Yates County Board of Elections 2020 Annual Report
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Yates County Board of Elections 2020 Annual Report After the passage of the 19th Amendment, some 10 million women voted in 1920, a turnout rate of 36%, compared to 68% for men. Women voter turnout rates have gradually increased and exceeded male turnout rates since 1980, when 61.9% of women voted compared to 61.5% of men. In 2016, 63.3% of women voted compared to 59.3% of men. Robert F Brechko, Democratic Commissioner Robert H Schwarting Republican Commissioner Ruth Bouchard, Deputy Commissioner Janet Ingalls Vandine Deputy Commissioner Susan Wolff, Voting System Technician Sheila Burt, Voting System Technician Darla Hill, Elections Operations Assistant Andy Baus, Elections Operations Assistant Page 1 of 18 Table of Contents Introduction …………………………………………………………………………….…...………………………….……………….…..……. 2 - 4 National Voter Registration Act (“NVRA”) Statistics ……………………………………………….………………….…..……………….….. 5 DMV Electronic Voter Registrations ………………..…………………………………………………………………………………………….. 6 Voter Registration Processing at a Glance………………………………………….……………………………………..……………………… 7 Statistical Report ……………………………………………………………………………………………………………………...……………… 8 Monthly Narrative Information ………………………………………………….…………………….……..………………...…………..… 9 - 12 Commissioners Thoughts …………………………………………………………………………………………………………..…….…… 13 - 15 Pursuant to the provisions of Section 3-212(4)(a) of the New York State Election Law, we hereby submit our Annual Report for the period beginning January 1, 2020through December 31, 2020. The Path to the 19th Amendment is thought to have started with Elizabeth Cady Stanton in her Declaration of Sentiments at Seneca Falls in 1848. She and Frederick Douglass formed the American Equal Rights Association in 1866 following the 13th Amendment ended slavery. Susan B Anthony’s draft of the Woman’s Suffrage Amendment was introduced in Congress in 1878. Across the western states, women receive the right to vote in state, but not federal elections. The major marches for Suffrage begin in NYC in 1910. Many arrests, protests, lawsuits and marches later, in 1919 both houses of Congress pass Anthony’s bill; and in August of 1920, the 36th state ratifies the Amendment and it becomes law. The Board of Election’s Mission Statement The Yates County Board of Elections furnishes various services to the voting public, candidates, and all individuals interested in Yates County Elections with professionalism and efficiency. We also provide the voters, taxpayers and community members of Yates County with elections that are administered in a fair, bipartisan and democratic manner, as well as election results that are timely and completely accurate. Page 2 of 18 Introduction The Yates County Board of Elections is made up of two full-time Commissioners, two part-time Deputy Commissioners, two part- time Machine Technicians, two part time Election Operations Assistants, four (4) Custodians and approximately one hundred ten Election Inspectors. We provide our county with many important services related to the democratic election process which is the foundation of our government. In order to ensure non-partisan elections, our procedures are continuously scrutinized, questioned and challenged. Some of the services we offer the community include voter registration, information to candidates running for office, absentee ballot processing and elections that offer the opportunity to vote with an assurance that every eligible vote is counted before the elections are certified. In accordance with Election Law and the Rules and Procedures adopted by the State Board of Elections, we administer a comprehensive registration data base, monitor voter eligibility, and continuously modify voter status, addresses and party affiliation. We adapt to new Election Law and Executive Orders (over 50 were adopted in 2019-20) and administrative procedures such as statewide enrollment, paroled prisoners’ voting pardons and modified campaign finance reporting requirements. Through various media we educate the voting public on the voting system and encourage participation in the democratic process. We reach out to and enroll high school students as new voters. As state law and procedures change, we evaluate and adopt new practices or technology to reduce election costs and make the voting system easier for our staff to administer. Many early suffragists were also abolitionists. They include Lucretia Mott, Elizabeth Cady Stanton, Susan B. Anthony, Lucy Stone, Sojourner Truth, Frederick Douglass and Harriet Tubman. Most wanted rights for slaves and women to advance hand in hand, only to be told that women’s rights would be secondary to the rights of slaves. The first women’s rights convention took place in Seneca Falls, New York, on July 19-20, 1848. Of the 11 resolutions demanding equality – in the workplace, family and education, for example – only women’s right to vote drew opposition before it was approved. Although abolitionists had called for women’s voting rights before 1848, suffragists later viewed the convention as launching the U.S. women’s suffrage movement. In 1869 the movement split over disagreements about the 15th Amendment, which granted voting rights to African American men but not women. The National Woman Suffrage Association lobbied for a federal amendment, while the American Woman Suffrage Association pursued a state-by-state strategy. Recognizing that a divided movement was hurting their success, the groups merged in 1890 as the National American Woman Suffrage Association, or NAWSA. Page 3 of 18 The Board of Elections office is charged with the following responsibilities: Administer all Federal, State, County, Town, and Penn Yan Village elections; produce printed ballots; provide assistance and materials as needed to the Penn Yan, Marcus Whitman and Dundee Central School elections. Provide materials to candidates to ensure the petition process goes smoothly, receive and file petitions and maintain campaign finance records. Prepare public service announcements, legal notices and maintain working relationship with the media. Recruit, train, certify, schedule, supervise and compensate election Inspectors and staff. Provide the Yates County Legislature, Town Board members and the State and Federal Boards of Elections with enrollment reports, yearly statistical data and annual reports and any additional requests for information as needed. Provide statistical data and voter lists to potential candidates and their consultants, staff, political committees, interested parties including researchers and media. Respond to FOIL requests Track pending legislation at federal, state and local levels concerning Election Law; recommend changes as needed; and amending policy and procedures to comply with the changes as required. Prepare and oversee the department budget. Supervise a staff consisting of Deputies, Technicians, Custodians, Election Operations Assistants and Inspectors. Track and maintain all voting equipment and supplies. Create training programs as needed. Maintain voter registration database, monitor NYSVOTER (Statewide voter registration website) and correspond with voters when additional data is required. Instruct the voters of Yates County on voting procedures that insure their vote counts. Provide outreach to unregistered voters in area high schools, Keuka College, home school groups and the public. Maintain Board of Election website with informative and useful information for all interested individuals. Protecting the integrity of elections from Cyber threats. Page 4 of 18 Our Many and Diverse Working Partners The Board of Elections must collaborate with many agencies Yates County Chamber of Commerce, and county departments to map out voting districts and Cornell Cooperative Extension, boundaries, interpret maps, legal descriptions and Town Clerks and Councils, geographical data, determine correct addresses, locate and State BOE, DMV and Legislators manage polling sites; prepare for emergencies, and conduct elections in accessible, safe locations. Some are as follows: Office For the Aging – Pro-Action, United States Postal Staff – in all areas of the county, Area Fire Departments, Yates County Legislators, Administrator, Attorney, School officials Budget Officer, Buildings and Grounds, Highway, Treasurer, Court Security, Emergency Management, For that we say THANK YOU, you’re help makes our work Historian, IT, County Clerk and DMV, Personnel, Real more accurate and efficient. Property, Sheriff, Workforce Development and 911 Today’s Technology On the left is the Ballot scanning device, the next generation improvement by Dominion, as a possible successor to our current ballot scanning device. On the right is the newly acquired Electronic Poll Book system by Robis, which greatly simplifies sign-in and record keeping. With a hardwired ballot printer election production costs are greatly reduced. Page 5 of 18 NATIONAL VOTER REGISTRATION ACT "NVRA STATISTICS" A voter registration record is never cancelled without verification that the voter is no longer eligible to vote in our jurisdiction. Cancellations are recorded on a daily basis, and there are several reasons for this process: voter is deceased, voter sends letter in writing to the Board of Elections requesting that their registration be cancelled or as a result of a move, voter is incarcerated due to a felony conviction, confirmation is received from another Board indicating that the voter is registered in another jurisdiction, duplicate information is received from NYSVOTER, or we receive