Board of Elections elects Chris Rexel chair; Copeland named vice chair

The Board of Elections opened nominations at its meeting and elected Chris Rexel as chair and Mr. Copeland as vice chair by roll-call vote. Joe Goplin nominated Rexel for chair; both nominations were approved with all members who answered roll call voting yes.

Chris Rexel, newly elected chair of the Board of Elections, thanked colleagues after the vote and said he takes the role seriously. “This is a very sacred, you know, position for me, and I take it very seriously,” Rexel said. “I look forward to us all working together and making sure that the democratic process is followed. Every vote is counted and, you know, we continue to be the gold standard for the commonwealth.”

Board members offered brief remarks of thanks and recognition for the work of election staff and the outgoing chair. One board member said that serving as chair last year “gave us an opportunity to prove our processes” and thanked staff for their work during a demanding period. Members also asked whether an executive session was needed and determined none was required at that time.

The meeting included no public comments before the nominations were taken. Aside from the leadership elections and short remarks of appreciation, no other substantive agenda items were discussed during the recorded portion of the transcript.