uh Sasha, who's on the youth committee, um is you know, get you know has this connection for us, had the community connection for us, and we figured that they could separately get what that committee could separately get information that it needs, right?

We're looking sort of at different things.

Uh if that makes sense, it just seemed like too much.

It would have changed it from something like 200 to 300 lines if you broke it down by five age categories.

Now we're talking to buy uh five, you know, about a thousand to 1500 lines, but you know, it's it was just too much.

Thank you.

Commissioner Butter, anyone else?

Do you have something else to say, Karen?

I'm sorry.

Uh-uh.

Too many things.

No, I I was interested in in the question and would like to see the data by age, but I understand the limitations that you're working under.

Thank you.

Okay, moving on to youth participation.

Do we have anyone that would like to give the report on behalf of the committee?

I I can do so.

Okay, thank you.

Commissioner Butter.

Um, the youth participation committee did not meet last month, so I have no report.

Okay.

Thank you.

Let's move on to the budgeting for elections.

And we have Commissioner Wagner.

Uh I have no substantive news or progress to report the commit the committee met.

Um, we decided on a plan of action.

Um we decided to uh reach out to the ROV's office to educate ourselves some more and learn more about how the budgeting process works, and it's waiting on me to take that step.

Okay.

Any questions?

Can I comment?

Sure.

I just wanted to give an update.

We have posted the language onto our website.

Um and we did present it at the city first.

Good.

Well, so the city clerks meeting happened, and now so we wanted to put it as part of their workshop materials, and we did that and made them aware of it and made them aware that we were posting it on the website, or we had already this was just so other people know, just so make sure I've got it right.

Uh this was the language regarding if a jurisdiction has four or more.

No, we don't know, yeah, more than four, five or more um ballot issues that they can expect.

If they have six, it's is it the same?

It was the same, yeah.

Okay, so uh it's gonna be substantially more expensive if they do.

But now they know that it's a following right.

So okay, moving right along to rules and procedures, and I am the point person on that.

So um attached to the agenda, you will see that um the committee has incorporated all the feedback that we got with the May and June meetings, and the overall um goal that we tried to do was we wanted to edit the the rules so that they are without all the specifics, so that they can live a lot longer and that it doesn't tie us down for or box us in.

Um as you can tell, some text with it was added, some text was crossed off, and possibly move to a different section because it didn't make sense where it was, so it was moved to a different area.

And so with with that, um, are there any clarifying questions that anyone has at the committee?

Yes.

So um I must admit this is the one part of the agenda I didn't get to reviewing.

Um, but is it what we agreed to last time with with no changes?

Right.

It's with all the things that we incorporated only the stuff we're talking about.

Yes.

Okay.

Yeah.

We did some moving and rearranging, and you talked, yeah.

Yeah.

And it may have been a little typo, or we changed the wording of a sentence.

Sorry.

It's basically substantively.

Yeah, exactly.

What we have okay, perfect.

Right.

Without all the detailed specifics.

Right.

That was part of what we agreed on too.

Okay.

Yeah.

Any other clarifying questions?

So I I didn't get a chance to tinker with the language around some of the brown act languages.

So I may need to address a couple things before these are finalized.

Um, and I did have a couple of other questions just in reviewing this.

So in the in section A1.

Um is there a page number?

Yeah.

11.

Okay.

Yeah.

So the added sentence, a monthly meeting schedule is set by the elections commission ROB.

So I remember the commission voting on a schedule, setting an annual schedule, but there being some discussion about whether there would be 10 versus 12 meetings.

And so I just want to make sure that they're, you know, so that we all know what's the commission knows what's going on going forward.

When it says monthly meeting, I want to make sure that's consistent with everyone's understanding of you know how many meetings there will be uh or what flexibility exists for for your commission on a forward going basis.

Would you feel more comfortable taking the word monthly out of there?

So from from my perspective, yes, but only if that's consistent with what the commissioners did when they talked about that issue.

Well, the reason why it is so vague and broad is because this way it allows the elections commission to set a schedule.

Right.

So that's why I said the schedule is set by the elections commission and the ROV.

So in that case, then yeah, probably removing monthly suffice.

Okay.

Okay.

And then in the next sentence, um, and this is actually not a change, it's just something I think we didn't notice last time.

Uh-huh.

Um, it says change it to the schedule require a supermajority, but supermajority is not defined anywhere.

And so I don't know if if your commission intends to have it just be a simple majority, or if you wanted to have a special rule for changing the schedule to require a supermajority, and if you do probably want to define that.

Where is that uh the next second?

It makes sense.

Well, that was in there before all along, so um we could specify two-thirds, or we could just make it be a majority.

I don't know why we would.

I don't know what we were thinking, why it needed to be a supermajority.

You usually do that to like something, you know, where you're violating rights or overwriting something, you know.

It's it feels like maybe we could just make that big majority.

Well, you know, we vote by majority as to what our schedule is, and if we want to change it, it takes a majority to change it.

That's fine with me if it's okay with everyone else.

Yeah, okay.

That's a really good catch.

Very good.

Yeah, only a year late, right?

Well, no harm, no fall, right?

Okay.

Um in the next section, and it's this again relates to the Brown Act.

Uh, and I won't I won't go into the details, but some of the deletions around remote appearances.

Um as I think commission is is sort of understanding, even based on kind of the discussions today.

Remote appearances under the Brown Act are increasingly complicated, and so it's hard to detail all the rules.

Um, but it's also hard to give a very brief summary because the requirements around remote participation differ significantly based on the reason.

So this is an area where I think I'm gonna need to take over the language and just want to flag that for everybody.

Where are we?

Oh, under Brown Act reminders, third paragraph.

Right.

He's going to tinker with the language a little bit.

So the whole idea really is if you're going, my goal would be is if you're going to appear remotely, is to contact us and we will help figure out what happens.

So if we could just do something like that, that would be easier.

Um, but I do think commissioners should know uh for up to two meetings per year.

But even that's tricky.

Right, because that's only for certain changed after we look.

Yeah, right.

Okay.

And it changed ugly.

The two meeting per year requirement only applies to some reasons by someone would participate remotely.

Okay.

So I almost wonder if in our rules and procedures.

We should just take uh any discussion about sort of remote.

Just just kill the paragraphs at the bottom of page 11 up through the end of A3.

It's going to be so messy, and it makes it almost seem like it's okay, and it just almost never is.

You know, maybe it just says if you're gonna participate remotely, please let the chair and I don't know if they can contact Jason directly, but no, absolutely as soon as possible.

Right.

And they can tell you what to do.

Uh you know, something like that.

Well, what we we may end up doing that if a motion that's made today gives um some leeway to the committee to work with county council to ensure the brown act sections are correct.

That would that would be cool.

I mean, I was almost thinking like we could talk about it, but maybe I don't see any reason why we have to go on opportunity.

We could vote on it next month, but well, you know, just so far it's very easy.

We've already corrected two things.

There's another sentence he wants to correct.

Oh, are you saying if we do remove those paragraphs?

We would have corrected the second thing.

We have correct we've deleted one word, we've deleted one sentence, and we're gonna work on this one paragraph.

So to me, that's a reason we could just move forward and approve it if the commission is there any other feedback that anyone else has.

Yes, Commissioner Henderson.

Yeah, I would think that the commissioner, I would want to know something about the remote participation before I you know just so I think I would think if Jason can take this and you guys can come back next time, and there's no big rush.

But um, I don't think that we need to edit it here, big stuff that makes sense.

Okay.

I I kind of agree with that.

Well, you know, we don't need to do it.

You know, it can come back.

We could if we if we had to.

Well, I would entertain just we often say we give permission to an ad hoc committee to do something and like a post-election assessment.

You say please fix that and go ahead and send it off.

You could just say go ahead and fix this one paragraph and send it off.

Um, you know, post it for the distributed.

Um, so that would work too, I suppose.

Yeah.

So any other uh clarifying questions.

Okay, let's open it up for public comment.

Um, okay, we're not done with clarifying questions.

So moving down to page 13.

Um, in the section describing the quorum requirements.

So it's the bottom of A4.

Um to be consistent with the Brown Act in certain circumstances and our and our ordinance, I would just suggest deleting within the boundaries of the county.

Um just because there are in theory, if we were to have a complete teleconference meeting, um that might change some of the requirements.

And it I think this is just an area where I want to double check a couple things, but this is an area where we may we need like a minor change.

I just wanted to flag it.

And where is that at?

Uh in orange.

It's good.

Light uh so it's the fourth paragraph down from page.

Oh, there, okay.

Oh, that was something we added.

Okay.

Here I thought I would be super uh it's I just want to double check on the issue.

Yeah, okay, very good.

Um page 15.

Section 87 regarding agenda materials.

I think some of the additions about um when things are posted, if things come in after the agenda is posted and requiring ROV staff to to then amend the agenda and re-posted.

Uh it's it's not necessarily required under the Brown Act, and I'm not sure.

I mean, I'll defer to ROV, but I just want to flag it.

That's different than sort of the existing process, uh, and I'm not sure whether that's operationally feasible at first point.

And and I think I want to just you know add to that, it's difficult, especially especially if we're during election time to be able to add that.

Um after the agenda has been posted in time for the meeting.

Um, I think it just might be a little difficult.

And what I worry about is we miss it, we miss something, and then now we have a problem.

So that that's that's a concern from us, and then also making sure that we have the resources available, especially during certain time frames.

We may not be busy, and we can we can do it, but as you see, we're election on top of election, and we do have team members that are working on this, but I just want that to be considered as well, just the timing of things.

We're more than happy to do what we can do with who we have.

Um, it's just it's just sometimes a lot, especially if a lot comes in at the last minute for us to try and get on and not miss something.

So if that can just be taken into consideration.

Okay, just clarification, because we kind of had this discussion, and um for the sake of transparency, yeah.

Um the public should know what correspondence the commission got.

Um, it's only right, and if you receive correspondence by noon of the day of the meeting, some people do it the day before.

I don't, you know, I I'm not tied to a particular time, but if you get correspondence by the noon by noon of the meeting, but we happen to get another letter at three o'clock.

We're not expecting staff to post that letter, they can do it after the meeting.

That is the way that it works in our city.

Um then anything that that comes in um until the time of the meeting is published with the agenda packet, because it's what the commissioners have considered in making their decision.

So with that in mind, um that this is in here.

If you'd like qualifying qualifying language that will try to get this done, we could do that.

I think that's probably you know will help at least it's not a definite.

And I think the the current practice is consistent with the brown act, something like that were to come in about an agenda item.

We ROV staff brings copies of it here and makes copies of it available at the ROV window.

So we're complying with the Brown Act making it available to members of the public.

Um, but the the extra step of posting it online is is not explicitly required in the Brown Act and different than the current record.

Correct.

Yeah.

Okay.

Yes, Commissioner Lindsay.

I was gonna say that exactly that.

But if um I mean, not too many people show up here, but it would be in the minutes, right?

That's definitely in a minute.

So uh let's say that I found you know, as I sent something to the to the commission or two or three days before the meeting, let's say like oh, we just sort of say uh we have to worry about Shall I are we back on?

Yeah, um so just it's ideal, you know, if this can get to everybody before the meeting, but it's not I mean, every my experience it seems like every city, it's not usually done for commissions for what it's worth a little bit of a special commission, but uh but for city councils bad.

Um they they publish a time, you know, right in the you know, it says if you want this to get into the packet, we must receive it by and every city seems to have a different time.

It's really kind of interesting.

Um so I mean we could sort of follow that.

Um the spirit of that um by staff setting, whatever that deadline is.

And if it's later in that deadline, well, too bad.

They'll make copies and it'll be in the minutes, you know.

Um so maybe maybe we should just get this section reworded with whatever with something like that.

Right.

And so right now it says if agenda material is sent to the clerk after the agenda has been posted, the clerk and president will decide whether to amend the agenda to include it.

Um yeah, let's take out the clerk and president will suspicious.

Yeah, that sentence.

I don't know why that's oh after the agenda has been posted.

I wanted to it doesn't need to be correspondent, does not need to amend an agenda.

That's just you just don't do that.

The agenda hasn't been amended, we've just got correspondence.

So I'm just going to um delete that.

It's all I that was meant to be there is if agenda material is sent to the clerk after the agenda is posted.

Supposing a mayor sends us uh a letter uh two hours before the meeting, um, it will be attached to the agenda at a time convenient for the staff to post it there, just so the record shows what we received.

Well, just very quickly for the agenda packet, first of all, right?

That's not the agenda itself, the agenda packet.

The agenda packet, yeah.

But what the I don't think they're saying they will do that.

What they're saying is that they said they will try to do it, sure.

Yeah, uh, or or there's a deadline uh by which it has to be uh, but everybody will have access to it.

It'll be here, you know, it'll be printed out and it'll be here, it'll be in the minutes.

There's no hiding it, it's completely in compliance with the brown act, whether or not it gets in the agenda packet after the agenda package.

Yeah, so just for brief clarity, uh the issue is still the same, and the answer under the Brown Act is still the same, but section A7 that we're discussing now does focus on like uh materials from the subcommittees, but section C one, I was gonna raise the same issue on page 22 raises the same same set of issues but related to correspondence from the public.

So not the difference, yeah.

Yeah, not to derail the discussion because it again is the same issues, but the the two different parts that people are talking about just appear at two different parts.

So A7 is from the commissioners, and on page 21.

Uh 21 or 20.

On page 22 is from the public.

There's two separate things.

Okay.

But the fact that group, but but the provision sounds like it's the same.

The treatment of it is the same, right?

Okay.

Um, needs to be yeah, fixed.

I don't know if we want to fix it tonight.

I'm really beginning to think we should try to do that.

Okay, it's getting a little bit more complicated.

So maybe we shouldn't.

Well, let's just go forward and hear the other items.

I'm curious to hear the other.

Those, those were the only.

Yeah.

So well, I know the committee could fully deal with these few suggestions, and we could take care of it and give it to the commission.

I'd still like to entertain a motion if the commission would feel more comfortable having this packet come back.

That's fine too.

I'd I'd rather have it come back.

One thing is that I just learned a lot.

I'll bet everybody else did too.

You know.

Um, and and I think I think there's some value there.

Um, and people will be able to ask questions next time, you know, instead of it just sort of appearing as a dumb thing.

Um so what about the other commissioners?

Yeah, what would you like to give us authority or have it come back?

I would like it to come back.

And part of the reason why is I think it's just an important discussion for the public to have an option to hear in terms of educating them as well about the Brown Act and keeping the appearance of this the integrity on the eight.

This is how we're handling it because this is the issue.

Okay, so I'm gonna do it now.

All right, that's at least three other kind of hear a consensus happening here, David.

I guess your silence is consensus.

Okay, so people want to entertain a motion.

Um, I was gonna we need public comment first.

Uh okay, so we don't need to entertain any motion whatsoever, but you're gonna put on the next agenda.

Well, let me just first of all, we've had clarifying questions, which kind of did not turn out to be totally clarifying questions, but that's okay.

Um, so after clarifying questions, we ask for public comment, and then after that we can decide what to do to close it.

Okay.

So are there any clarifying?

Um, are there any public comments?

If you would like to comment on agenda item 784, please raise your hand now.

Okay, there is no public comment.

So um I gathered uh a consensus that we will bring this back.

Uh we don't need to make a motion to do that, I don't think so.

So it could reported is no action taken in the minutes.

Um, and that it will go back on the next agenda of you know next month, right?

Okay.

All righty.

Then moving on to the next um next item on the agenda would be the regular agenda items, and it would be the June post-election assessment.

And um I will tell you that a lot of what's in here we discussed at the last meeting.

And um, so that's still represented here, and a couple items that were pending from previous um election assessments were also added so that it kind of stays on the radar and doesn't get lost.

Um so with that, are there any clarifying questions of me?

Okay, are there any public comments?

If you would like to make a public comment, please raise your hand.

Okay, with that, um, I would like to entertain a motion for the sake of discussion.

Yeah, Commissioner Wagner.

I'll move that we uh approve this um post-election assessment and communicate it to the boards.

But okay, do I hear a second?

Okay, we're commissioner Seabrook seconding that okay with that.

Let's open up deliberations before we take a vote.

Yes, Commissioner Lindsay.

I had a couple of suggested changes.

One just um not substantive, but just for clarity uh in this that's what um and another one that's that's a little more substantive.

Um the first one is just on uh the first page item six.

Um there's it says uh you know, ballot envelopes will process such as signature checking, scanning, and extracting on election day on the day after the election, which assisted in having more ballots counted before the first update on Friday.

I was a little confused, and I said, so I think others might be two.

Um so I think it was having more counts more.

I mean, that it was unclear if that was the first reporting thing.

I don't think it was.

I think it was a report that night, and then a report another one on Friday, but is that right?

So we do the reporting election night.

Yeah, and then we do an official update.

The first update is Friday.

Okay.

Um, and so um it was the second report, second vote report, if you will, but the first update.

Um, and that's where I got as a reader initially.

I went, maybe nobody else was confused.

I don't know.

Um but and did it, did it cause more?

It did it didn't cause more um to be more results, more ballots to be counted for the election night report, or did it?

Not necessarily, no.

We were able to continue processing on through election day, election night, uh-huh, and then the day after, which is that Wednesday, which typically we utilize that day for organizing everything, but instead we process that day, which enabled us, we believe, to um add to the tabulation for our first unofficial update on Friday.

Okay.

I get it.

I mean, maybe we shouldn't worry Smith this, but uh maybe it's fine.

Did other people were you confused by that or not?

No.

Okay, let's just leave it.

Uh I have a substantive change.

Um what that is is um so we had suggested that um that was regarded.

Oh, this is a right, sorry, page 28.

Uh, but the very last number point number five about notifying on observation and election processing.

Um so there's a bunch of text there that seems fine to me.

Um it's the last couple of sentences that I'm proposing a change on.

Um, so we proposed that the um uh ROV uh staff, somebody be assigned to proactively tell election observers via the election observer alert list, which I think is an existing thing.

Is that right?

Yeah, so there's an election observer alert list, and then somebody would throw them push message, right?

They'd be notified proactively.

Um bunch of ballots just came in, and we're gonna start processing them, or we're gonna be doing adjudication, you know, or whatever the heck, the leadership decision of the leadership teams decided to do this process, or maybe the leader has decided we're just gonna do the process.

Um and then be pro, you know.

So this doesn't call for that.

So what I'm suggesting is that we change um uh it would take out the the sentence that starts with however.

Right now it reads however the commission has a standing recommendation that they are already make incremental improvements on already subscribers when a certain process is about to start.

And then I think we're gonna have to change the last sentence, but can't do that without talking to our acting ROV.

Um, but the um uh maybe that last sentence can just stay out on.

But at any rate, what I'm suggesting we replace the however sentence with is the commission recommends that the ROV's office briefly promptly and proactively notify the election observers alert list when a decision has been made to start a process.

If any observers at the office that had the phones turned off by ROV policy, they shall also be proactively notified by staff.

So I'm suggesting that that language just go in there to replace the however sentence.

I have a little feedback.

The reason why I'm uncomfortable with making that change is because we had a very deep discussion on this topic, and we were told by the ROB at the time that they could not do what you were suggesting.

And after a long discussion, we decided to give the ROV some flexibility to make any incremental changes that they could do.

Um and to report back.

Now we haven't been very good at pushing that envelope.

I agree, we haven't asked for that, um, which we could.

Um but I just think it requires uh maybe agendizing it again rather than doing this on the spur of the moment, kind of like putting something in an assessment that the commission we haven't really fully vetted again for the second time.

So while I think that most commissioners did want what you were saying, we've kind of been down this road.

So we took a middle ground a little bit.

So I'm uncomfortable with your suggestive amendment, but I take note of it to agendize it.

Okay, what about other people before I say anything?

Anyway, one way to do this, yeah.

What I like about the original sentences in the incremental improvement language, because that then turns into a justification for constantly agendizing and asking what incremental improvements are there and pushing that completely over and over and over again.

Even if we're not getting what we want immediately, we can start voicing it more loudly for a period of time and give or we have the time it needs in order to start incorporating new things without suddenly pushing a new standard on it.

Um, and then getting monthly or sending monthly updates.

Um, so I kind of like the language the way that it is, but that's just from like we could do that now.

Uh doesn't mean that can't be changed later.

Okay.

Anyone else?

Susan.

Commissioner Seabrook, do you like how it is now?

Uh you want to change it.

I'm comfortable with the way house maybe.

Okay, well, we still have a motion in a second on the floor.

Well, it was a friendly amendment.

Did you accept his friendly amendment?

Well, I don't think it works that way.

I think we have to vote on the it was not it was not so friendly.

It's just it's just I was throwing it out there to see what we said.

Okay.

So um ROV, if you thought about this, is there any change on your side since we haven't heard about incremental improvements?

So we're always thinking about improvements in this, you know, in this observation um process.

And um, right after that meeting, we started looking at what we can do um at what we have now without having to purchase new things.

Um, and um certain systems that we have now don't afford that in terms of that capability of having an automatic notification because that's what we're looking at.

Something that we can program in possibly without having more than one person be able to remember these things are going on at the same time, right?

You've got scanning, you've got signature checking, and they happen at different times.

So it takes more than one person to be able to trigger those kind of things manually.

So, what I asked our team to do is what's out there, what do we have that this might be able to help us get closer?

Might maybe not exactly what we're looking at, what you're looking for, but closer.

And um, so we're still looking.

That's why I was comfortable with ROV plans to update the commission on whether additional enhancements can be made.

We're always before each election trying to make a new enhancement to observation.

Um, but we're trying to do with what we have.

Right now, we know there is you know in terms of the budget, you know, uh some budgets were cut or all budgets were cut, and there were things that we had to do.

So we're trying to see what do we have now within our budget and within our uh programs that can help us get closer to this, maybe not exact, but what can we do?

And so we are looking into it, and we're still open to see what we can do.

But for some reason what's being proposed here is too much.

It is a lot of work to be able to have someone being aware that this process is starting.

Now this process is going to end.

And it's a coordination of going, you know, between how many different processes we have and making sure that we are sending out these notifications before they start.

I had I had imagined.

Sounds like I may be imagining went wrong.

All right.

Um, but I imagine that there's a leadership team and three people get together or something to say, shall we start this thing now?

Yes, let's go ahead and start it now.

And then you would say, okay, Joe, you're assigned to do this.

Go tell the election observers people.

He walks over to this basically.

This is starting out and click.

And I'm thinking like five minutes max.

That's not how it works.

That's not how our processing schedule works.

We have we have processes that go on based off of the mail that's received of the day and the drop boxes that are collected and the returns that are collected throughout each day.

It's throughout the day.

These drop boxes are coming in.

If you can imagine, but you only have to say that once, right?

We're processing balances that come in.

We do that now.

We do say we'll be processing today.

And then if you go to our website, we're even more descriptive on the streaming.

I don't know if you guys have seen the update to that.

It's now telling you.

Um, I forget what do we say for Bluecrest?

Ballot sorting, ballot sorting has started, and the link is there for them to click.

Signature verification has you know is there, click here.

Yeah, we didn't have that before.

So we send out a notification in the morning, letting um the public know we will be processing today.

Okay, and then if you go onto our website, as soon as the process or before the process starts, we have the link go up and it tells you exactly what processes is beginning.

The link says that which is interesting.

That's actually listed under the enhancements implemented under the uh display for observing ballot uh processing.

The last sentence in number one of enhancements implemented is there.

That's on page 26.

Oh, I didn't understand where it was saying.

So that is one item that we were able to do within the system that we have to get closer to what you know the commission is asking us to do.

So you have the text or the email subscription to processing, and you'll be alerted that we're processing that day.

Then if you go to the live streaming, you're going to see what processing is being done, because within the link to view it, you see what that process is, and that's new.

So we've updated the that portion of our website.

Yeah, Commissioner Wagner.

I think it'd be great to agendize this and discuss it a little further.

Um, I'm a little, I'm getting a sense like there might be a little bit of a mismatch in what the ROB thinks is being asked for versus what I would have in mind would be useful.

That like maybe the ROV is thinking we're asking for a whole lot.

Um what I get an email is I get just about every day after the election, I get an email saying there is a process today with no information what the process.

What I'm learning now, I didn't know until just now is that if I go to the website, it apparently tells me what process.

Yes, and you can click on it and live stream it.

Yeah.

So what I'm imagining is, and I could be wrong, but this is just my hypothesis because I'm imagining of the observers, they're probably there's two or three specific activities that most observers are most interested in.

Some of them maybe it's the signature check.

I don't know if there's any others that are very well, maybe that's uh the one percent angle.

I don't know what gets the most.

So what I was imagining there might be an opportunity to do is when the signatures check and starts, put that in email.

The email says we we just we're starting signature check, so that if I'm interested in signature checking, I know when I get that email, I know okay, now I can go to the website and I can go there.

Um, it's kind of not very realistic.

If I'm interested in signature checking, but I get an email every single day that says there's some process happening, but there's no indication what I have to go check every day what it is that's happening that day.

So it might not be too hard if you're putting that in the link.

If you have a list of the two or three top things you think observers are most interested in to include that the first time in the email in the future.

Maybe I need to be more clear too.

In a course of a day, signature check signature checking will be done 10, 12 times differently, different times within a day.

It'll stop and stop.

And it all depends on the flow of the work.

The same with sorting balance.

Between 10 and 12 times a day, it will start and stop.

Signature checking.

Start start and stop.

So opening ballots, start and stop.

Ballot scan.

Start and stop.

And that's why we're saying to have someone keep sending out every time this is happening.

So it's not feasible.

It's not a linear process.

No, no, no, no.

It's a it's the work of the day.

One starts, it feeds the other, the other will start, they're done, they stop.

And it's a continual feeding of processing these ballots.

And it's just not once a day, and it's continual.

It is a stop and start and stop and start all day long.

I have one question.

So do you have a group of people dedicated to just one process?

Yes.

Okay.

So and is there streaming views of that particular group doing that process throughout the entire day that they're working?

Yes, as long as they're processing, the link goes up.

Um it's a stop and start too with the link.

Right.

So it's so when they stop looking, does the link then go dead?

Correct.

And you don't know when it's going to turn back on.

It doesn't stay on 24-7.

Yeah.

That's what we're doing.

I said, oh, and let me give you a little more insight to how we process.

And it's one more note, just one additional complication based on uh one of the cases about this issue.

So we did get sued over this issue in one because the ROV is complying with all the law, the legal requirements, but one of the additional complaints wasn't it wasn't just that they aren't getting notice right when a process starts, it's that there's not notice with sufficient time to drive in from the other side of the county and view it.

So it's not just 10, 12 times a day.

This is happening now, but if we're basing it on sort of the complaint that we had before, it's 10, 12 times a day with enough notice that I can drive in from you know, Fremont or Albany or Pick your city and on the outskirts of the county.

Commissioner Lindsay.

Well, that's it all became very interesting all of a sudden.

Um one thing I can say is that I've sort of been um uh keeping in contact with the election observer team people.

Um and I'm speaking for them now, and so sorry if I'm wrong, but my impression is anyway that they no longer expect that they understand better that there's just no freaking way they're getting one hour notice that you just can't pause like that.

It would cause things to go so slow that it's just not possible.

But they would be really thrilled, election observers, including just lightweight election observers, if you will, you know, people that are you know not as into it as they are, but but but are still still want to do some observing far and away the number one complexes.

They don't know what's going on, they don't know when, and they have to sit and count on the live stream to check, right?

Um, or have a machine open or something that they can glance at or something, you know, it's just um and I yeah, I'm certainly withdrawing the sentence.

That's you know, but uh but um this is some wicked, you know, so yeah.

Um right.

So just so we stay focused on the assessment, um, there is more to talk about just to because it's still the same thing, you get a notice in the beginning of the day, but you don't even know if signature gathering is gonna happen that day, but you do know that signature gathering is happening when you when it comes up, the live link.

You do know all the different processes once it's there.

It might hope that when that message goes out, it tells them you know, to see more detail about it.

Um, you know, you can look at the live blanket and maybe it gives them a link that's just a little more front away.

I think that's that's a great idea because I was as we're sitting here, I'm going, how could we be more clear?

Yeah, okay.

What do we already do that might bring a little bit more information?

And you know, I'll get noy on it.

Okay, well, we can't or know if it comes out of her office and they see me running around, they're like, oh my gosh.

What is she coming to tell me?

Okay, so we can use a motion in a second on the floor.

If we if can we close the discussion before we take a vote?

What is the motion?

Can we repeat your motion to Commissioner Wagner?

I think you just um did you want to say it?

I understood that you you wanted to approve the um the assessment and have it sent on to the board of supervisors.

Oh so I I think we should wait a month.

Uh come back with changes and just get it then set it on.

What changes?

Jason's changing.

No, we're on the post-election assessment.

That was the rules and procedures.

I knew that.

Jim, I'm wondering last meeting.

This is the post-election assessment.

And we have no changes, right?

No.

So is that motion seconded?

I seconded.

Yeah.

Uh no.

So let's take a vote.

Or do we need public comment?

Oh, uh yes, I'm sorry.

That so I need to pay attention to this.

Did we already do public comment?

I believe we did for example.

We already did.

Okay.

Yeah, okay.

Um, just to be clear with everyone, just so you can help keep me on track too.

Is we have clarifying questions of whoever introduced the item.

Then we open it up for public comment.

After public comment is closed, then we start deliberations and discussion.

Okay.

So we've done that, and now we have a motion and a second on the floor, and we'd like to take a vote.

Commissioner Butter.

Yes.

Commissioner Henderson?

Yes.

Commissioner Lindsay.

Yes.

Commissioner Wagner.

Yes.

Vice President Ramone?

Yes.

President Peter.

Yes.

Your motion passed with unanimously.

Thank you, Kevin.

Okay.

Um moving to response protocols to email inquiries.

So this is really just to hear about how the ROV is handling email inquiries.

What's their procedure as people email them?

This has nothing to do with public record requests.

These are just things other than that.

You know, how to where do I park at the garage or whatever it is?

Um, how do I file it?

So this is just to hear from the ROV what protocols that they use to respond.

Um, and if they can't respond right then, whether there is a tracking system in place so that it doesn't get lost in the shuffle.

So with that, I am going to uh let the ROV's office, Cynthia, give us a little brief update.

Within the department on our website, there are specific mailboxes that one a voter or member of the public can utilize to email um questions, concerns.

And um, just for example, we have specific mailboxes for vote by mail inquiries for registration inquiries.

There's candidates.

Um, and a voter will submit their questions or their email to that specific box.

There are specific team members within that area that manage the box.

Um, and pretty much I think the turnaround is definitely within 48 hours of those, especially during election time because it might be something specific that a voter has about their ballot, um, you know, their registration status, and so that's how we found over time that we can, you know, it's the best way to manage voters' concerns or questions is to have specific email boxes that go to a specific team that are subject matter experts on those um on those issues or on those processes.

So that's that's a big umbrella, I will say, because there's a lot of different areas within the ROB.

Um, I think it's yeah, so I'm gonna add media because we do we address the media concern, and I think this is Jim when you were president, and so that came up.

Um, and so what we did was we said we would designate one person, and we have and um since we've done that, I will say it has been effective.

Um media, um, any calls that come in through any one of our lines, because if you call one of our main numbers, it goes through a tree, and you can pick where you want to, you know, who do you want to talk to in what area?

And so if any one of those areas get um someone from the media, it automatically goes to the admin assistant, and that person handles it, and then we'll direct those to me.

So that's our process for that, and that's pretty real time for that as best as we can.

So the media is happy with that.

Uh no complaints.

Okay.

No complaints.

Uh in terms of city clerks, we just met with the city clerks that had that uh you know, a real positive workshop where we're really happy with it.

And out of that workshop, we decided to devise a specific city clerk box for them.

And so we emailed, we created it, we emailed it to them, and it's for them to you know, provide their materials for their election or email um us directly, and then we manage that box as well.

Is that hidden from the public?

Yes.

Yeah, yeah.

And then of course, we get you know, we can have emails from uh anyone, and that can go to any one of the managers or um that are within department, or um, we have different areas within department now voters that I mean team members that handle military and overseas voters, that's separate too.

There's been specific telephone numbers now that have been added for those questions to try and direct voters to who they specifically need to talk to to get their answers, so that's by email or telephone too.

Um, so we're constantly trying to make it where it's a more direct um contact with a specific area or group or process, and so far it's worked, but I am very conscientious that I don't want to have all of these things, and then they don't get taken care of.

They have to be managed by a specific group, and then that group addresses those um questions or concerns, but it's evolving.

I mean, every time something new comes up, we have to take a look at it and see what area can handle that within what we already have if we can do that, and then that's how we publish it, or do we need to create a new you know, box or something of that nature?

Is this okay?

Are there any clarifying questions?

Commissioner Lindsay and then Commissioner Remind.

I'm just as like when did you start the uh the web website mailbox system?

Contact that approximately, I mean, yeah, six weeks ago.

Okay, okay.

So for this election, but I I think we had a we also had an area where they could contact us.

Yeah, we have different emails, different places on the website, and so we put a uh a contact us application.

So it's a pretty new system, and you're figuring it so they can figure it out.

It doesn't go wrong and make it work.

But um that was my only clearing question.

Yes, Commissioner Raman.

And no, you touched upon this email addresses or in different portions.

Is there a clearing house website, a portion of your website which says, hey, if you've got a particular email about a particular subject, right to this email address?

Anything like that, and if so where and no, so we took those, we took the email off, and then we direct the people to the contact us app, and so on there they'll have a drop-down, and then if you have a question at the bottom, it's your vote by mobile ballot here, and then if you have a part of the bar registration, and they have media, city clerks, uh uh public workers requests, uh, vote senders, and then depending on what you select, uh certain fields will populate for them to fill those.

So if it's like just a regular question, it'll just say, you know, what's what's your email, your phone number, your name, and what's your just type in your text.

But if it's a voter asking about something, we ask for their information so we can look them up.

So we call them, but we already have information for them.

Thank you.

Any other clarifying questions?

Oh, this is her from questions.

Somebody sends an email to info at ROV.org or whatever the heck it is, right?

Yeah, just like a catch-all email address, which is not ideal, obviously.

Um that so uh we should do that with uh digital.services tells my team that would have to read the email.

Uh and then basically decide who would go forward to somebody else.

The issue was we noticed we're having our uh emails on the website, uh the bots or whatever is that scanning websites.

We get I get that inbox was just filled consistently every day with the spam and so we have to dig through so that actually click read each email.

Okay, this is this real-off.

But so that's why we decided uh do this uh this form that has a I forget what our IT team calls it up CAPTCHA, yeah.

So bots can be specimens.

Great.

Thank you.

Do we have any public comment on this item?

If you would like to make a public comment on agenda item 8D, please raise your hand.

Okay, close that.

And um and then now we're opening it up for discussion.

Oh, okay.

Okay.

Um, I would I was just gonna say I'm really excited about this.

Um over the years, I've heard occasional lots of occasional uh complaints that Josh I sent an email to the ROV and I didn't hear anything back or something like that.

Um I mean over the last 10, 20 years, yeah, long time for that.

And this sounds like I mean it's new, so it's gonna have to shake out.

Um, but um it sounds very promising.

Um I just wonder if we could set a time six months or something like that where you could just tell us how it's going and there any changes in that.

We can see if anybody's complaining, you know.

Um but um I haven't heard any complaints from from uh press either, and I had heard some of the past.

Um, but I haven't heard any complaints a long time, and that's probably because you set up a specific, you know, a specific way of handling it.

So I'm just seeing lots of improvement here, and I'm I'm um I'm excited about it, you know.

So that's great.

Well, um, I'm willing to entertain a motion, but I don't think we need to, but I will we can just yeah, just no action.

Yeah, okay.

Well, it's a can can somebody track that maybe we get a just uh a heads up on this or something.

Okay, I wrote that down.

All right, thanks.

Um okay, moving on to the next one would be public record act requests.

The ROV um made an improvement on this too a while back, and they created a portal to request records.

And so this is just to get uh an update on that, how is it going?

Is that how is it working?

And um, if there's any added features that so people um will know what records are easily available online so they don't have to request it, and if there's any helpful tools presented to help facilitate those record requests.

So with that, we'll get a little update from the registrar's office.

So since we established the portal, um, we are able to pretty much stay up to date on all the requests.

Yeah, um, we have a team that works on it um along with county council.

Jake said we meet once a week to go over any public records requests that um you know we need to uh discuss how we're gonna respond, if we can respond, um, and we stay on top of that uh weekly.

Um information is requested from the ROV.

Um it's actually Claudia at the end assistant, she pretty much manages that now and brings us and all the managers where it's a specific item that pertains to an area, she'll solicit the information from the manager and then bring that back to me.

Um, and then if we have questions, we'll go over it with council, and then we're able to respond um to the requests.

Uh I think any of the feedback that I've heard regarding the portal has been positive.

People definitely know it's there, people definitely know how to use it.

Uh um we actually uh we receive uh requests outside of the portal, we enter them into the portal so they can be recorded and tracked.

Um, and that might come by email, by written request, by telephone, but we want to make sure that they're included and tracked.

Okay, thank you.

Carnegie?

Yeah, Commissioner Lindsay.

I mean, I wouldn't want to break my street.

Um anyway.

Um, two questions.

One is is this like a tech support ticketing system kind of thing?

Right, okay.

That's what it sounds like, and the work will also um the other is do you know the median response time?

Does that does that system tell you the median response time, or can we take a reasonable guess at the range of the median response time?

So we're we follow within the law the times that we have to respond, and the system is set up to tell us if we're getting close to that deadline.

You know, and so it's a constant reminder of by color coding.

Oh, you know, if we're green, we're good.

If we're yellow, deadlines getting close to us, and then we'll know depending on the request whether if it's a lot of data that's requested and takes a lot more research, we can then um request the extension to the 14 day extension.

So 14 days is the law.

Yeah, okay.

So or just is it categorized or something?

So you have 10 days to respond.

Um, but if you need more time, you can extend that by another 14.

Um, and that's the sort of just for the substantive response.

Um, sometimes when when a request requires lost documents, the the actual production of documents can take longer and occur over.

Yeah, so somebody asked for something huge.

Then within 10 days.

You have to say we'll get it to you in a month or something like that, right?

Because what you've asked for is very large.

That's a substantive response.

Yeah, and then you kind of have committed to that.

Okay.

Great.

All right, I'm I'm done.

Any other questions?

Okay, should we wait on um for public comment or can you handle it?

Oh, uh, there are any public comments online, please raise your hand.

There are no public comments.

Okay, any other discussion on the matter.

Um I of course will entertain a motion if one is requested, otherwise, we can take no action on your action part.

Oh okay.

Well, then we'll close this item and move to the next item, which is voter protection.

Um I have heard a couple people in on the commission have raised this question on and off.

Uh, a little worried about um under the state of affairs that um about if people will feel safe and secure going to the polls.

Um, and so I just thought it would be um worth hearing um a short update from the registrar of voters to find out what the the county's doing.

Uh the state or the secretary of state's office.

This is a topic, of course, that is um high on the list in terms of voter intimidation, voter protection, and it should be.

And that is um just had a meeting today with the state.

So we meet regularly once a week with the Secretary of State's office off the week.

And um, the latest update that we received was um this is being reviewed and looked at by the state, and we'll provide more clarification to the county elections officials if things should change.

You know, we were all on alert with the um waiting for the Supreme Court ruling of Watson versus RNC, and so when that came out, we were already prepared for what we would have to do countywide, you know, in terms of making sure that we could get ballots back by 8 p.m.

that day.

And this was nothing new to us because those of us that have been in this election um you know, work um used to have to do that before there was any grace periods.

So we were looking at how are we gonna do that, how many staff we were gonna take, and the state was providing feedback as well, telling us you'll probably have to go to every branch, main branch, work with those branches, work with your project managers to get a plan and um some kind of discussions going so you would have a report with the branches.

So that was already in place, just like now.

We're preparing.

Um, we know that the law says that there cannot be um any weapons in uh in a voting location, and and that's just been something that's been in effect.

Um, I think it's more about voters who are trying to vote, and are they being stopped or in any way intimidated before going into a vote center or a polling location?

So those are the things that are still being identified.

The county elections officials have been asked to work with their local officials.

So that is something that we're planning on doing is working with our sheriff and the um the police chiefs within the cities of Alameda County, and this is what we did back in 2022, I believe.

We went ahead.

We banned together with all law enforcement, highway patrol, um uh city law enforcement, county sheriffs.

We met once a month and talked about what would happen, what were the um responses that could be made if something were to go happen in a vote center or in a polling location?

And one of the things that we did and we plan on doing is we provide all of the law enforcement agencies with lists of the vote centers within their cities so they know where they are, and they know that if they get a call for that location, they know it's a voting location.

Um we also will provide any protocols that the state will provide to us in how to handle certain situations.

There's actually the Secretary of State has a training course that's coming up that we plan on sending our team to to talk about these issues and to see what we can do as a state that is more like a guideline that we can all utilize the same processes rather than thinking of our own and trying to come up with that.

So this is something that is in play now, but of course, we're gauging it on what happens next.

Hey, yes, Commissioner Renan.

Uh had a clarifying question.

Is there a lead considegency from price security at the voting center?

So is it down to the county sheriff's department, or is it the municipal police departments?

It could be both.

If it's an unincorporated area, it's the sheriff.

Yes, right.

So if it's inside a city, then it's the municipality.

It's the municipality.

So for instance, if it's in Buzz Plus in the Pleasanton, correct.

Okay, I'm surprised by that because it's a countywide activity.

And so I figured I'd be the county sheriff's department.

Do you know the reason why it's not the county sheriff's department?

I don't know.

I know that we've been told that if an occurrence happens within the city, that our first call should be to the local police department, law enforcement there, and they can react.

I had a vote, yes.

Okay, Commissioner Lindsay.

Which is the people to be very people in their territory.

You know, and so if I'm I don't know, you know, say the I'm not gonna name a city city X.

Um if I'm a City X police chief, you know, we we don't need we don't need the county sheriffs anywhere.

We got it, yeah.

Unless they call for assistance, that's all over the ball here.

Um that's kind of a guess.

Um yeah, I mean, I think the the yellow open room is always gonna be the concern of how federal agencies may try to engage in some sort of wall nervousness, and uh I guess a clarifying question because I shouldn't know the details of that in my business.

I'm assuming there have been discussions about a response about that, uh, and have those discussions included local municipality police forces that are gonna be responsible for those response.

Yes, they develop, they are definitely involved, and we need them to be involved, and we need them to be informed so we can have a plan in place in case something should come up.

I mean, before we are we were before this time and the tone that we're in the I'm sorry, I was trying to a way to say it.

It's hard to say a point.

Yeah, it's uh everybody's verbally dancing right now.

We would react to different types of situations at voting locations, yeah.

And um, in training, election workers are told to contact law enforcement and to contact our department so we can react for them.

And it could be with disruling voters, it could be with electioneering, those were the typical calls that we were concerned about, and we still are, but the level is higher now in terms of what our concerns are, and this is what is being vetted now by the state.

And this is what is being vetted now by the state.

And like I said, every week when we're on the call with the SOS, this is top of the list on depending on what new ruling has come down or what has not come down, the plan to react to any one given situation is being vetted.

And so the state has said that they will come up with something for local election officials to follow.

Yeah, I mean it's setting the city for potential constitutional crisis.

So thank you for seeing that and for having these discussions for Secretary of State and I appreciate it.

Excellent.

And I believe Commissioner Butter has her hand up for clarifying question.

Yeah, um I'm not sure if this is exactly uh within the scope of this item, but I've received a couple of questions from Alamedans about the ballot drop box, and it's in a location where a lot of people have demonstrations.

And obviously right now it's not a problem.

But once the um the election season opens, um, is there any kind of protection?

Uh and who's responsible for it so that people can drop their their ballots off without um you know any demonstrations going on at that time.

We've actually encountered that already and addressed that situation.

Um and I worked directly with the police chief of Alameda, where we had our outreach team go to the library to the public library, which is just down the street, right?

And accept ballots.

So we were notified ahead of time that this was going to take place because the demonstration was in front of City Hall, just feet away from the drop box.

Right.

And so we were able to have our outreach team relocate or locate a ballot drop box um there, and we were able to get it out and actually directed uh voters to the library location if they were trying to drop off at the drop box.

And this was a let's be proactive rather than reactive, because we knew they were having a demonstration.

And this has been more than once now, because that's the location in Alameda where these demonstrations are taking place.

Right.

So there's no protected space during the the election season around that drop box.

And and I I congratulate you on coming up with uh another option for dropping off ballots.

When you check that when you create an alternative, the first option shut down, or they can read or they can use either or and then actually in the first instance when this occurred and we were planning for it.

Um I was in constant contact with the police chief, and he was giving me, you know, like every 15 minute updates.

They're close by Cynthia, but they're not obstructing it.

But I'm still glad your team is over there, you know, to accept ballots.

And and you know, uh law enforcement was there as well, directing voters who may have been walking up because I would tell you if you've never been to Alameda Dropbox, you should go.

It is a sight to see.

I've been there on many occasions because that box would fill up and I get a call from the city clerk saying, Cynthia, the box.

Okay, let's go.

Let's go.

And I would go, and I was actually, I think it's always usually the the day before the election.

And typically some of us stay back late because we have to, even though we have to be in very early the next morning, just in case.

And that happened to be one of those times that okay, it's late enough.

I think it was seven o'clock or so at night.

Okay, I think we're good.

I'm actually on my way home and I get a call from Laura Wesleybert saying, Cynthia, oh my gosh, I need help.

Turn around the car, get on.

I get on with um David Pink, who's our uh election services manager, he gets on the phone to get a team member who happened to be Claudia and another team member to meet me at the box, so we would have the right number of people.

And I'll tell you, I have my daughter with me.

You're coming with me because I need to, and we're going to accept ballots and make sure that you know voters can drop off.

But if you go, you see them walking from every direction of that community, walking with their dogs, walking with their children, coming from wherever to drop off those ballots in that drop box.

So I have a buy-in from Laura to get them a bigger box.

So but Cynthia, my my question is or maybe it's Jason, there's no protected space around that drop box during the election season.

Well, it's 100 feet around the box for electioneering.

So we follow that.

But again, if they're demonstrating, and you know, it's it's a little harder to control.

That's why I'm, you know, I'm glad that we have this in place, especially with that box.

That's where it's most popular, and that's the location, not by the box, but on the steps of City Hall is where they tend to have demonstrations.

Right.

Thank you.

You're welcome.

Any other questions?

Yes, Commissioner Lindsay.

Um, you were referring to the Supreme Court box case.

Was that the one about whether or not you could do late ballots?

Correct.

It was the grace period.

All right, okay.

And so that was one, so the state of California doesn't have to change its order.

Correct.

I believe it was Mississippi, and they did they recognize five base.

Yeah.

So it was upheld to keep doing that.

So we follow Sydney Hill.

The second thing I have is um, it does say voter protection.

Um, what about staff protection?

Uh because we get an upset voter or a drunk person or somebody who doesn't like you because you look wrong, um, for whatever reason.

Um, so is there is there a protection?

Is there some kind of protection?

Are there officers at the um at their voting places or well?

We don't have law enforcement at the voting location is number one, but in the training election workers are told who to report to if there's any kind of disturbance.

Like I said, it could be uh a member of the public, it could be internal between an election worker.

Um, and you know, that happens.

And um, so they know the protocols of how to get assistance in terms of here.

We instituted the election attendance, which you see here in the office with us, and they chaperone and escort election observers, which is worked out perfectly for us.

Um, and also they monitor all the secured locations for us, and then we also contract with the sheriff's office.

And then my last question was um how often does this stuff come up where um particularly I guess on the voter side of it, since that's really what the situation um the um where voters are being harassed or hassled in some way.

I would think it would be rare, but I don't.

Yeah, really nothing to do with to my knowledge with what we you know were concerned about.

Okay, you know, but you just don't know when that could happen.

I think you get what we typically see as electioneering, someone's passionate about an issue, and they want to get voters before they go in and cast their ballot, or after they come out, how do we vote?

And you know, we had I forget how many election cycles ago, but there was a very controversial um proposition on the ballot, and um the proponents of this and opponents, it ended up being formed a line.

Think of a uh bridal party reception line, and voters had to walk through them, and they it was both sides of yes and no.

So we had to respond to that to break that up, and I believe in in the case we had to call law enforcement to help us.

So that's typically votes.

I have a question.

Is that how exit polls are done?

Is it the same thing?

Because I used to see a lot more exit polls, and I don't know I think that's a method.

I think that's a method depending on how formalized they are.

No, I don't know.

But they could do it if they're 100 feet away, that would be oh no, but this was not within the hundred.

This was within the 100 feet.

Yeah, yeah, it was pretty close to the door.

Let me just say any other questions.

All right, public comments.

If you have a public comment on agenda item 8D, please raise your hand.

No.

Okay.

Any further discussion?

All right.

With that, we will go on to the special report from the ROV, which is on the temporary election workers at vote centers.

Yes.

Good afternoon.

My name is David Pink.

I'm an election division manager with uh the Retro Voters Office.

I'm responsible for the election services that includes mapping the White House and election work training.

And I'm going to talk a little bit about the election workers that we have at the vote centers.

Okay.

So firstly, a little bit of background.

So Alameda County is a voter's choice act county.

What that means is we don't have the individual small polling places.

We have larger locations, usually about 1400 square feet, where we have the voting taking place.

Anyone throughout the county can go to those locations to vote.

So for large election, we have a hundred vote centres, 20 are open 10 days before and through election day, and then a further 80 open three days before the election for election day.

Each location has five judges, one assistant captain, and one captain.

That's the election workers with Grant.

Some locations have additional staff if necessary.

One example of that will be UC Berkeley, because we're just volume of voters that we get there.

And in fact, for the upcoming election, we'll definitely have even more than we had the last page.

So we'll smoothing down.

So for the recruitment of election workers, we've got a large roster of election workers who we have used over a number of years.

They're very experienced.

So about four months out before the election, the recruiting team reach out to see who may be available and start to schedule them for training and go through any administrative steps they need to take.

In addition to that, we have a student election worker program for the high school students to actually be part of the election process.

And I'll talk a little bit more about that in a moment.

And if necessary, we can also go on to use county election workers and the state workers.

We tend not to need to do that now because of downsizing to the voters' choice act.

We've got so many election workers, it's so unnecessary to reach out.

Usually we get a good turnout from the uh student election program as well.

So for the student uh election worker program.

We have um requirements that they be 16 on or before election day.

Therefore, US citizens or local permanent residence green by holders, and they have to have a minimum GPA of 2.5.

So what it allows them to do is to get real-world work experience, serve the community, receive community service or school uh credit if that's available at that particular school.

And they're usually help with checking in voters, assisting election staff and vote center setup, um, organizing voting materials and providing customer service to voters.

So give you some idea as to how many election workers we have.

So for the last elections or the last big election, the statewide direct primary election on June 2nd, we had 906 workers.

In fact, we had a few more than that, but some didn't serve didn't complete the training, but that's how many we actually had for the actual election.

For the congressional district 14 special primary election, June 16th, we had 130, and that was because we only had 14 vote centers open because it was a special election.

And for the congressional district special general election, again it'll be 130 election workers, and then for the general election on November the 3rd, again, the big one, it'll be at least 906.

For the election worker training, every election worker attends training for every election.

So even if you've got elections close together, they have to do the training twice, once for each election.

Okay, make sure that they're current on any new developments or anything specific to that election.

Doesn't be particularly relevant with the congressional district election going on.

So the training that they take is in two parts.

They have the online training where they take two hours of online training, and then there's in-person training, and that runs three to three and a half hours.

There's also bilingual training for uh bilingual workers, which you can additionally phase.

So the online training, that includes topics like the pre-election procedures, the important security documentation and procedures, an election day procedures like vote centers set up, voter processing, and it also includes things like voter disability sensitivity at the polls.

It includes things like the rover process so that they're fully informed as to how that operates when the roamers come to pick up the yellow and blue trolleys and the voting ballots at the end of the night for the uh pick up.

In addition to that, they have in-person training, which is where we cover the operation of the equivalent.

Um, so that covers the initial setup, the operation during the day processing voters, and then the closing processes at the end of the night.

And that's for the poll pad, where we go through voter scenarios so they understand the different things that can come up on the poll pad and how to handle that, and then we go through the ICX ballot marking device so they can see how to operate that, how to operate the accessibility functions, and also with the ballot on demand printer, um, so they know how to print the ballots that are going to be used by anyone who's voting on a paper, and then we also have a voter information guide, facsimile ballot printing um device, which is basically printer set up to allow them to print the facsimile ballots that somebody who speaks one of the languages that we don't provide an actual official ballot in, or we can print out a ballot for that uh voter so that they can use that to assist them in actually you know uh filling out an official ballot.

So we have a special device for that, and also somebody wants one of the voting information too.

So additional election worker resources that we have, all the training materials that we have, we put that online that the election worker can access if they want to read anything to review it before the election.

Um, in case they've got any questions, they can answer that afterwards, they can contact the recruiters as well.

Uh, one of the things they have to do is get access to the vote center and arrange that and reach out to the different election workers so they have the ability to contact the um recruiters in case they need any help with getting access, they can't contact person, for example, or if they know that a election worker isn't going to be present uh for the election, they can get that sorted out prior to the election.

So on the election day, we have an election worker hotline where the election workers can contact the help desk where we have very experienced staff who are very familiar with the post center procedures with the equipment, so they can help to troubleshoot, they can help to answer any procedural questions that there may be.

So they're extremely familiar with the uh processes or you know, how to process the voters, um, the actual setup of the vote centers, uh, things of that nature, so they can answer any questions, provide any support that is needed, and um just ensure that things are running smoothly.

Thank you.

Thank you very much.

Appreciate that.

Do we have any clarifying questions?

Yeah, what's the what are the criteria for our precinct camera bilingual work?

Yeah, so um we support generally we've got five main languages so English, Spanish, Chinese, the Gallup Vietnamese that are required to support through section 203.

So we provide um election workers throughout the county as much as we can at every location.

So it's we've got enough workers who will provide them at every location, and we can target.

Now, for all of the other languages that we have, they're under the what we call section 14201.

So for those languages, some of them are fairly um small, there are not many voters in those uh locations, but what we have is we know where they are.

So we've been given uh information from the secretary state, which identifies the precincts that they're in.

So what we can actually do, and we have done is create maps where we know what those entry is going to be in those areas, so then we will target those areas with the voters, or sorry, with the workers that we have, make sure they're located in an area that is relevant to that particular language that that particular um election worker can support.

Um obviously, with the situation we have, anyone can go into any of the actual vote centers.

So in addition to having the election workers set up to support the language, we also have the ability to call a phone number to arrange to have an actual um translation of you know, an actual interpretation service to cover it if, for example, you know, somebody who would be in a precinct, say in Oakland would be having support from a particular language, but that voter happens to go to Livermore.

Well, the person in Livermore, the election worker can actually call that number to get the relevant interpretation services to still provide the support they need, even though they may not have an actual bilingual work.

One level, yeah.

I I know it's we do the remote in the staff, I think it's the precinct coordinated left.

We don't do that anymore, no, that's right.

Yeah, we kind of uh rolled that into the troubleshooter duties.

So um, you know, they're very much on site all the time, they'll hit all their locations multiple times during the day, kind of like the coordinated use that is usually.

Um, so they've got long checklists and stuff that they run through when they go to the sites, and yeah, so they're constantly going around.

Um, you know, and if they see a location that might need a little extra help, they'll arrange to be there for long periods, and maybe at the end of the day when they're closing up things like that, kind of like a coordinator to thank you.

Okay.

I have a question about the voters' choice act part.

Um I'm sure different counties are different sizes.

Right.

And we have a hundred vote centers.

Some counties do not.

Correct.

Okay.

What I'm wondering is you said each vote center has to have a minimum of seven election workers.

That's our individual.

That's ours.

Not because of the voter choice.

It's an Lord.

Yeah.

Okay.

Yeah, that's our that's our own requirement.

We we we feel that that's a good number for us as a minimum.

So that's what we want to try and hit at every location.

Um, and you're right, the right size is you know, you've got some huge cancer.

Like with the numbers, you know, to understand that we have that number because we work on the basis as if we had a million voters.

So we actually go above the number of vote centers that were required to be live, and that's why we did a hundred with anything required for right time, like seven, ninety eight.

So, but yeah, that that is that number of the voters.

Okay, I didn't know that with the voters' choice acts requirements.

Sorry, and um, so um, I just know that some vote centers are very they're not busy at all.

Correct.

And there's seven people in there, and I feel so bad for them.

And it's like um is there a way that they can communicate to the county that we probably could get by with you know, three less people or whatever, or not?

It's it's really tricky because um some of the we have some locations open for 11 days.

It does come with one.

So um unfortunately, some of the days are extremely quiet.

Um, we find that out because the election workers are sitting there reading the manual and they come up with some creative questions to ask us.

But the problem is that they have one.

Um but unfortunately, you know, they have to go on rates and so forth.

So you've got to have an adequate number in case suddenly they have to get busy during that period.

So we have to have that kind of minimum number to allow for covering braces in the code of the two personal rules for operating equipment.

Okay, and are there any uh is there any criteria like supposing one city has four voting centers or five voting centers, and then um the ROB's office figures out that uh you know there's only um that one of the voting centers hardly gives anybody.

Would you close that down?

Or do you keep it open because of the location on a certain side of the city?

Hang on, so I think we're losing.

Okay, um, we're losing a quorum right now, but you don't have anything any more action on but when there's no quorum, we've certainly oh you have thanks.

Thanks, Susan.

Um I'm just wondering that like do you guys gauge that stuff?

So we would look at that if it's if you know we find a situation where we've got a site that's particularly quiet where we would look to make sure it's you know in a public sized location, it's somewhere that's in a good spot, we might look at that when we're looking at the next election to see what the situation is with that.

We might look at that when we're looking at the next election to see what the situation is with that.

Um the other thing we do try to do is spread out the locations as much as we can throughout the cities.

So one of the you know requirements is you you try and give everyone an equal opportunity to get to the votes ends.

So you know, that does kind of dictate slightly how we you know put them where we put them in the cities because we try to as much as we can obviously we don't control all the buildings, but we do our best to try to spread it out so they make it easy for everyone to get to.

So a situation like that, it would certainly look at it to assess, you know, is it not in a good spot?

Is it you know not just not a good building?

Um is it something we can advertise more, provide more signage, things like that?

Um but yeah, we definitely evaluate.

But David, isn't there a requirement for the number of voters that have to be two boat centers?

Oh, yeah, there's certain criteria in terms of the ratio.

Um so like you like you saw with the I mentioned 14 vote centers.

So that's a different ratio is a special lecture.

Um so for example, that would be um like one uh one 11 day would be every 60,000 minutes, whereas you know, a um day would be one for every 30,000.

So that's why that you get that different calculation.

And that's kind of like what I was talking about with the um the hundred locations.

So we have one um every 10,000, and then it's one from 50,000 for the 11.

So that's where that criteria comes in.

Now, what we take them to do is kind of looking at the voter uh totals or emission totals for the individual cities, uh, where we try and figure out how many they should have.

So that factors into the calculation as to where we're putting this in the city if you've got you know a lot of voters that you're gonna have more locations.

One more question.

Um the terms of R here, I think are interesting.

The captain and assistant captain and judges.

What does it mean by judges just seems weird?

That term.

So what is that?

Is that part of the voter's choice act, or is that what the county is?

It's I think it's more of a historic term that we've used.

Um it's kind of carried through.

Um I think in a you know, back in the polling place I think they would probably be considered a clerk.

Um, essentially they're people who have you know, they may be new to it new to doing the process, or they're you know, not wanting the responsibility of being an assistant captain.

Um, so they would come in as a judge, they'd do the more they'll they'll go in the accounting rule with less additional um responsibilities, so they wouldn't do, for example, agreement process, staying late to do the equipment, um uh and some of the things like that.

So then once they've got experience, they can then get promoted up to an assistant um captain if they want to do that.

Um, and then I'll eventually sort of captain after they've done a couple of elections at least and have been seen to be performing well and they're getting reports back.

But they're not judging anything.

No, and and I'll just say you go to every county, it's different.

The terms are different, there's no standard.

This may be one of those things that would be nice in the elections code if that identified at a precinct, you know, at a voting location, you had a clerk or you had this or that, it's not there.

So when you go county to county, that all varies.

Yeah, but David is correct.

Back, you know, when we were pulling places, we used clerks and there were different terms and inspector and and people had problems with inspector.

So we try to utilize more terms.

These seem to fit.

We haven't had any complaints about captains and judges, except I read, except I really but any other clarifying questions.

Well, thank you so much.

Appreciate it.

And with that, um, we are done with the meeting, and I adjourn this meeting at 6 10.

Thank you to the virtual audience.