BEAG Meeting Summary 022521 - Laserfiche WebLink

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APPROVED Orange County BOCC Elections Advisory Group Meeting Summary Thursday, February 25, 2021 at 7:00 PM Virtual Meeting Members Present: Kathy Arab, Nicholas Batman, Dr. Nathan Boucher, Dr. Jennifer Bremer, Jaazaniah Catterall, Dr. Lisa Hazirjian, Dr. Krishna Mondal, Dr. Jonathan Weiler, Brian Crawford, Martha Jenkins, Patrick Mulkey, Alicia Reid, Jenn Sykes, Rex Williams Members Absent: Susana Dancy Staff Present: County Attorney John Roberts, Greg Wilder from the County Manager's Office, and Brian Carson from the Planning & Inspections Department 1. Welcome and Introductions Greg Wilder welcomed everyone to the Virtual meeting and expressed appreciation for members' willingness to serve on the BOCC Elections Advisory Group (BEAG). He noted that the Group would likely meet via Zoom for all of its meetings unless health circumstances changed substantially. Mr. Wilder also shared that the meeting was open to the public and that several members of the public were viewing the meeting virtually just as they would if the meeting was an in-person meeting. Mr. Wilder detailed the materials that Group members had received as part of the meeting agenda package. All Group members, followed by staff, briefly introduced themselves and each member shared background on the perspectives/interest that prompted their interest in serving on the BEAG. 2. Review of the Group Charge and Timeline Group members discussed the Group Charge, the Timeline for providing a report to the Board of Commissioners, and related issues. The July 31, 2021 deadline for completing the Group's work would require the Group to be diligent. County Attorney John Roberts shared that the Board of Commissioners only had certain authority to consider changes to the method and structure of elections via local referendum, while other changes would require legislative action by the North Carolina General Assembly. Mr. Roberts noted that Orange County approaching the General