NORTH CAROLINA STATE BOARD OF ELECTIONS BEST PRACTICES 2015 DARE COUNTY

The Dare County Board of Elections and staff organized and held a “Candidates Night Orientation”. The purpose was to inform the candidates, party chairs and media of early voting and Election Day procedures.

Candidate Night was held in the Dare County Administration Building at 7:00 PM and lasted for about two hours. Candidates, Media and Party Chairs were greeted by the Dare County Elections Board. Light refreshments were provided.

There was minimal expense for this project. We used supplies we already had in the office. Mini themed stations were set up in the room and manned by staff.

ONE-STOP VOTING This station was set up to represent a One-Stop site. Information was given for additional sites, hours and times. Same Day Registration and other procedures used during the One-Stop period were explained. This included mailed Civilian and Military Absentee Ballots.

SIGNAGE Signage used during One-Stop voting and at the polls on Election Day was displayed. A fifty foot tape was placed on the floor for a visual of buffer zones. Rules for campaign signs which included littering statutes, information from DOT, municipalities and areas surrounding One-Stop sites Reminder to take down signs after the election. This was also done at our poll worker training.

BALLOTS An enlarged sample ballot was displayed to familiarize candidates on straight party voting and statutes for candidate ballot order AND a reminder to vote both sides of the ballot.

VOTING EQUIPMENT The iVo and the M-100 were displayed and staff explained procedures of each machine and the ADA requirements.

CURBSIDE Policies and procedures for Curbside Voting were outlined and explained. Curbside Voting

MEDIA The Media were reminded of the Do’s and Don’ts at the polls.

OBJECTIVES 1)Candidates were able to freely move around the room and ask questions about the presentations. 2)The stations were manned by staff or part-time staff knowledgeable about their station and able to talk with the candidates, party chairs or media. 3)Candidates were also given a Candidates Manual with more detailed information which included Campaign Finance. This was a learning experience to prepare the BOE staff and candidates for a busy election.

This Candidate Night worked so well, we did the same thing with our Poll Worker Training.

After our instructional meeting, we broke out into groups for one-on-one instruction of Election Day procedures.

CHANGE iVo PAPER In one room we had an iVo set up for changing paper rolls. Workers practiced changing the paper as staff looked on giving instructions as needed.

PROVISIONAL VOTING A staff member explained the importance of completing the Provisional Ballot Envelope. The envelope was highlighted in the sections that needed to be completed.

MISCELLANEOUS DOCUMENTS Transfers Challenges Notice of Deceased Voters Absentee Requests Spoiled Ballot procedure

At the conclusion of the training session, poll workers indicated they felt more knowledgeable and comfortable in performing their duties on Election Day.