NC govwatch

← All meetings

Board of Elections

Orange County · Board of Elections
Tuesday, November 5, 2024

Regular meeting Elections and districts

Agenda document Minutes Watch Meeting recap

What was decided

  1. Approved 5Review of absentee ballots pending affidavit review Both envelopes accepted
  2. Denied 6Vote on disapproval of one absentee ballot Disapproved, unanimous
  3. Approved 7Vote on approval of 60 absentee ballots Approved, unanimous

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 election board meets on Election Day itself to process absentee ballots before polls close. The agenda covers the director's report on absentee-by-mail ballots cast to date, board review of ballot envelopes flagged for approval or disapproval, and the procedures for tabulating and sealing results ahead of the 7:30 p.m. release.

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 approved 60 civilian absentee ballots after a bipartisan review, including two envelopes that had been held back because photo ID documents appeared to be sealed inside; both were found to meet the requirements for acceptance once reviewed. It voted unanimously to disapprove one absentee ballot after the voter was contacted and the voting-location information confirmed. Staff ran the approved ballots through the DS850 tabulator, bringing the count to 5,985, and the board signed and sealed the results for release after polls closed. No one appeared for public comment. The board recessed until 7:15 p.m. to await the close of polls, then reconvened to confirm the early voting site tapes started at zero, sign the results tapes for canvass, and adjourn.

How the votes went

Two recorded votes, both unanimous: to disapprove one civilian absentee ballot (moved by Roberts, seconded by Mebane), and to approve 60 civilian absentee ballots after bipartisan review (moved by Roberts, seconded by Brennan). A third unanimous vote recessed the meeting until 7:15 p.m., and a fourth adjourned it.

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 (12)

Other · 6Procedural · 4Staff or committee report · 1Discussion item · 1
  1. 1 Call to order
    Procedural
    Chair Jamie Cox called the meeting to order.
  2. 2 Public comment
    Procedural
    The chair opened the floor for public comment. No one appeared to address the board.
  3. 3 Director's report: absentee by-mail ballots cast to date
    Staff or committee report Elections and districts
    Director Rachel Raper reported 58 civilian absentee ballots recommended for approval, one recommended for disapproval after the voter was contacted and the voting location confirmed, and two pending affidavit review because photo ID documents appeared to be sealed inside the ballot envelope.
  4. 4 Board discussion of Election Day precinct observations
    Discussion item Elections and districts
    Board members discussed what they observed while visiting their assigned precincts and offered recommendations to improve Election Day operations.
  5. 5 Review of absentee ballots pending affidavit review
    Other Elections and districts
    The board reviewed the two absentee ballot envelopes held for possibly having photo ID documents sealed inside and found both met the requirements for acceptance.
    Both envelopes accepted
  6. 6 Vote on disapproval of one absentee ballot
    Other Elections and districts
    The board voted on whether to disapprove one civilian absentee ballot after review, on a motion by Roberts, seconded by Mebane.
    Disapproved, unanimous
  7. 7 Vote on approval of 60 absentee ballots
    Other Elections and districts
    After a bipartisan quality-control review of 60 civilian absentee ballot envelopes recommended for approval by staff, the board voted on approval, on a motion by Roberts, seconded by Brennan.
    Approved, unanimous
  8. 8 Tabulation and sealing of absentee ballots
    Other Elections and districts
    The board watched staff run approved ballots through the DS850 tabulator, bringing the count to 5,985, then signed a sealing label as the director sealed the voted ballots into a security envelope with security seal N55,611.
  9. 9 Certification of absentee abstracts
    Other Elections and districts
    The board certified and signed the absentee abstracts for submission to the State Board of Elections. Results were held for release at 7:30 p.m. after polls closed.
  10. 10 Recess until 7:15 p.m.
    Procedural
    The board voted to recess until 7:15 p.m., on a motion by Roberts, seconded by Brennan.
    Approved, unanimous
  11. 11 Post-recess: early voting tape verification and canvass tapes
    Other Elections and districts
    After the recess, the board confirmed early voting site tapes began at zero, tabulated media, and signed the results tapes to be certified at canvass. The director uploaded the results.
  12. 12 Adjournment
    Procedural
    The board voted to adjourn, on a motion by Mebane, seconded by Kolbinsky.
    Approved, unanimous

Other recent meetings of this board