Agenda 08-26-2025; 8-a - Minutes

Browse Search

17 1 Slide #26 Board of Elections — page 85 Voter Registrations processed 100,000 90,0a0 60,000 75.253 70,000 60,000 50,000 55,224 s0,000 40,000 30,951 30,409 30,000 30.000 20,000 19' 18 257 19,644 15,292 15,552 10,000 2015 2016 2017 2018 2019 2020 2021 2022 2023 2024 2025 ORANGE COUNTY 26 NORTH CAROLINA 2 3 Commissioner Carter said the legislature has made it so there is less time after an election 4 to process the results. She asked how this is reflected in the budget and if that need is fully 5 addressed. 6 Travis Myren said that the Board of Elections requested an additional staff person to 7 address the needs which was not included in his recommended budget. He said there is a 8 pending commissioner amendment to restore that position. 9 Chair Bedford asked for Elections Director, Rachel Raper, to come forward and talk about 10 the need for the position and what duties and responsibilities they would have. 11 Rachel Raper said she requested a position to serve as an election's coordinator position. 12 She said this would help with additional requirements from state and federal laws or bills. She 13 said the position would be the intake specialist and would interact directly with voters in the office. 14 She said there is a lot of correspondence because they must cure ballots within three days. She 15 said they will do whatever they have to do to meet the requirements within the three-day period. 16 She said the position will also help support the growing complexities in elections. 17 Chair Bedford said they will discuss budget amendments at a future meeting. She said 18 that even though there are more elections, there are fewer ballots because of the change in type 19 of elections. She said turnout is lower for municipal elections. She said she is torn when the ballots 20 are reduced. 21 Rachel Raper said the preparation for an election is the same regardless of the actual 22 turnout. She said more local elections result in more traffic in the office and more communications. 23 She said with the new three-day requirement, she is unsure how that will impact operations. She 24 said she is doing her due diligence in requesting what she thinks will be needed. 25 Chair Bedford said there is no primary in March, but the next fiscal year is the US Senate 26 election, and the turnout may be higher. 27 Rachel Raper said she believes there will be a higher turnout for that election in March. 28 Chair Bedford asked if a full-time position is not possible how many months of that position 29 would be necessary.