To provide fair, accurate and accessible elections for all citizens of Yavapai County using costeffective and innovative

strategies resulting in an involved electorate.

To foster a culture of integrity, respect and trust in the electoral administration that reinforces the democratic process.

Please accept the Elections Department's proposed budget for FY 22/23. This memo is a brief explanation of our accomplishments, objectives and goals for the current year and the upcoming budget year, statistical information and performance measures used to gauge the success of our services, and a brief narrative regarding Federal grants.

• Successfully administered the 2021 Prescott Primary and General Elections and the 2021 and 2022 Dewey-Humboldt Special Elections.

• Secured a new 4-year lease of voting equipment, which includes upgraded ADA compliant Ballot Marking Devices (BMD), new Ballot on Demand (BOD) printers, and double the number of central count tabulators, all to meet the needs of Yavapai County’s increasing population and Ballot-by-Mail voters.

• Assisted in the update of the Arizona Secretary of State’s Elections Procedures Manual (EPM.) Unfortunately, the manual that the Secretary submitted was not approved by the Arizona Attorney General due to political conflicts. However, some very good best practices were vetted and will be implemented.

• Updated and renewed our Intergovernmental Agreements (IGA’s.) As the Elections process evolves, our relationship with jurisdictional partners must as well. We have distributed new IGAs and will bring them before the Board for approval before the end of the fiscal year.

• All staff attended recertification training to maintain Arizona Election Officer certification as required by statute. Experienced volunteers from counties across the state taught election officials the basics, best practices, and changes in legislation for Election Administration.

• Instructed Election Officials during Statewide Election Officer certification and Recertification programs. Yavapai County Elections has a reputation for sharing our knowledge and best practices with our colleagues throughout Arizona. Our experienced staff is proud to volunteer to teach classes at Certification and Recertification as part of that commitment. Added benefits of participation include cementing our own knowledge by sharing it, networking with our county peers, and learning new best practices to streamline our processes.

• Resumed “Follow Your Ballot Tours” in 2022. As a result of positive recommendations from those who have taken the tour in the past, we currently have a wait list of individuals looking forward to this in-depth look into the elections process.

• Partnered with our AACo lobbyists to analyze 71 Senate and 80 House bills in this legislative session. Made many suggestions for improvements of language to limit the number of unfunded mandates and onerous requirements on the counties.

• We are in the process of negotiating a one-year renewal of our e-poll book contract and increasing our number of rental units for the 2022 election cycle.

• Through education, cross training, and technology we continue to maintain our current staffing even with the increase in election participation.

• Our number one goal this fiscal year is to successfully administer the 2022 Primary and General Elections.

We appreciate the Board’s approval of policy 5.08 E, which allows employees of other departments in the county to assist with elections. Many individuals took advantage of this policy in 2020 and their work for us was vital to the success of the General Election. Our goal for 2022 is to have at least one county employee in every Vote Center in the county.

• Auction the (end of life) Ballot-on-Demand printers and add the additional funds back into our Federal Grant to be used for more security enhancements.

• Issue an RFP to procure an upgraded e-poll book system for the 2024 election cycle. This new equipment will replace our current e-poll book system which we started using in 2018. Our objective is to stay current with secure technology and be thoroughly prepared for the 2024 presidential election.

• Continue to implement physical and cyber security upgrades as recommended by Department of Homeland Security (DHS) assessments of Elections, Voter Registration and Recorder offices. These upgrades will bemade using funds secured by Federal Grant.

• Elections Manager, Angie Cloutier, has completed 11 of 12 necessary courses to be a nationally Certified Elections Registration Administrator (CERA) through Election Center and Auburn University. Angie will complete her one remaining class and attend the required national convention this year to be dually certified in 2023.

• Actively seek Grant funding to address the growing needs of the Elections and Voter Registration offices. As our population and registered voters grow, it is important that Voter’s needs are anticipated and met. We are excited to continue our joint work with the Yavapai County Recorder and Registrar of Voters to take advantage of any grant funding available for improving our security and operations.

• Continue to monitor changes to Election laws and procedures and work with our County Attorney partners to keep Yavapai County in compliance.

At our 2020 General Election, the longest wait reported was over 2 hours at one Vote Center. We directly attributethis longer than usual wait time to high voter turnout and malfunctioning of the Ballot on Demand Printer. With the lease of new BODs for the 2022 election cycle, we are anticipating that these wait times will be dramatically reduced.

Additionally, our 2022 election plans include adding a super vote center to the Prescott, Chino Valley and Camp Verde areas, and additional vote centers in the Prescott Valley and Poland Junction areas. This will give voters more choices on where to vote and/or provide more check in stations to help the lines keep moving. We will need to spend an additional $20,000 on e-poll books to make this happen and maintain Election Day voting integrity.

Grants

In coordination with both the Facilities and Information Technology Services departments, we implemented both physical and cyber security upgrades as recommended by Department of Homeland Security (DHS) cyber and physical security assessments of Elections, Voter Registration and Recorder offices. In addition, by mid-2023 we will have an additional employee in the Elections office that is federally certified as a Certified Election Registration Administrator (CERA). This was all paid for by two Federal Help America Vote Act (HAVA) grants received in 2018 and 2020. A large portion of these grants remain, and more security enhancements are being evaluated. Implementing improved security has many advantages as it increases public confidence in the Elections process and it makes the employees feel more secure in this tumultuous period.