Public commenters urge supervisors to appoint in‑house registrar or keep post elected; HAVA expertise highlighted

During the public comment period before closed session, several residents addressed the Board about the pending selection of the county’s next Registrar of Voters. Speakers urged either appointing an experienced in‑house candidate or preserving the office as an elected position and stressed that modern election administration requires technical expertise.

What speakers said: Duane DeWitt, introduced himself as a Roseland resident, urged the board to appoint “Mr. Marchbanks” and to conduct the selection in‑house rather than through an external recruitment firm. He said Marchbanks already “knows the office” and would be a good fit.

Rhonda Provost, who described changes in election administration since the Help America Vote Act, told the board the registrar role now involves “high‑tech cybersecurity data management systems” and said the job requires expertise akin to banking‑industry systems. She said HAVA‑era systems demand intense scrutiny and hoped the new registrar would have or be able to hire that expertise.

Other commenters: Hugh Dipenthe O’Kelly urged the board to select a registrar who could restore public confidence and shorten the time required to finalize results. Eric Crumley said he had been told the registrar would be appointed and urged the board to keep the position elected instead.

Board action: The comments were taken under the closed‑session public comment item; the board then adjourned to closed session. No public board action or vote on the registrar’s appointment was taken in the open session during the meeting.