MINUTES

                        City of Charlottesville Electoral Board
                             Meeting of February 2, 2021

The meeting was called to order by the Chair at 6:06 p.m. on Tuesday, February 2 in
the office of the Charlottesville General Registrar. Those present were Electoral Board
members Jon Bright (Chair), Anne Hemenway (Vice Chair), and Jim Nix (Secretary),
Director of Elections and General Registrar Melissa Morton and Deputy Registrar and
Election Manager Taylor Yowell.

On a motion by the Chair, seconded by the Secretary, the agenda was unanimously
approved with no changes.

On a motion by the Vice Chair, seconded by the Secretary, the minutes from the
January 6 meeting were unanimously approved without change.

Public Comment

Ms. Sue Lewis, a representative of the Charlottesville League of Women Voters, was
present but made no comment.

Registrar’s Report

Ms. Morton updated the Board on the upcoming Risk Limiting Audit (RLA) of the
November 3, 2020 election soon to be conducted by the state. Little information has
been made available to date. The local impact remains unknown, but more details are
expected to be received in the next week. She has informed the Clerk of Court that
access to the ballots, which are stored in the Courthouse, will be necessary to draw the
randomly selected ballots to be used in the RLA.

The City has started the administration of Covid-19 vaccine to staff with emphasis on
those employees in positions requiring direct interaction with the public. Ms. Morton
informed the Board that she has requested that members of the registrar’s office staff
be added to that list with priority given to those who most frequently meet with voters.

Discussion Items

Acquisition of New Electronic Pollbooks (EPBs)

Ms. Morton informed the Board that the order for the new pollbooks has not yet been
placed due to continuing review to determine adjustments that can reduce the total cost
below the $44,000 available in the office capital improvement budget. A final proposal

Minutes Feb 2, 2021                                                               Page |1
will soon be ready for review by the Board. The vendor has predicted a quick delivery
once the order is received. Delivery before the end of February is expected. Training of
election officials with the new equipment is planned for March.

Precinct Boundary Review

With the announced delay in receipt of Virginia census data, revision of City voting
precinct boundaries cannot yet begin. However, preliminary work can start. Ms. Yowell
has made initial contact with the City Planning Commission to request information on
anticipated development that will affect population growth. The Vice Chair will take the
lead for the Board in this project. The first steps to be taken are a review of the files on
previous precinct boundary changes and a determination of the membership in the
committee that will prepare a precinct layout for presentation to the City Council. The
Vice Chair will meet soon with Ms. Morton and Ms. Yowell to get started on this work.

Freedom of Information Act (FOIA) Request

Ms. Yowell reported on discussions with the Deputy City Attorney concerning the
request for digital copies of all ballot scans from the November 3 general election. The
material requested does not actually exist, but Ms. Yowell has provided the City
Attorney with a digital copy of the data that is available from the ballot scanners. No
further action by the Registrar’s Office is required now that the office of the City Attorney
has taken responsibility for resolving this matter.

Preparation for June Primary

According to Ms. Morton we have approximately $23,000 available in the budget to
cover the cost of the June primary. A calendar for election planning is being drafted and
will soon be distributed for review. Ms. Morton updated the Board on candidate filings
to date for the two City Council and four Constitutional Officer positions on the ballot in
the primary.

Update from the VEBA Legislative Committee

The Secretary updated the Board and staff on the progress of election-related bills in
the General Assembly including key measures adopted in last year’s special session for
the November 3, 2020 election. These include drop boxes, ballot curing, pre-paid
postage for ballot return envelopes and elimination of the witness requirement. While
no decisions have yet been made regarding the schedule for redistricting, it now
appears likely that there will be only one primary this year, in June, for both state-wide
and local candidates with House of Delegates candidates running in the existing
districts.


Minutes Feb 2, 2021                                                                 Page |2
The next meeting will be held in the office of the Charlottesville General Registrar
starting at 6:00 p.m. on Wednesday, March 3, 2021.

The meeting was adjourned at 7:48 p.m.

Respectfully submitted:



James Nix, Secretary



Jon Bright, Chair                                       Anne Hemenway, Vice Chair




Minutes Feb 2, 2021                                                               Page |3