Pinal County 2012 General Election Poll Worker Training Class

Topics Covered in this Class: 1.General Election Ballot Selection 2.Wait Time Survey 3.Opening the Polls 4.Provisional Voting 5.Closing the Polls 6.All Other Poll Worker Issues

Important Dates October 9 th – Last day to register to vote October 11 th – Early voting begins November 6 th – Election Day!

Ballot Selection Some precincts have “splits” while others do not Certain districts do not follow voting precinct lines Some voters in your precinct may belong to different school districts, fire districts, etc. It is crucial to give voters the proper ballot!

Ballot Selection (Precinct Part Numbers) Every voter in the signature roster is assigned a precinct part number The whole part of the number (left of the decimal) is the usual precinct number The fraction part of the number (right of the decimal) indicates the voter's unique combination of district assignments It is simple, find the voter's precinct part number on the top of the ballot

Signature Roster Pct. Part Numbers Pct. Part Numbers “01.02”

Ballots Pct. Part Numbers Match the number “01.02” to the top of the ballot. If the ballot has the same number on it, it is the right one for that voter.

Ballots No “Splits” Some precincts have only 1 style of ballots The header of the ballots have no precinct part numbers All voters get the same ballot Co-Located polling sites still need to give out the proper precinct ballot to the voter 04 & 103; 50 & 51; 11 & 104; 13 & 105

No “Split” Ballot Example No pct. part numbers, just the precinct name

Wait Time Survey All Election Boards are required by State law to submit an Election Wait Time Survey In order to be able to complete the survey, the line of voters will have to be monitored periodically throughout the day. Look at the clock and time the voter last in line until he or she receives a ballot Place the completed survey in your Unofficial Returns bag at the end of the night

Actual Wait Time Survey

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

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)

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 5 business days of the General 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.

2012 Primary Election Ballot Reports Approximately 25% of precincts put down 0 for total ballots cast on “optical scan” machine. “optical scan” means Accu-Vote

Total Ballots Cast Every precinct election board is responsible for maintaining a close watch on their voting machines Ballot counts should be periodically checked throughout the day On ballot reports, be sure to enter the from the “ELECTION RESULTS REPORT”, not the “ELECTION ZERO REPORT”

Tape Examples ELECTION ZERO REPORT ELECTION RESULTS REPORT Pct. # - Pct. Name “55 – CASA GRANDE WEST” “PRECINCT: 530” Precinct ID, doesn’t mean anything Actual precinct number is 55, not 530 “BALLOTS CAST” Will always be 0 on Zero Report Put the total from the Results Report on line 9a of the ballot report (97 in this example)

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. 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. 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

TSX Demonstration