* *** 2014_PRIMARY_COMMENTS_AFTER_3-29-14_CLASSES TXT - 31 Mar 2014 01:22:53 - JKNAUTH Here are my comments after the 3/29/14 Chief Judge and Help Table classes. Please use these to update the documents for November and to make points in the classes yet to take place before the May election. I'm glad you were able to incorporate my earlier comments on the Help Table Manual before the first class. Provisional Envelope ----------- -------- I really like the new Provisional Envelope, but still have a few comments. 1) Since the Provisional Envelope procedure is now self-documenting, perhaps the "Steps To Issue a Provisional Ballot" section of the Help Table Quick Guide is no longer needed -- less opportunity for conflicting information. 2) Section A: In the white part, change "PREVIOUS ADDRESS" to "PREVIOUS RESIDENTIAL ADDRESS", to make clear it is not a previous mailing address that is of interest. The current text might be confusing since the current mailing address was requested immediately above. 3) Why does bullet 1 of B.1 say, "I understand that my ballot *may not* be counted."? That sounds pretty wishy-washy when the Help Table Quick Guide (Flow Chart #2) and Help Table Manual (pages 16 and 17) and the 3/24/14 Help Table FAQ #10 explicitly say, "Inform the voter their provisional vote *will not* count" for the situation of voting out of precinct. Also, *will not* count was what we were told in class several times and was what we were told to say to the voter. After being told one thing by the Help Table official and reading something different on the envelope, the voter is likely to ask why two different things are being said. This would seem to undermine credibility for the process. 4) Section C, bullet 9: Add "Mark 'VOID' on any ATV so attached." ATV --- 1) Section C, last line: Make the highlighting of "Initial in Section B." much more visible. Capital letters, larger bold font, white on black print -- just something to really emphasize this easily overlooked step, which has such a bad outcome if missed. It is called out in Flowchart #1 in step 3 of the "DIFFERENT PRECINCT" block (really before the Section C process starts). It might also be added on the ATV in the "Moved on or Before..." block before the "Proceed to Section C." text. It's better to ask for the initialing too many times than to have it missed. Help Table Manual ---- ----- ------ Page 10: Item 2: After "You must spoil the ATV" add "(which will be paperclipped to the Provisional Envelope)". Page 15: It looks like the top image overlaid some text. Page 17: Step 2: Change Does the voter meet ANY of the two above conditions? to Does the voter meet EITHER of the two above conditions? Page 17: Step 4: The last sentences of both the Yes and No bullets are not reflected in either Flow Chart #2 or the steps on the new self-documenting Provisional Envelope. Maybe for the chart and envelope you can come up with some brief way to indicate the unusual situations and have them refer to the Help Table Manual for details if they should occur. Help Table Quick Guide ---- ----- ----- ----- 1) Polling Place Set-up: Second bullet: 2016 ID List -> 2016 List of Acceptable IDs (I assume this is the coral sheet) 2) Polling Place Set-up: Why is a copy of the big, printed absentee list needed at the Help Table? (I'm not talking about the Tuesday call-in list, which is required.) Isn't the absentee/voted information on the printed list contained in the laptop and visible during a Voter Search? The laptop database is at the same level as the central BOE database when the absentee list is printed, so nothing is added by the printed list. Right? Why would Help Table people ever search thru the printed list? If the laptop is unavailable, you can't find the voter in the first place to verify registration, check address info, etc., so saying the printed list is for backup or sharing among multiple officials doesn't seem to hold up well. You could save some money by not printing the 200+ copies that aren't needed. Just print the copies that get hung on the wall for public use. 3) Polling Place Set-up: Second major bullet, first minor bullet: Add that it's best to test the phone by calling your coordinator. 4) Steps to Issue a Provisional Ballot, third major bullet, first minor bullet: ...write the voter's VRN (Voter Registration Number) in the respective field. (The voter's VRN is found... change to ...write the voter's VRN (Voter Registration Number) and registered party in the respective fields. (They are found... Chief Judge Quick Guide ----- ----- ----- ----- 1) Opening the Polls: Fifth major bullet: See above comment on absentee list at Help Table. Registration Table Quick Guide ------------ ----- ----- ----- 1) Polling Place Set-up, first major bullet, third minor bullet: 2016 Acceptable List of IDs -> 2016 List of Acceptable IDs Ballot Table Quick Guide ------ ----- ----- ----- 1) Ballot Table Flow Chart: Last item of first sublist changed font size. 2014 Primary Election Manual & Workbook ---- ------- -------- ------ - -------- 1) Page 46: In class another example of a spoiled ballot was pointed out. If someone has started to mark a ballot and then declares a jurisdiction or party dispute, per page 46 the marked ballot must be spoiled. An easy fix might be just to change the heading level for "Jurisdiction or Party Dispute at the Ballot Table" on page 46, making it the same level as the last two headings on page 45, thus making it subordinate to the page 45 "Spoiled Ballots" heading. Also change "two" to "three" in the first sentence under "Spoiled Ballots" on page 45. Laptop Tutorial ------ -------- I had previously sent comments on the laptop tutorial and I got responses to those. Jeff Knauth