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Madison County elections board approves poll workers, certifies 297 absentee ballots
Summary
On Oct. 29, 2024, the Madison County Board of Elections unanimously approved an Election Day poll worker roster, validated and approved 297 absentee ballots across 12 precincts, duplicated overseas/military ballots, and sealed the DS200 machine for storage ahead of the election.
The Madison County Board of Elections met Oct. 29, 2024, in Marshall and unanimously approved an Election Day poll worker list and the certification of 297 absentee ballots from multiple precincts. Chair Jerry Wallin called the session to order at 3:00 p.m.; Secretary Dyatt Smathers moved the main motions and Wallin typically seconded them, and all recorded votes were 5-0 in favor.
The action list approved by the board included chief judges and assistants for precincts across the county. The board recorded the poll worker roster as presented and voted to adopt it. Director Jacob Ray reported that updates to the Mars Hill voting enclosure had been completed and reviewed poll worker assignments ahead of Election Day.
The board considered absentee ballot batches by precinct and approved each by motion: Beech Glen (21 ballots), Ebbs Chapel (16), Grapevine (12), Hot Springs (9), Laurel (7), Mars Hill (55), North Marshall (24), Revere-Rice Cove (3), Sandy Mush (4), South Marshall (5), Spring Creek (4), and Walnut (3). Each precinct motion was moved by Secretary Dyatt Smathers and seconded by Chair Jerry Wallin or another member as recorded; every motion passed unanimously (5-0). The board then duplicated overseas and military ballots: Secretary Dyatt Smathers acted as caller, Member Debbie Ponder duplicated ballots, while Members Ray Lewis and Brian Ball observed and scanned the duplicated ballots into the DS200.
After processing, the board recorded an ending absentee ballot count of 297 and sealed the DS200 machine for storage to preserve chain of custody. The meeting minutes record that the board verified the DS200 chain of custody before ballot processing.
During public comment, Cheryl Williams thanked the board for its work and praised Chief Judge Ruby Payne for her service at the Beech Community Center early voting site. The board scheduled its next absentee meeting for Monday, Nov. 4, 2024, at 3:00 p.m. and adjourned at 5:15 p.m.
This session concerned routine election administration tasks — approving poll workers, certifying absentee batches, and preserving equipment security — and included no contested or substantive policy debates.
