I like the ones I count.

I don't like the ones we don't count.

I have to call the Marion County Elections Board meeting to order here May 14th.

Before we get started, we'll do introductions.

We'll start with the board, and then have stab and then council.

Begin with myself, Nelia Stewart, Chair.

Hi, good afternoon, Jennifer Bean, Vice Chair.

Kate Sweeney Bill, Secretary.

Patrick Becker, Director of Elections.

Brad Boswell, outside council.

Helen Gabrich, Office of Corporation Council.

Okay.

Thank you.

Good afternoon.

So we get started.

Now that we have a call order, have a few things that go over today as we're coming off of the election.

I guess it's two weeks ago already.

Time flies.

Can you provide an update for us?

Yeah, thank you, Madam Chair.

The um staff is uh the board knows it goes through after election day uh what we call our canvassing process as essentially going through all the materials that come back from election day.

Um so we have a couple of different uh things for the board to uh essentially review and then hopefully tabulate uh in front of you.

Um, and I'm just gonna start with the the smallest number of them, uh, which is this one ballot here, which was an absentee by mail ballot that was set aside um on election day by central count counters, and they set it aside for a no signature, uh, but you can see that the um the person that was signing had an assistant here, and the person assisting um you know signed uh for the voter.

Um, so the one staff wanted uh board to review that, and then um, so that's the first one.

Yeah, I don't think we have so I don't know if they were able to make the mark or not.

For that, um next we have um the these were absentee ballots that were vote by mail ballots that were returned to um polls on election day to vote centers.

Uh they were received timely, they were not put in the proper place when the materials came back.

So these were discovered um you know in the days after election day as we continued going through uh the materials.

Uh so staff was able to go through and match them with the applications.

Uh, we did have a bipartisan team also review the signatures on all of these.

Uh, but this is here for the board to either review or um approve us to count.

Um we went through our normal process of matching these uh to their application, uh providing a bipartisan team the app and the ballot for them to do signature review, um, and then these are hopefully ones that the board will consider for tabulation as well.

If the board would like to do signature review, uh the applications are attached, uh, but you can also see the report where they've been checked off by our colleagues in voter registration.

And then the last batch of absentee ballots um are four unreadable ballots that were from election day.

Um those were um ballots that were at the tabulator that went through the tabulator and were not tabulated, they were put into an unreadable envelope and were not gathered um with the rest of that material when that machine was closed down for the night for tabulation.

So this again was discovered after election day as we were going through the central count materials and starting to put those and archive them.

Uh one of our staff discovered that this had unreadable ballots in it, and they had not been remade.

Um, and so staff with uh our colleagues in voter registration went through uh and had a bipartisan team remake the ballots.

Um what I did do is um I I paper clipped essentially the remade ballot to the original ballot.

Um on the back of the ballot, you can see uh there's a remake sticker and then a corresponding number uh of the original so that uh again if the board wanted to review these uh the board uh the staff would would request the board considered tabulating uh these ballots.

Are they all from uh the same vote center?

These here.

These are central countries.

Uh that went went up to the tabulator, uh, got sorted out as unreadable, and then never actually got remade on election day.

Okay, uh, and then went back uh to go back through the tabulator.

Um these are ones that did come, uh and I don't know if they all came from the same vote center, but I think it was two vote centers, um that had uh this is a total of ten uh from the election day sites.

How many other unreadable?

Four unreadable and these are supposed to go into an envelope that uh is opened immediately upon arrival here on election night, correct?

Yeah, so what what staff does is goes through materials on election night and specifically starts looking for absentee ballots, um provisional ballots, um ballot accounting certificates, uh zero tapes and totals tapes, uh things that we kind of need to help us uh kind of put together the pieces from what happened on election day.

Uh and sometimes what happens um they're not where you expect them to be.

Uh so uh as staff will uh kind of roll their eyes.

Sometimes we go through everything and we check uh every nook and cranny um before this meeting because this is kind of our last chance to bring things before the board.

And you said everything has been checked by a bipartisan team prior.

Yeah, I don't uh there's a question I think about this one as to whether or not the board would actually be able to count this one.

Uh we did want to bring it to the board for review.

Um I don't know if you had a chance to look at this one.

Um, how did you require it?

Just so this came through the um the central count and was rejected um on the central count floor, and when staff went to put it in the cent uh to reject it, uh they believe that this was I guess they this might have been the voter signature.

Um but it looks like it's the person assisting the voter.

Is there a power of attorney in it?

I don't know, they have to look at that.

So it says, so statute's pretty clear that if a voter has disabilities and they're unable to leave their mark that they have to vote in front of a um traveling board.

Traveling board.

So we don't that's not the case here.

Yeah, so I think the they would have likely had to assign the voters' name.

Uh and if they had a power of attorney, would have had to indicate that.

So I'm not sure that this one will be uh something the board should.

I'm not touching it.

Yeah.

Yeah.

Or make some sort of indicating.

Yes.

Yeah.

To be clear, I'm not touching it.

Not because I don't want to, because she's on the ballot, based off of any questions.

Any other questions on the board?

I think here from council the law was pretty clear that we can't accept it.

I agree.

Give this back to you.

I think they can just take the motion on the ones that they want to.

Yeah, they don't think they have to affirmatively reject that.

I move that we not count uh that ballot second.

Properly motion and second call roll, vice chair.

I, Madam Clerk, I can show the chair voting aye.

What number was that was just like we're not in the traditional today.

Oh, and so that was that was one, so we will do we need to take a vote to count the unreadable and the yeah, I think we need an affirmative vote from the board on whether they would want to count these or not.

Do you want to look at this?

I trust that but you said they've both been reviewed by a bipartisan team already.

Yeah, so these ballots have been remade by our VR staff.

Our staff has reviewed them as well.

Um, just we wanted to make sure if the board wanted to go through look at them that you had all the material.

Uh staff is more than happy to take these in and start tabulating and get get them all in.

I trust their review is better than ours.

I do as well.

I might just pass them down to you so that uh Alex can draw them.

And they're gonna, there are eight ballots in there, but only four will be counted.

That's correct.

Right, because of that the rebate.

Yeah.

So do we need a motion for four and ten, and fourteen?

Madam Chair, make a motion that we um tabulate these four re-made uh ballots that were from readables, and then these ten that were um found in the election day materials in the inspector's case.

Second, uh properly motioned second, call row, vice chair.

Aye, madam clerk.

I show the chair voting aye.

Everybody's votes get recorded.

That's great.

No close races like uh one and uh some of those PC races are those are real nail biters.

Any anything else on ST?

No matter so with that, we will move on to provisional ballot review, um, and go through those.

Uh director Becker, you want to go start with the order?

Sure.

Um, so in front of the board here, you have um uh similar to what we've done in the past, um, a log sheet um that has uh all of the provisional ballots from the selection.

Um there are no names uh associated to any of these ballots at this point on your log sheet, uh only provisional ballot number.

So we want to make sure to try to refer to them as the provisional ballot number.

Uh what staff has done is um categorize these.

Um if you look sort of towards the center of the um sheet, there's a pre-for category that is the pre-for is the challenge affidavit.

Uh so there's a category that you're to mark when you you challenge someone.

Uh what staff typically does, and what the way we're gonna start is with uh absentee by mail ballots uh that have either missing signatures or mismatch signature signatures, and those become provisional ballots.

Uh and so those are kind of usually the first ones that we're accumulating uh throughout an election.

So that's kind of why we start with those.

Um the first three are all uh provisional ballots one, two, and three are all missing absentee signatures.

Um, and staff recommendation is to count provisional ballot one and not count provisional ballots two and three uh as provisional ballot one has returned their their form and provisional ballot two and three have not to count provisional ballot one and reject uh provisional ballots numbered two and three.

Second, uh properly motioned second, all row by chair.

Aye, Madam Clark, I can show the chair voting file.

Okay, and uh I also wanted to point out for the board in case I didn't get a chance to.

There's also a summary page that I provided that kind of helps summarize the document um in front of you as well.

Uh the next group um are signatures that were deemed to be mismatched, um, and that um provisional ballot numbers four through 21.

Uh staff is recommending uh count as they have returned their uh their ABS 18 B.

Um those signatures were also reviewed by our bipartisan uh colleagues in uh voter registration, uh and so the those signatures have already been reviewed uh prior to this meeting, and then the staff would recommend do not count provisional ballot numbers 22 through 35 who did not return their ABS 18.

I will note we did get um more than a handful of ABS 18's return today in the mail, but to note for the public the deadline was yesterday at noon for us to receive.

So can you explain what the process is when there is a signature missing or signature mismatch?

Do we uh does staff send a letter?

Do they uh make a phone call, do they send an email, do they knock on doors?

Uh well, staff is required by law to send a letter, a notice, uh state or a state form.

We also include within a cover letter.

Um, and then um if there is a phone number or email on file, our staff does um I don't know if Madeline's here, I don't want to say the word hound, but um, it might border on hound.

Um, but we do make multiple attempts to notify folks of the deadline to get that to get that back.

It can be uh scanned and emailed, it could a photo could be taken and emailed to us.

So we do try to reach folks as um on many mediums as we can.

Thank you.

Uh I move that we count uh ballots number four through 21.

Second, um sorry, the previous one you did the count and not count in the same motion.

We want to do the same thing.

Uh well, sure, doesn't matter.

Okay, and uh that we not count amend my motion, uh, and uh proposed that we count ballots four through twenty-one and that we do not count ballots 22 through 35.

Second her amended motion.

Properly motion and second, Cal Row, vice chair.

I madam clarify, so the chair by sight right back.

The next group um starting at uh provisional ballot number uh 36 um through provisional ballot uh 45 all required uh some additional documentation.

Um provisional ballots 36 through 42 um are um category three, which is did not provide ID or sufficient ID.

Um those individuals have until noon uh tomorrow, um, May 15th to provide that ID to us and complete a pro 10, as well as uh provisional ballot number 44.

Um provisional ballot number 43 uh arrived this morning and completed a pro 10.

Um, and um we have that documentation here um and provisional ballot number 45 uh required actual actually required citizenship documentation, and that was also provided this morning uh to our colleagues in voter registration.

So these two individual ballots moved sort of out of that pending uh status today to a count status, and so we would um I guess however the board would like to slice that motion.

Um I tried to highlight for you the ones that would be um pending the deadline tomorrow.

Um, I believe in the past, and staff would request again a motion and a vote of the board to allow staff to tabulate anything that comes in prior to the deadline tomorrow, and obviously we can notify the board um if if there are any that are received.

Vice Chair Pig, why don't you take that?

I gotcha.

Okay, um Madam Chair, I make the following lengthy motion, a motion um to allow staff to count if PRO 10 um is filed by noon tomorrow, May 15th for um provisional ballot numbers 36 through 42 and 44.

I further make a motion to count today, provisional ballot 43 and 45 because documentation has been provided to us already.

Could you repeat that?

Okay.

Probably voted a second.

Oh no, Vice Chair.

Aye.

Madam Fire.

So the chair vote.

Luckily it's recorded, but Director Beckard, you get that one written down just the way it was.

I think I have what I need for my notes.

I don't know if you wanted to look at them as we go.

Not to be able to touch them.

And to be able to help a voter.

The next group.

The next group of ballots, and uh depending on how the board would like to take this vote, I'm happy to go through all of these.

Um essentially uh ballot numbers 46 through 96, staff is recommend count for various reasons.

Um, 46 through 61 are all marked as the voter was not on the poll book and not entitled to the fail safe.

Um there's a combination in here of certificates of error, which are um issues with their voter registration record uh being corrected on election day.

Uh there are um folks that are eligible for the fail safe that should have been given uh a fail safe document on election day to complete.

So there's there's varying things.

Um you can see the research in those if you want to go through those and look.

Um 62 through 66 uh similarly um is that they are on the poll book, but they do not reside uh where they say they where they're on the poll book and do not qualify for the fail save.

Um so again you'll see kind of through uh number 62 through 66.

Um, we got where they've moved within the same congressional district, um, we had a uh a person that was um coming back from being uh stationed abroad um and things like that where uh colleagues from voter registration and election board agreed that uh those were eligible for uh fail-safe procedures.

Um, uh just to highlight for the the board uh again was an ID not provided from an early voting ballot.

Uh you'll note on the summary that was actually um the the pro 10 was completed prior to election day, uh, but that is an early voting ballot.

Uh number 68.

Um additional documentation required.

Um, but that was um provided.

I believe that is uh, oh there we're not actually I think that was an improper challenge.

Uh 69 was that the voter will not be 18 by the election.

Uh and that voter actually turned 18 a few days after the primary.

So um I think a good one to highlight for uh folks that are going to be 18 in the spring, as long as you're 18 by the November uh general election, you can't vote in the primary.

So uh this person should not have been challenged.

Uh and then numbers 70 through 96 were all categories categorized as the other category.

Um, but again, staff and and voter registration uh went through again.

You'll see a number of COEs and things like that um registered uh at the address uh eligible for fail safe.

Um so again, kind of runs runs the gamut on on some of the common things that we see.

Um, and I think also um possibly indicative of everybody having a year off and um you know maybe kind of remembering some of the process uh that we deal with on election day.

Director Becker, could you for me and probably everybody else explain fail safe.

Sure, and I'll uh look to my colleagues in VR if I miss state this, but uh what the law says is that if you've moved within the same congressional district, um and uh you're still eligible to vote in your old precinct uh one last time, complete a document uh called the VRG 412, which is an address change form that will update your uh voter registration record after the election uh and um so voter registration uh typically would deal with those on election day.

Uh so um I think again this could be a thing that we can also talk through with some of our our folks through training about what is a provisional versus an address change.

Uh you know, a form is not a form all the time, so uh yeah, making sure we're doing the the right things there, but um the fail safe means that you're eligible to vote one last time at the address you're registered, um, I'm not sure I do have a question.

A director Becker or maybe somebody from voter registration can explain the for uh provisional ballots 46, 47, 48 under BR research, it has the letter R.

What does that mean?

Is that registered?

Yeah, is that registered?

Okay, because somewhere it says registered vote, somewhere it says RED.

There's a time and day, there's yeah.

I just don't want to make any assumptions that I knew what it was.

R is registered.

Thank you.

So, okay, that's just the category.

I'm looking for my addresses I have.

That's that's the category.

Um, yes, I think they voted.

So I can see I can or two.

Well, they're fixing to say that.

Um, if you're ready, I guess.

Madam Chair, I make a motion to count as um recommended by both election staff and voter registration.

Provisional ballot numbers from 46 through 96, or we just dealing with the fail safe for right now.

Yeah, you can go off.

You can do them all if you want.

Okay.

So again, to repeat a provisional ballots 46 through 96.

Second.

And that's what's called nail biter there, but yeah.

Probably voted in second call roll by the I.

Just keep it as sustensible.

I have such a good memory.

I know who that person is.

All right, Director Becker, you're right.

The next batch um start at number 97.

Um, and again, if the board would like, I can run through uh kind of the rest of the categories here.

Um, numbers 97 through uh 222, um, staff and uh voter registration are both in agreement to recommend not count.

Uh numbers 97 through 131 are all um challenge category one, which is they are not on the poll book and not entitled to the fail safe.

Um some of this uh if you go through the notes, you'll see a lot of not registered and are not registered, or a lot of um cross-congressional.

Uh we also have still a fair amount of uh individuals coming from out of county.

Um I think misunderstanding that indie votes anywhere uh really is the county line uh votes anywhere in our county um, but you do have to live in Marion County uh proper to be able to vote at any of our boat centers.

So uh you'll see that uh through the notes as well.

Numbers 132 through 164 are challenge category uh number two.

Again, they are on the poll book, but uh they're being challenged essentially that they don't live where they uh are at on the poll book uh and are not entitled to the fail safe.

Um, so again uh you'll see through those uh a similar uh cross congressional um or uh not not registered, most of those are cross-congressional, so probably are miscategorized and should be uh category number one, but um yeah, or no, I should say sorry, they're they're they're probably properly categorized, sorry, number two, but they're not entitled to the PLC.

Uh number 165 is um uh it's a category number three, uh however they're registered in Hendricks County.

Uh so again uh even if they show proper ID here, that would not count.

Um 166 was an additional uh additional documentation is required.

Uh believe that's an incorrect challenge category because they cross congressional districts, so should probably be a number two, and then 167 through 222 are all categorized as other um everyone's favorite category, and um again, a lot of not registered, a lot of uh cross-congressional um or uh voting out of the county uh kind of there as well.

Oh, and I apologize, it's number two twenty eight, not two twenty-two, oh, I'm not here.

So of all these, um, that the staff recommends not to count, um, the board of voter registration also weighed in.

Are there any disagreements among uh election board or VR, that the VR board?

No, uh, through through our conversations with uh the our colleagues in VR, I think we all came to the same uh understanding.

There are some um there are some circumstances that arise on election day that are more kind of purely a voter registration issue, and some that are more purely election board.

Uh and so um, you know, in the initial sort of uh iteration of this, there was some uh discrepancy, but as we work with our colleagues in VR to understand our process and their process, we we usually we usually come to uh agreement.

Um, and yeah, in this in this regard, there's no disagreement from our our colleagues in the R.

Thank you.

And so of the there were around 100,000 people who voted or attempted to vote in this past election.

This number is this um typical.

I mean two hundred and change out of a hundred thousand, um it feels like a pretty low number.

Um, but for a primary um with lower turnout, I think that um you know is to be expected.

Um, but I think even uh in past primaries uh we've seen higher um provisional provision.

But the cart's rolled in, yeah.

Uh if you are uh I move on to you.

I move that uh we uh would you like me to do it?

I move that we do not count uh provisional ballots 97 through two two eight seconds based on the uh recommendation of the Board of Voter Registration and Election Board staff.

Second properly motion and second uh how roll vice chair.

I show the chair waiting.

I think that's what there's a point.

238 total of personal ballots.

And a few more that may get counted tomorrow, right?

If uh IDs come in.

That's right.

Every everybody watching, please.

We're open until 4 30 here.

And at the city county building.

What what does the person they've been notified?

They know what the requirement is.

Is this something that they can um the ones that we're waiting on the pro tens for?

They can that's where they can take a picture and or do they have to come in?

They they need to come in and complete the pro ten.

We need to see their ID and take a photocopy of it with the Pro 10.

So yeah, we do need to verify.

So they could come to our office at the City County Building, 200 East Washington Street, W 144.

I could come here at 3737 East Washington Street.

Uh and yeah, any of our staff would be happy to help.

Um and just on that point, if I could, madam chair, the um any anything that were to come in tomorrow, um I would notify the board um and let you know if there are any additional ballots to be tabulated.

Um I would also anticipate that uh we would wait until probably tomorrow afternoon to upload um all of our results that um we'll be changing with these today just to let that deadline pass, and then that way we have results ready to certify on Monday.

Okay.

Um for the upload, do you need board here, or do you need us to I don't believe so make a motion?

Okay.

That's the completion of going to the vision of ballot review.

Any other updates or information we want to share before we close out, Director Becker or Madame Clerk?

Thank you to all the voters.

Uh we'll see you see you back on Monday.

So we can certify this sucker and move on to the general.

Certify everyone, including our clerk for another few years.

Very excited about that.

Well, uh I am honored to be the nominee.

All right, and our as as mentioned our next scheduled meeting uh to certify the election uh is Monday, May 18th.

I think we're starting at 10 a.m.

back here.

Um yeah, I said you could also recess until then.

Oh, yeah, oh we'll just reset someone.

Oh you need to, yeah.

Oh, you don't oh okay, we have to recover that.

So we just oh re I guess we're recessed until 10 a.m.

on Monday.

Thank you.