HAVA State Plan Committee

Minutes of Organizational Meeting

February 7, 2003

Date & time:  February 7, 2003

                        2 PM – 4 PM

Location:        Legislative Office Building,

Room 308

Attendance:

State Plan Committee participants: Paul Bergeron (Nashua City Clerk);  Michael Dennehy (Citizen member), William M. Gardner (Secretary of State); Gary Gilmore (Supervisor of Checklist, Dover); Carol Johnson (Manchester Deputy City Clerk); Carol Nadeau (Governor’s Commission on Disabilities); David Scanlan (Deputy Secretary of State); Anthony Stevens (Assistant Secretary of State); Peter Thomson (Moderator, Orford)

Observers: Charity Ross (House Democratic Leaders Office); Robert Blaisdell (Demers Group)

Business:

1)      Committee Chairman David Scanlan explained the meeting’s purpose and agenda. He explained that it is the responsibility of the Secretary of State to decide what is in the State Plan. The governor must sign off on the plan before funding is obtained from the federal government. The Secretary will look to the HAVA State Plan Committee recommendations, but has the final say in deciding what the plan will say.

2)      Anthony Stevens gave an in-depth Power Point presentation describing the impacts of HAVA on the State of New Hampshire, including background, funding, requirements, deadlines, and legislation. 

3)      The committee agreed to break up into separate Task Forces to address and receive testimony in four major areas of focus:

Statewide Voter Registration Database

Disabilities Access and Voting Systems

Poll Worker Training

Voter Education. 

It was agreed that such sessions would be open to the public.  The HAVA committee will encourage persons with expertise and those who represent identifiable groups impacted by the HAVA programs to become active participants in these Task Force efforts.

3) It was agreed that future committee meetings would be required to refine drafts of the State Plan in April or May, 2003.  In the meantime, members were encouraged to take part in the task forces that would relate to their areas of expertise and concern.