Pinal County 2012 Primary Election Poll Worker Training Class

Topics Covered in this Class: 1.Primary Election Rules 2.Opening the Polls 3.Provisional Voting 4.Closing the Polls 5.All Other Poll Worker Issues

Important Dates July 30 th – Last day to register to vote August 2 nd – Early voting begins August 28 th – Election Day!

Arizona Primary (Semi-Open) Recognized Political Parties Only State currently recognizes 5: 1.Americans Elect (AEL) 2.Democratic (DEM) 3.Green (GRN) 4.Libertarian (LBT) 5.Republican (REP)

Ballot Selection If a voter is registered in one of the 5 recognized parties, the voter must be issued that party’s ballot and no other’s. If a voter is not registered in a recognized political party, it will be indicated by “OTH” in the signature roster

Voters Registered OTH (Other) Voter gets to select which ballot to vote Can choose from AEL, DEM, GRN, & REP Cannot choose the Libertarian (LBT) ballot Libertarian ballots have printed on them *** LIBERTARIAN PARTY REGISTRATION ONLY *** The party chosen by an “OTH” voter needs to be recorded in the signature roster

Voter’s Party (Signature Roster)

Precinct Committeemen Elections Elections for precinct committeemen (PC’s) are rarely contested Always held in the Primary Election Only affects precincts 26 (both DEM & REP), 76 (REP only) & 102 (REP only) Only voters registered in the party get the ballot with the PC race on it Be careful in handing out the proper ballot: don’t give out ballots with PC’s to OTH voters!

PC Ballot Example

Electioneering (New Rules) New Definition: “…knowingly, intentionally, by verbal expression and in order to induce or compel another person to vote in a particular manner or to refrain from voting…” A.R.S. § No longer applies to clothing or printed materials Old rules still apply to poll workers, election officials and party representatives

Electioneering (Continued) Is this acceptable inside the polling site? Yes, but for voters only! All other electioneering must be confined to outside the 75- foot limit.

Opening the Polls All poll workers must arrive by 5:30 am It is up to the Inspector whether or not to allow poll workers who arrive late to work Voting machines, internal sign postings, voting booths, tables and supplies should be set up the day before the election It is the Inspector’s responsibility to contact his or her fellow workers & advise them of the time to meet and set up the polling place the day prior to the election. Also discuss if they are to bring a sack lunch or potluck.

Issues Opening the Polls By no later than the Monday setup meeting, ensure that no supplies are missing Be sure to post registered write-in candidates and notices of candidate withdrawals Report any difficulties with setting up voting machines as quickly as possible Notify the Elections Dept. of any missing supplies as quickly as possible and document it on the Inspector’s Checklist Feel free to contact us Monday evening (Contact info. on page 1 of manual)

Opening the Polls (New Voting Booths) New voting booths for all precincts 2-pack, easy to assemble

Opening the Polls (New Accessible Voting Booths) Each precinct will receive one 4-Station accessible voting booth

Provisional Voters (Voter was issued an early ballot) Primary reason voters vote provisionally Early voters are indicated on the signature line of the roster These voters must vote a provisional ballot

Provisional Voters (Voter’s name does not appear in the signature roster and has not moved) Call us! This could easily be a voter at the wrong polling place. The County Recorder’s Office can assist as well. A provisional ballot cast at the wrong polling site for the voter will not be counted!

Provisional Voters (Voter has moved to a new precinct within the county) It is extremely important to ensure that the voter is at the proper precinct Have voter identify where they live on the precinct maps provided If the voter is at the right precinct, have him or her vote provisionally If you have any doubts as to what precinct the voter should be at, call us

Provisional Voters (Voter has moved within the precinct) Using the precinct map provided, ensure the voter is at the proper precinct When in doubt, call us If a voter has moved and did not re-register, his or her ID will not match what’s on the books If the voter confirms that the ID does not match due to having moved but the ID is correct, he or she should not be issued a conditional provisional ballot, just a regular provisional ballot

Conditional Provisional Voters Only issued to voter’s who do not provide sufficient ID Refer to listings of acceptable ID provided with precinct supplies Notify the voter that he or she must provide valid ID within 3 business days of the Primary Election Listing of agencies that will accept proof of ID is on page 13 of the manual Stamp the provisional envelope with the “Conditional Provisional” red stamp Conditional Provisional Conditional Provisional Conditional Provisional Conditional Provisional Conditional Provisional Conditional Provisional

Provisional Pointers Be sure to properly fill out all required paperwork: –Completely fill out the Provisional envelope form –Add the voter’s name to the red signature roster and assign him or her a sequential number beginning with the letter V, “V-1, V-2, V-3, etc.”; the voter then signs next to it –Have the voter fill out a short registration form if the voter’s name does not appear on the signature roster, the voter has moved or changed name –Do not place the registration form inside the envelope! –Add the provisional voter’s name to the poll list –Be sure to have the voter sign the provisional envelope too

Closing the Polls Precinct Ballot Reports The precinct ballot report is located at the front of the poll list It verifies that the number of ballots cast at the precinct is consistent with the machine tapes and the number of names in the poll list It is a critical piece of the post-election audit process Pinal County has set goals and performance measures for precinct ballot accountability

Ballot Report Example

Ballot Report Tips If you fail to balance at first, check your math If your math is right, then which is greater, line 10 (add lines 5 & 9b) or line 11 (# names in the poll list)? If line 10 is greater, names may be missing from the poll list, check provisional voters and the signature roster If line 11 is greater, the count of unused ballots may be wrong Line 5 should always be equal to the total number of provisional ballots + the count on the Accu-Vote optical scan unit. If it isn’t, the unused ballot count is probably off.

Past Ballot Reports The majority of all precincts fill out the reports completely, correctly and are in balance There is still a significant number that have issues (over 25%) All precinct ballot reports get reviewed as a part of the post-election audit process The 2012 ballot reports are being returned with notes and corrections on them to the precinct Inspectors Please take the time to review them and ask any questions if mistakes were made or the precinct failed to balance Comments are printed in color on the portion of the report asking to explain any discrepancies

Case Study: Precinct 6 (Mammoth) The Mammoth poll workers, one of many Pinal County election boards that consistently get it right Ballot report contains accurate figures on spoiled ballots, provisional ballots and a significant number of touch screen ballots cast Precinct is in balance between the counted ballots, machine tapes and the poll list

Mammoth Ballot Report

Closing the Polls What Goes Where (p. 23)? Official Returns Bag Shall Contain: 1.Poll List (Light blue cover)-with original ballot report & original poll list sheets (white sheets) 2.Spoiled Ballots (if any) 3.Challenge List (if used) Securely sealed and signed by: Inspector and Judges

Closing the Polls What Goes Where (p. 23)? Unofficial Returns Bag Shall Contain: 1.Signature Roster(s) (yellow cover) 2.Carbonless Copies from poll list (blue, pink & yellow tear sheets)-if not picked up by party representatives 3.Registration Form(s) (if used) 4.Carbonless Copy of Ballot Report 5.W-9 Forms (if any) 6.Election Results Accu-vote Tape 7.Election Results TSX Tape Securely sealed and signed by: Inspector and Judges

Closing the Polls What Goes Where (p. 24)? The Ballot Transfer Bag Shall Contain: 1.Voted Ballots 2.Early Ballot Envelope with any dropped off Early Ballots 3.TSX Canister (Sealed with red & white sticker and signed) 4.Provisional Ballot Envelope with voted provisional ballots 5.Un-official Returns Bag 6.Official Returns Bag Sealed with Orange Seal (Record Seal # on Ballot Report)

Poll Worker Issues (Professional Behavior) Maintain a quiet and orderly polling site All poll workers must be properly attired (business casual, no shorts, flip-flops, etc.) Personal cell phone usage should be kept private and to a minimum No eating at the work station Schedule breaks for eating and making personal calls during slow times of the day (Marshal can be used to cover breaking workers) Poll workers are not allowed to leave the polling site and return (No going to get fast food or snacks from a convenience store) When you aren’t sure about something, RTFM! (Read the Friendly Manual) Still aren’t sure, call us! We’re here to help.

Poll Worker Issues (Inspectors) Get the data sheet for your polling site at this class Contact the facility as soon as possible in order to setup the Monday setup meeting Get a key to the facility if you can If you can’t get a key, get the cell phone number of the person who can allow you in the building Be sure to remind the facility that someone will have to be available to let the election board in by 5:30 am on Election Day

Poll Worker Issues (Troubleshooters) Contact information is provided to the Inspector Troubleshooter can assist with setting up and closing the polls Should be able to get your TSX machine up and running if there is a problem Will pick up your ballot transfer bag and voting machines at the end of the day Often covers multiple polling sites

Poll Worker Issues (Marshals) Only voters, party representatives and poll officials are allowed inside the 75-foot limit No verbal electioneering whatsoever inside the 75-foot limit No written electioneering, either explicit or symbolic, allowed inside the 75-foot limit for anyone except for voters Make sure outdoor signs are not being blown down (75-foot limit signs are shorter, troubleshooters can provide sand bags)

Poll Worker Issues Disabled and Elderly Voters Be patient, courteous and considerate of the extra time it may take to assist voters with special needs Voters can be assisted by any person of his or her choosing When poll workers assist a voter, it must be by 2 people, 1 DEM and 1 REP Be sure that the layout of the polling site can be easily navigated by a person in a wheel chair (No loose cords or obstructions of the main flow of voters)

Poll Worker Issues Write-In Votes There are several candidates running as write- ins The voter must fill in the bubble next to the write- in line and write the candidate’s name on the line The black ballot box sorts ballots with write-in votes Keep these ballots separated in the black duffle bag, they must be hand-counted by a separate Write-In election board

Poll Worker Issues (Getting Paid) Most checks will be mailed the day after the election Make sure you have filed a W-9 with us this calendar year Be sure to sign in for this class

Now, A Few Short Films 1 Silent and 2 “talkies”