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Board of Elections

Orange County · Board of Elections
Tuesday, November 12, 2024

Regular meeting Elections and districtsHealth and human services

Agenda document Minutes Watch Meeting recap

What was decided

  1. Approved 3Approval of Board Minutes Approved unanimously
  2. Approved 6.aAdministrative Challenges: Voters Who Died Before November 5 Approved unanimously
  3. Approved 6.bAdministrative Challenges: Voters in Active Felon Status Approved unanimously
  4. Approved 6.cAdministrative Challenge: Ballot Signed in Another Voter's Name Approved unanimously

Read from the agenda's recorded outcomes. Where the board published minutes, those are the record — this is a pointer to them.

What's on this agenda

Orange County's Board of Elections met the Tuesday after the November 5 general election to handle post-election business ahead of canvass. The agenda covered administrative challenges to absentee and early voting ballots cast by voters no longer eligible, and same-day registrants whose addresses could not be verified.

Summarized from the published agenda. Read the agenda itself before acting on it.

Meeting recap

What happened, drawn from the records published after the meeting. Minutes

The board confirmed voter eligibility problems using outside agency records: the state Department of Health and Human Services showed ten voters had died before the November 5 eligibility cutoff, and the state Department of Corrections showed two voters were still serving active felony sentences. The board also confirmed one ballot where an unidentified person had signed in using another registered voter's name. Members voted to enter administrative challenges against all thirteen ballots, and the chair signed the challenge forms. Those ballots are being pulled and sealed for review by a bipartisan team during the sample hand-to-eye audit that followed the meeting.

The director also flagged same-day registrants whose addresses failed verification. Under state guidance, a ballot must be retrieved and its votes subtracted from the results if the registrant does not fix the address problem by 5 p.m. on November 14 or appear in person at canvass. Citing public questions about the accuracy of the November 5 results, the board added East Franklin as an extra site for the hand-to-eye audit, beyond the sites already scheduled.

How the votes went

Every motion passed unanimously: approving the November 4 and November 5 minutes, entering administrative challenges against ten deceased voters, two voters in active felon status, and one ballot signed by an unidentified person in another voter's name, and adjourning. No item drew a divided vote.

From the published minutes.

Speaking at this meeting

Orange County's own rules for public comment — check them before you rely on anything here.

Agenda items (10)

Other · 4Procedural · 3Staff or committee report · 2Minutes approval · 1
  1. 1 Call to Order
    Procedural Elections and districts
    Chair Jamie Cox called the meeting to order.
  2. 2 Public Comment
    Procedural Elections and districts
    The chair opened the floor for public comment. No one present asked to address the board.
  3. 3 Approval of Board Minutes
    Minutes approval Elections and districts
    The board approved the minutes of its November 4 and November 5, 2024 meetings as submitted.
    Approved unanimously
  4. 4 Director's Report: Administrative Challenges to Ineligible Absentee-by-Mail and Early Voting Ballots
    Staff or committee report Elections and districts
    Director Rachel Raper presented evidence for the board to review on early voting and absentee ballots cast by voters ineligible as of November 5, 2024, under state Numbered Memo 2022-05.
  5. 5 Director's Report: Same-Day Registrants with Address Verification Failure
    Staff or committee report Elections and districts
    The director reported on same-day registrants whose addresses failed verification. Under Numbered Memo 2023-05, an uncured ballot must be retrieved and its votes deducted from the official results if not fixed by 5 p.m. on November 14 or at canvass.
  6. 6.a Administrative Challenges: Voters Who Died Before November 5
    Other Elections and districtsHealth and human services
    Using state Department of Health and Human Services records, the board confirmed ten voters had died after voting but before November 5, 2024, and voted to enter administrative challenges against their ballots.
    Approved unanimously
  7. 6.b Administrative Challenges: Voters in Active Felon Status
    Other Elections and districts
    Using state Department of Corrections records, the board confirmed two voters were still in active felon status and voted to enter administrative challenges against their ballots.
    Approved unanimously
  8. 6.c Administrative Challenge: Ballot Signed in Another Voter's Name
    Other Elections and districts
    The board confirmed one instance where an unidentified person signed in to vote using the name of another registered voter, and voted to enter an administrative challenge against that ballot.
    Approved unanimously
  9. 7 Additional Hand-to-Eye Audit Site
    Other Elections and districts
    Citing public questions about the accuracy of the November 5 results, the board selected East Franklin at random as an additional site for the sample hand-to-eye audit held after the meeting.
  10. 8 Adjournment
    Procedural Elections and districts
    The board adjourned. The next meeting was scheduled for Thursday, November 14 at 5 p.m.
    Approved unanimously

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