Charlotte County Electoral Board approves CARES Act hazard-pay plan for registrar, staff and members

Registrar Eric Goode informed the Charlotte County Electoral Board on Nov. 25 that the Department of Elections had advised monies allocated through the CARES Act could be used to make hazardous-working-conditions payments to registrars, registrar office staff and board members. The Board met at the registrar’s office and recorded attendance before deliberating the proposal.

The Board voted unanimously to accept Goode’s suggested disbursement plan. Vice-Chair Lawrence Clark moved to accept the plan and Secretary Robert Bradner seconded; the motion passed unanimously. The Board recorded signatures at the close of the minutes.

Why it matters: The Board’s decision directs unspent federal COVID-19 relief funds to employees and officials who the registrar said faced increased exposure during the early-voting period and in-office duties. The Department of Elections’ guidance (as reported by Registrar Goode) and the Board’s acceptance created an immediate, board-authorized payout from funds effective July 1, 2020.

What was proposed and approved: Registrar Goode reported that his allocation included unexpended CARES Act funds and proposed distributions calculated by relative exposure and service windows. The plan recorded in the minutes specifies: $3,000 for the Registrar (exposure from July 1 to the meeting date), $10,300 total for registrar office staff (calculated from each staff member’s first day of employment), $1,800 for the former registrar covering service from July 1–Aug. 31 plus consultations beginning Oct. 5, and $750 for each Board member for days exposed beginning July 1 through the post-election period.

Board discussion and ethics concerns: Board members acknowledged the heightened exposure their staff and the registrar faced during the large early-voting turnout, frequent public inquiries at the office and increased deliveries. The minutes record the Board’s ‘‘reticence’’ to vote payments to themselves despite recognizing those exposures. After discussion, the Board accepted the Registrar’s allocation methodology and dollar amounts.

Procedural details and vote: The motion to accept the disbursement plan was made by Vice‑Chair Lawrence Clark and seconded by Secretary Robert Bradner. The minutes state the motion ‘‘passed unanimously.’’ Three members are listed as present in the minutes: Linwood Foster (Chair), Lawrence Clark (Vice‑Chair) and Robert Bradner (Secretary); the minutes include a signatures line bearing the members’ names.

Next steps: The minutes do not record implementation details such as payment dates, individual staff amounts, or whether payroll or contracting processes were used; those specifics were not specified in the minutes and would be handled administratively according to the registrar’s office procedures and applicable state guidance.

(Reporting based solely on the Electoral Board’s Nov. 25, 2020 minutes.)