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The chair called the meeting to order at 5:00 p.m. and began with the Pledge of Allegiance. All members were present.

The secretary read the minutes from the October 22nd meeting. Michael Aycock moved to accept the minutes as written and Emery White seconded. The vote was 5-0.

Prior to the examination of the ballots Assistant Deputy Director James Nance called the board’s attention to Numbered Memo 2020-23 regarding the return of absentee ballots. He explained that one absentee ballot had been returned to an early voting site by someone who was not a near relative of the voter and that the returnee had not signed the absentee ballot return log as required. The numbered memo offered guidance on accepting or denying the ballot. Mr. Nance then turned off the audio recording to protect voters’ private information as the absentee ballots were examined and discussed.

Assistant Deputy Director James Nance then presented the received ballots for examination by board members.

Two ballots were returned with incomplete witness information. In attempting to contact the voters to implement a cure, Mr. Nance learned that the first voter had died, which requires the board to reject the ballot. The second ballot is in the process of being cured. Aaron Cox moved to reject the first ballot and to table the second ballot pending a cure. Michael Aycock seconded, and the vote was 5-0.

Two ballots that had been tabled last week were presented. The first was cured with a letter and signature. The second still has not been cured by the voter providing ID information. Michael Aycock moved to approve the first ballot and table the second ballot. Aaron Cox seconded, and the vote was 5-0.

Five ballots were presented as pending. Four of the ballots had no visible ID information provided in the clear sleeve. The fifth ballot was the one returned by someone who was not a near relative, but the voter confirmed that they asked a distant relative to return it. The chair opened the four ballots with no ID. Two of them contained ID information in the sealed ballot envelope, but two ballots had no voter ID information. The four ballots will need to be verified and/or cured. Michael Aycock moved to table the four ballots that were opened and to accept the fifth ballot. Aaron Cox seconded, and the vote was 5-0.

Thirteen ballots were presented with ID exception affidavits, and all thirteen provided the required ID information and were verified. Michael Aycock moved to accept the 13 ballots and Aaron Cox seconded. The vote was 5-0.

A total of 84 ballots were presented for approval. Seventy-eight were absentee ballots returned with the required voter IDs. Five others were military ballots, and one was an overseas ballot. Michael Aycock moved to approve the 84 ballots and Aaron Cox seconded. The vote was 5-0.

In summary, 99 ballots were approved, one was denied, and six were tabled for a total of 106 ballots considered.

Director Wanda Monroe presented reports of incidents that have occurred during early voting:

A voter went to vote curbside on October 17th but was missing from voter records though he is a longtime voter. He reregistered and voted, but did not sign his voter registration form. He will be coming to the elections office to sign the form.
Horace Munn of the Bladen Improvement PAC filed a complaint against Ms. Minnie Price alleging that she was distributing an illegal sample ballot. The complaint was referred to the state board for investigation.
The early voting site at Jones Lake lost power while four voters were in the process of voting. Chief Judge, Kristie Lennon called the elections office for assistance and staff member Chris Williams advised her how to code the ballots by hand to make them retrievable as required by law.
The clock on the tabulator at the Bladenboro early voting site was seven minutes off at the close of voting on Saturday, October 26th, which was documented by the poll workers. When the polls were opened on Sunday, October 27th the clock was off one hour and seven minutes. The poll workers are continuing to document the incorrect time.

Because the other incidents involved legally privileged information, Patsy Sheppard moved to enter closed session in accordance with NCGS 143-318.11 (sections 3 and 6). Michael Aycock seconded, and the vote was 5-0.

Several poll workers did not receive the proper notification of their appointments and assignments because the letters were sent to the same incorrect address.
A woman came to the office to request an absentee ballot for her father, and the log was completed to indicate that the request had been made. After not receiving an absentee ballot for him, she contacted the office to inquire about the ballot. The request was never processed and could not be located. Her brother returned to the office and repeated the request just before the deadline, so the voter will receive an absentee ballot.
An ATV was printed at the Elizabethtown early voting site and signed by a voter that did not match the name on the ATV. There is no corresponding ballot for the ATV. This issue was discovered today and is under investigation by the director.

Aaron Cox moved to exit closed session and Michael Aycock seconded. The vote was 5-0.

With no further business to consider, Aaron Cox moved to adjourn, and Michael Aycock seconded. The vote was 5-0 and the meeting adjourned at 6:22 p.m.

Minutes submitted by:

Patricia Sheppard, Board Secretary

The Board of Election maintains a copy of an audio recording of the meeting that is available to the public upon request.