King and Queen Electoral Board vets equipment tests, satellite voting and student registration ahead of Nov. 5 election

The Electoral Board of King and Queen County met Sept. 10, 2024, and reviewed preparations for the Nov. 5 general election, including Logic & Accuracy testing of equipment, early- and satellite-voting plans, officer training schedules and outreach to high-school seniors.

The meeting opened at 9:07 a.m. and attendees recorded were Stuart Swilley (Chair), Linda Culbreth (Vice Chair), Diane C. Klausen (General Registrar) and DR Kristy Creech (Deputy Registrar). Minutes of the prior meeting were read and were unanimously approved as written.

General registrar operations and testing: The board noted that Logic & Accuracy (L&A) testing for voting equipment is scheduled for Sept. 17 at 9:30 a.m. in the courthouse hearing room. The county will use the ballots tested at L&A for early voting, which begins Sept. 20, pending final revisions from the State Board of Elections. County staff also completed an initial poll-pad connectivity test and intend to run a second test before Election Day.

Early voting and training plans: The Electoral Board recorded officer-training dates for October. Training for Officers of Election is set for Oct. 22 from 9 a.m. to 4 p.m. in the courthouse conference room; satellite officers will be trained Oct. 24 from 10 a.m. to 1 p.m. The satellite voting office will open Saturday, Oct. 26 and resume Oct. 28 through Nov. 2 to provide additional early-voting capacity.

Accessibility and technology: The registrar’s office reported it submitted ADA and accessibility forms to the state by the Sept. 1 deadline. The office purchased new cameras for the Registrar’s office at a cost of $600 after determining the Sheriff’s Department cameras could not be used because the software could not be shared. The board also recorded plans to use a ballot-on-demand printer at early-voting and satellite sites and that the general registrar will participate in a Sept. 12 conference call with KnowInk to configure the election in ePulse.

Audits and signature verification: The registrar’s office assisted the State Department of Elections by verifying 25 pages of signatures for a presidential candidate. The board was also notified that the state will conduct a statewide Risk-Limiting Audit (RLA) of the U.S. Senate race the week of Nov. 18; the State Board of Elections will hold a drawing to determine which congressional districts and other contests, if any, will be included in the RLA.

Voter outreach: The general registrar and an assistant will visit Central High School on Sept. 16 at 11:00 a.m. to register seniors. The board reiterated that 16-year-olds may pre-register but must be 18 by Election Day (Nov. 5, 2024) to be eligible to vote in this election. In response to a question from Chair Stuart Swilley, the board noted that an individual may register fewer than 25 people without completing special training, but anyone seeking to submit more than 25 registrations must complete online training available from the Department of Elections.

Policy updates and approvals: The board reviewed two updates to LESS standards — a Business Impact Analysis Policy and an IT Contingency Planning Policy — and approved the updates as a living document; an absent board member will review and sign off later in the week.

What’s next: The board set its next meeting for 9 a.m. Tuesday, Oct. 8, 2024. The Sept. 10 meeting adjourned at 9:57 a.m.