Election Officer Training Task Force

Of HAVA State Plan Committee

Minutes of First Meeting

I. Date & Time:         March 21, 2003

II. Location:   Room 307

                        Legislative Office Building

III. Attendance:

Task force participants: Paul Bergeron (Nashua City Clerk); Ross Doerr (NH Association of the Blind) Christine Dupre (Town Clerk, Candia, , Legislative Committee, NH Association of City and Town Clerks); Orville (Bud) Fitch (NH Department of Justice); Gary Gilmore (Supervisor of the Checklist, Dover);  Christine Hanisco (Disabilities Rights Center); Linda Jette (Town Clerk, Atkinson, Executive Committee of NH Association of City and Town Clerks); Tricia Piecuch (Manchester City Clerk’s Office, election officer trainer); Bette H. Ramspott (Town Clerk, Sunapee, President, NH Association of City and Town Clerks); Charity Ross ( House Democratic Leaders Office); Anthony Stevens (Department of State); Sarah Swenson (Supervisor of the Checklist, Bow); Faye Stoutenburgh (Poll Worker, Bow); Michelle Tiffany ( Concord City Clerk’s office, election officer trainer)

IV. Business. 

The objective of the meeting was to develop a draft of the mission, vision, goals, objectives, and measurements for the portion of HAVA dealing with election officer training.

A. Mission Statement– What do we have to do?

To monitor and improve the administration of elections by educating voters concerning voting procedures, voting rights, and voting technologies and by training election officials, poll workers, and election volunteers. 

B. Vision Statement  - the future – lofty ideals, long-term aims

·        Standards

• Preserve local control of election administration

• Training models

• Evaluation of past elections at each level of administration (state and local)

• Election officials’ education categories:

• To understand and assist people with disabilities to exercise their rights

o       Registration

• Casting a ballot

• Counting ballots

• Completing official paperwork

C. Goals  (numbered), Objectives (below goals, by letter) & Measurements (in italics, and in D below.)

Goals are general ends – broad statements of policy

Objectives are specific measurable outcomes.

Measurements help evaluate whether objectives have been achieved.

1)      Determine what training standards should be utilized by the next presidential primary election.

2)      Identify mechanisms for training.

a)      Election workshop for election officials before every election:

i)        June 13 election workshop sponsored by the City and Town clerks Association

Measurements:      Training critiques after sessions

                              Skill level determinations

Confirm sessions held

ii)       Regional election workshops sponsored by the City and Town Clerks association and SOS. (Regional not county.)

Measurements:      Training critiques after sessions

                              Skill level determinations

                              Confirm sessions held

iii)     For Fall 2003:

(1)   How many – 6 plus separate sessions for the cities (20)

(2)   Time of day –  Daylight hours – Saturdays and one weekday AM

(3)   Half Day - preferred

(4)   Locations –

(5)   Rewards – Food at event - Certificate of Attendance. 

(6)   Handouts: Binder with sections. (Election manual hole punched to fit binder.)

(a)    manual

(b)   copy of any PowerPoint used

(c)    law change summaries and if possible copies of the law books/election manual.

(d)   Content:

(i)      new voter registration form

(ii)    disability access

1.      who can assist

2.      how to assist

b)      Standardized coding for voting machines – i.e. how an over-vote ballot is treated by the machine. 

i)        Possibility of having the Ballot Law Commission certify the program instructions. 

ii)       Smaller sessions to cover cities and large towns.

     c) Educational technology alternatives:

i.)         Video tapes

ii.)        VCR

iii.)        On-line power point

iv.)       CD ROM

v.)                Video conferencing

vi.)               Telephone assistance –

Answering system provides basic answers by recording

Ride-lines

vii.)       On-line voter assistance –         where to vote

how to vote

viii.)      Public Service announcements – Radio – TV – Newspapers – Cable TV

ix.)       1-800- for election officials

x.)        1-800 – special for machines (vendors available to deal with technical problems)

xi.)       1-800- for voters statewide –

Capacity to transfer calls to established local help lines and ride lines.

Measurement: Help line survey: Were callers able to get effective assistance?

d.)                Printed manual with lots of pictures and understandable language. 

i.)      FAQ (frequently asked questions) – section. 

ii.)     Identity from the towns and cities what problems they have experienced

iii.)   Identify best practice responses

iv.)   Make available through multiple sources – manual – web site. 

Measurement: Print and distribute manual before next election.

       e.) Law changes

i.)                  Print election law book.

f) Voter educator at the polling place – train the educator.   

g)  System for verification of the polling place/hours information to ensure that public and press statements are accurate.      

h) Posters placed in booths and generally at the polling place should be machine specific.  Provide disabilities information in a user friendly format.     

i )Layout of the polling place.  Clear rail area.  Make available a convenient means to mark the rail. 

D. Other measurements - measuring objectives (outcomes) that can be achieved in a foreseeable amount of time.

1.)       Skills level determination – Assessment

 i.) As criteria for working

                                    ii.) As a means of measuring the effectiveness of training.

2.)                Self – assessment.

3.)                Test deliverables decided upon by: 

                                    i.) Exit Polling:

                                    ii.) Voter experience with voting

                                                (1) Time required to get through lines and cast ballots

4.)        Voter feedback mechanism via web survey from SOS – feedback to local election officials.

5.)        Help line survey – Were local election officials able to get effective assistance from the SOS, from the AG. 

E. Issues/Observations

1.)    Training by year vs. election:  Election-based system (emphasizing primary and general elections as distinct events) is preferred because primaries require different procedures from general elections.  In some jurisdictions different people may work different elections.  Other jurisdictions have very stable election officials.

2.)    Management: some election officials nearing retirement.

3.)    Technology – Working with new election equipment requires different skill sets, different types of workers.