[00:00:01]
SPECIAL AGENDA.I THOUGHT I HAD IT TURNED OFF ON THE SPECIAL AGENDA, UH, FOR THURSDAY, NOVEMBER 14TH, 2024 AT 9:00 AM UH, TO CONSIDER DISCUSSING,
[I.A. Canvass election results of the November 5, 2024 General Election. (Crickett Miller / Judge Deen)]
ACT UPON THE FOLLOWING AGENDA ITEMS. UM, CRICKET, IF YOU WOULD COME UP AND THEN GO OVER THE INFORMATION THAT YOU'RE GONNA GO OVER BEFORE WE MOVE TO APPROVE.UM, I JUST WANNA GIVE YOU A LITTLE BIT OF HISTORY ABOUT SOME OF THE STUFF THAT WENT ON DURING THE ELECTION AND THEN WE CAN CANVAS THE RESULTS.
UM, WE HAD A GRAND TOTAL OF 91,317 THAT VOTED 728,818.
WE'RE IN PERSON DURING EARLY VOTING.
WE HAD 2,670 BALLOT BY MAILS 471 LIMITED VOTERS.
AND I DON'T KNOW IF Y'ALL ARE AWARE, I PUT IT A LITTLE BIT IN YOUR EMAIL ABOUT WHAT A LIMITED VOTER IS, AND THESE ARE VOTERS THAT DID NOT GET REGISTERED TO VOTE IN PARKER COUNTY, BUT THEY HAD ALREADY MOVED HERE.
THEY HAVE TO BE A REGISTERED VOTER IN THE STATE OF TEXAS, AND THEN THEY GET TO VOTE ON THE SAME THINGS THAT ARE FROM LIKE EACH COUNTY.
WE HAD 58 PROVISIONALS THAT WE ACTUALLY ACCEPTED.
WE HAD A GRAND TOTAL OF 222 THAT WERE VOTED DURING THE PROCESS.
UM, THESE ARE PEOPLE THAT ARE STILL NOT REGISTERED TO VOTE, SO IT'S AMAZING.
UM, LORI, I GIVE HER A HARD TIME.
SHE DOES ALL THE VOTER REGISTRATION STUFF AND SHE SAYS, CRICKET, EVERYBODY'S REGISTERED TO VOTE.
SO WE GET THERE AND THE NEXT FIRST DAY THERE'S ALREADY FIVE OR SIX THAT ARE DOING LIMITED.
AND I SAID, LORI, I THOUGHT YOU ALREADY REGISTERED EVERYBODY.
AND SHE GOES, I DON'T KNOW WHERE THEY CAME FROM.
BUT ANYWAY, THERE ARE STILL A LOT OF PEOPLE OUT THERE THAT ARE NOT REGISTERED TO VOTE.
UM, SO I'D LIKE TO THINK THAT THAT'S JUST PROBABLY THE INFLUX OF GROWTH AND MOVING HERE AND NOT HAVING TIME, BUT TRIED TO VOTE ANYWAY.
AND IT WAS A PRESIDENTIAL ELECTION, SO YOU'RE GONNA SEE PEOPLE THAT WE HAVEN'T SEEN IN SEVERAL YEARS, BUT I WANTED TO SHOW YOU SOME STATS.
UH, DID A LITTLE COMPARISONS IN BETWEEN 2020 AND 2024.
UM, SO THIS WAS THE EARLY VOTING.
WE HAD 60,636 VOTED DURING THE 2020 EARLY VOTE, AND THEN 61,186.
UH, AS YOU CAN SEE ON THE GRAPH, THE ONLY LOCATION THAT SHRUNK REALLY WAS THE ANNEX, WHICH IS REALLY NICE BECAUSE IT DOES MEAN THAT THE OTHER LOCATIONS ARE BEING USED.
UM, HUDSON OAKS AND SPRINGTOWN THIS TIME WERE USED A LOT.
UM, IT SHOWS LESS IN HUDSON OAKS, BUT I MEAN, THEY WERE BUSY THE ENTIRE TIME.
UM, IT'S REALLY GOOD TO SEE THAT PEOPLE ARE VENTURING OUT AND NOT JUST ALWAYS GOING TO THE ANNEX OR TOLEDO ISD TO VOTE.
THEN ON ELECTION DAY, UM, I DID THE TOP 10 LOCATIONS AND UM, I'M EXCITED TO TELL YOU THAT NUMBER ONE WAS NOT SANTA FE IN 2024.
IT WAS AZEL CITY HALL, WHICH, UH, SO ANYWAY, SO WE DO HAVE SOME CHANGES.
THEY'RE NOT DOING THE SAME ONE.
UM, THE, EVERYBODY SEEMED TO DO REALLY WELL DURING THE ELECTION.
WE DID HAVE ON ELECTION DAY ONE LITTLE ISSUE AND THREE CONTROLLERS.
I HAD THREE DIFFERENT SITES, BUT OF COURSE THEY WERE ALL IN PRECINCT THREE THAT DID NOT WORK.
SO WHEN A CONTROLLER DOESN'T WORK, NONE OF THE DUOS WILL WORK.
SO WE GOT SOMEBODY OUT THERE AND WE GOT THOSE THREE REPLACED.
TWO OF THEM ARE A HARDWARE ISSUE, SO THEY'RE GONNA HAVE TO BE SENT BACK TO THE FACTORY TO BIT WORKED ON.
UM, ONE OF 'EM WE THINK MAYBE WAS NOT.
UM, BUT ANYWAY, THAT WAS THE ONLY ISSUE.
THERE WERE SOME PEOPLE THAT WERE CHECKED IN AT THOSE LOCATIONS AND WHAT WE DID WAS UNCHECK THEM SO THEY COULD GO SOMEWHERE ELSE TO VOTE.
A LOT OF THEM, THE JUDGES ARE VERY POLITE AND THEY SAID, IF YOU COME BACK HERE, WE'LL BRING YOU STRAIGHT TO THE FRONT OF THE LINE WHENEVER YOU COME BACK TO VOTE.
AND THEY DID JUST GET TO SEE A LOT OF THEM COME BACK.
UM, THAT WAS THE MAIN THINGS ON THOSE.
WE HAD ONE DUO DURING EARLY VOTING THAT WOULD NOT EVER WORK.
IT WAS A LITTLE ROUGH ON ELECT EARLY VOTING NIGHT BECAUSE WE HAD 80 THAT WE USED DURING EARLY VOTING, AND WE FLIPPED THOSE FOR ELECTION DAY.
SO WE HAD, UH, LOTS OF HIGH SCHOOL KIDS HELPING US, AND THEN ALL OF OUR JUDGES AND EVERYBODY FLIPPED THOSE.
SO THAT WAS PRETTY INTERESTING HOW WE DID THAT.
UM, I JUST WANNA DO A, A SHOUT OUT TO ALL THE PRECINCT STAFF THAT HELPED DELIVER THE EQUIPMENT, PICK UP THE EQUIPMENT.
IF SOMETHING GOT LEFT, UM, IT DID A GOOD JOB.
THEY HELPED US DURING THE NIGHT AND DURING THE PROCESS OF EARLY VOTING TO WATCH EVERYTHING SO THAT NOTHING GOT, WHATEVER IT DOES
UM, OF COURSE MY STAFF IN MY OFFICE, UM, WE CAN'T DO THIS WITHOUT THEM EITHER.
AND THEN ALL THE ELECTION JUDGES AND CLERKS, I DON'T THINK WE WOULD HAVE TO PAY THEM IF WE DIDN'T NEED TO BECAUSE THEY DO IT BECAUSE THEY WANT TO DO IT.
UM, BUT OVERALL, I BELIEVE WE HAD A VERY
[00:05:01]
SUCCESSFUL ELECTION.THIS IS WHAT IT ACTUALLY LOOKS LIKE.
SO EARLY VOTING WAS 80% OF THE TURNOUT, 17 WAS ELECTION DAY, AND THEN THE OTHER LITTLE ONES ARE YOUR LIMITEDS AND BALLOT BY MAILS AND THE PROVISIONALS, SORRY IF YOU ALREADY WENT OVER THIS.
UM, WHAT PERCENTAGE OF PRIOR ELECTIONS IN GENERAL, UH, WAS EARLY VOTING? THEY'RE ALWAYS USUALLY LIKE THIS.
SO THIS IS PRETTY STANDARD, THIS PERCENTAGE.
I GOT A QUESTION ON THE FLEEING VOTERS.
DID ANY OF 'EM TRY TO COME BACK WITH THEIR PAPER? YES.
SO, SO A FLEEING VOTER, UH, PUT Y'ALL THIS IN THE EMAIL ALSO.
THESE ARE VOTERS THAT HAVE VOTED AND THEN THEY LEFT, BUT THEY TOOK THEIR BALLOT WITH THEM.
THEY DIDN'T PUT IT IN THE SCANNER, WHICH USUALLY MOST LOCATIONS WE HAVE SOMEBODY THERE WATCHING FOR THIS BECAUSE IT'S COMMON WITH PAPER BALLOTS.
AND, UM, IF THEY DO COME BACK WITH THAT BALLOT, WE CAN'T ACCEPT IT BECAUSE WE DON'T KNOW WHERE IT CAME FROM.
THEY'LL PUT 'EM IN A PROVISIONAL AND WE'LL LET THE BARELY VOTING BALLOT BOARD LOOK AT IT.
UM, BUT THEY CANNOT BE COUNTED BECAUSE WE DON'T KNOW WHERE IT CAME FROM.
WE DON'T KNOW HOW THAT PERSON GOT IT.
IF THEY DO STAY WITH THEM AND THE JUDGES OR THE CLERKS THAT ARE WORKING THE DOOR SEE 'EM, GO OUT WITH IT AND HOLLER AT 'EM AND GET 'EM TO COME BACK, WE DO ACCEPT THOSE.
BUT OTHERWISE IT'S A, IT'S A MISSED VOTE.
AND WE ENDED UP HAVING 39 FOR THIS ELECTION.
DID IT HAPPEN MORE IN ONE LOCATION OR IS IT LIKE ONE AT EACH ONE OR THE MAIN LOCATIONS IS WHERE IT'S THE LARGER TURNOUT.
SO WHERE IT'S A LOT MORE SOMETIMES, UH, BUSY.
SO THERE'S TOO MANY PEOPLE TRYING TO GET IN AND OUT, UM, IS WHEN IT USUALLY OCCURS.
UH, WE DID HAVE A LITTLE, UH, PEOPLE WERE WANTING TO SMUGGLE THEM OUT, SO WE HAD A LITTLE ISSUE WITH THAT.
SO WE, THEY WERE TOLD BY SOMETHING THAT THEY NEEDED TO TAKE THOSE WITH THEM SO THAT THEY COULD PROVE HOW THEY VOTED.
UM, SO WE KIND OF TRIED TO STOP THAT BECAUSE THAT WAS, THAT IS, THAT IS NOT GONNA GET TO BE COUNTED AS A VOTE IF YOU TAKE IT WITH YOU, BUT AS LONG AS Y'ALL MAINTAIN VISUAL MM-HMM.
IS THERE EVER A NEED OR, UM, DO YOU HAVE LIKE SECURITY OR IS THERE, WAS THERE EVER A NEED FOR THAT IN ANY OF THIS? UH, WE HAD ONE ISSUE AT THE ANNEX DURING EARLY VOTING.
UM, BUT AS SOON AS I AND A DEPUTY DID WALK DOWN THE HALL, THEY LEFT, SO.
OTHER THAN THAT, WE REALLY, EVERYTHING WAS VERY GOOD.
I THINK IT'S, IT'S DEFINITELY A TEST OF, OF THE, I GUESS THE COMPETENCY AND THE, UH, RESOURCES THAT YOU HAVE IN THE ELECTIONS OFFICES WAS A BIG TEST FOR THAT.
AND SO OVERALL IT WAS MISSION ACCOMPLISHED.
I HEARD NOTHING BUT POSITIVE ABOUT IT.
WELL, WE, WE TRY VERY HARD TO MAKE SURE THAT EVERYBODY THAT'S ELIGIBLE TO VOTE GETS TO VOTE.
AND, UM, WE, THE LINES OF COURSE, THE FIRST WEEK WERE LOTS OF LINES.
UM, SECOND WEEK THE LINES HAD DECREASED.
WE APPRECIATE EVERYTHING YOU AND YOUR DEPARTMENT DO.
I'M SHOCKED AT HOW MUCH OF THE, YOU SAY IT'S A STANDARD NORMAL PERCENTAGE, BUT THE, THE NUMBER OF EARLY VOTERS, I DIDN'T REALIZE IT WAS THAT MUCH.
AND WE, WE GOT, I GOT A LITTLE WORRIED THAT EVERYBODY WAS ACTUALLY GONNA SHOW UP AND VOTE.
SO WE DID ADD MORE BALLOTS TO EVERY EARLY ELECTION DAY SITE.
UM, SO WE DID, THEY HAD SO MANY BALLOTS.
THEY COULD HAVE VOTED ALL 50,000 THAT WERE LEFT, BUT UH, THEY DID NOT SHOW UP.
SO WE WENT ON, BUT WE WERE PREPARED FOR IT JUST IN CASE THEY DIDN'T NO, THE PARKING LOT IN THE SPRINGTOWN SENIOR CENTER THE FIRST WEEK YES.
IT SHOWS GOOD SUPPORT HERE IN PARKER COUNTY THAT PEOPLE WANT TO VOTE AND THAT'S GOOD.
IT DOES HIGH, HIGH PERCENTAGE.
WHAT CRICKET, WHAT DO YOU NEED FROM US TO MAKE SURE THAT 2026 IS AS SMOOTH AS THIS IN 2028 IS AS SMOOTH AS THIS ONE? BECAUSE BY ALL ACCOUNTS, THIS ELECTION CYCLE WENT VERY WELL.
IS THAT, AM I MISSING SOMETHING? NO.
WHAT DO YOU NEED FROM US TO MAKE SURE THAT WE'RE WELL POSITIONED IN 2026 AND 2028? GET HER IN THAT NEW BUILDING,
THAT, THAT'S GONNA HELP A LOT BECAUSE, UH, THE LAST FEW DAYS WE'VE ALREADY STARTED OUR PARTIAL MANUAL COUNT AND SO WE HAD ONE ROOM WITH THAT.
THEN WE HAD THE EARLY VOTING BALLOT BOARD HAD TO COME IN YESTERDAY TO DO THE PROVISIONALS AND ALL THAT.
SO THEY'RE KIND OF IN THE MIDDLE OF OUR OFFICE.
SO IT IT, IT'LL BE NICE WHEN WE DO
[00:10:01]
GET IN LARGER SPACE, BUT YOU'RE, WE'RE GONNA HAVE TO BUY SOME MACHINES AT SOME POINT.UM, THE DUOS, UM, JUST BECAUSE IT'S GONNA BE MORE VOTING, I DON'T NEXT YEAR IT'S AN OFF YEAR, SO THAT WOULDN'T WANNA DO IT.
UM, NOVEMBER, 2026, UM, IT'D BE NICE IF HART LEASED THEM BECAUSE THEN MAYBE WE WOULDN'T HAVE TO PURCHASE 'EM.
BUT I'VE TALKED TO THEM ABOUT THAT AND THEY SAY THEY DON'T DO THAT.
UM, BUT BY 2028 WE'RE GONNA HAVE TO HAVE MORE.
COULD YOU COME TO US MAYBE IN FEBRUARY OR MARCH? MM-HMM.
JUST WHEN WE SEE EVERYTHING DURING BUDGET, IT'S EASY TO GET CAUGHT UP IN THE MOMENT.
AND THAT'S SOMETHING THAT, YOU KNOW, ELECTION INTEGRITY IS SO INCREDIBLY IMPORTANT THAT, UH, WE PROBABLY ON ELECTION DAY, I, WE HAD SIX PART-TIME PEOPLE THIS TIME AND, UH, WE DIDN'T HAVE ENOUGH PHONE LINES, I DON'T THINK, UH, FOR AMOUNT OF CALLS.
AND IT WAS MORE NOT OUR JUDGES SO MUCH AS PEOPLE.
AM I REGISTERED TO VOTE? I DON'T KNOW.
IF I'M REGISTERED TO VOTE, WHAT DO I NEED TO DO? IT WAS MORE THAT BOGGED US DOWN THAN OUR ACTUAL JUDGES AND CLERKS THAT WERE CALLING IN WITH ISSUES.
UM, SO AT, AND I'M GONNA PROBABLY LOOK AT SOME OF THAT JUST TO HAVE MORE PEOPLE JUST DURING THAT SEASONAL TIME, NOT ALL THE TIME.
ARE COUNTY EMPLOYEES ALLOWED TO ASSIST WITH THAT? I DON'T KNOW.
I'D HAVE TO TALK TO BECKY ON THAT BECAUSE I CAN SPEAK FOR PRECINCT TWO WHEN THE ELECTION OCCURS IN OCTOBER, NOVEMBER.
YOU KNOW, THE MAY ELECTION WOULD BE REALLY TOUGH IF THERE'S A RUNOFF.
IT'D BE TOUGH TO PULL MY GUYS OUT, BUT I COULD PROBABLY SPARE ONE OR TWO GUYS, UM, IF I NEEDED TO FOR THE NOVEMBER ELECTION.
BUT I UNDERSTAND THERE MIGHT BE TRAINING THAT'S NEEDED FOR ASSISTING WITH WASHING AND ALL THAT KIND OF STUFF.
AND THEN THE VERY LAST QUESTION, THE SANTA FE LOCATION IS THAT ANTICIPATED TO BE OPEN BY THE 2026 NOVEMBER ELECTION? REMIND ME OF THAT TIMELINE PLEASE.
WELL, UH, OKAY, SO THEY STARTED DEMO TUESDAY.
SO THE OTHER THING IS, IS THAT THE TAX ASSESSOR COLLECTOR'S TAKING THE KITCHEN.
AT SOME POINT I'M HEARING MAYBE DECEMBER.
THE ONLY ISSUE IS, IS WE HAVE A MAY, 2025 ELECTION.
SO WHAT WE'RE TRYING TO DO AT THIS POINT IN TIME IS, IS HAVE THE VOTING ROOM READY AT THE PD BUILDING SO THAT VOTING WILL OCCUR THERE.
BECAUSE IF THEY'RE GONNA START THE DEMO IN DECEMBER OF THE TAX ASSESSORS COLLECTORS' PART, WE'RE NOT GONNA HAVE ANYWHERE TO HAVE EARLY VOTING ON SENATE.
YOU SHOULD BE, BE ABLE TO DO THAT.
SO, SO NOVEMBER OF 26, 2 YEARS FROM TODAY.
WE'RE ANTICIPATING THAT BUILDING IS FINISHED OUT.
FROM THE ELECTIONS PERSPECTIVE.
SO IS THERE COMMUNICATION WITH MARK LONG ON WHICH ROOM'S PRIORITY OVER THERE? THERE IS A, A COMMUNICATION WITH THE GENTLEMAN THAT'S IN CHARGE OF THE, WITH THE GC OVER THERE BUILDING.
I THINK YOU'RE HANDLED WELL ON THAT TO MEET THESE TIMELINES.
I, I GET UPDATES WITH THIS THAT, YOU KNOW, THEY'RE, THEY'RE DOING EVERYTHING THEY CAN.
I, I THINK WE'RE GONNA BE CLOSE FOR THE APRIL THING, BUT YOU WILL, WE'RE GONNA TRY TO WORK THE BEST WE CAN TO PULL IT OFF AND YOU CAN MAKE IT WORK.
I MEAN, YOU KNOW, YOU SAID IT, IT'S, IT'S REALLY, YOU KNOW, YOUR LEADERSHIP OBVIOUSLY AND, AND IS A BIG THING.
BUT IT, BUT THE VOLUNTEERS, IT'S SUCH A, IT'S SUCH A COMPLEX PROCESS WITH VOLUNTEERS THAT YOU NEED THOSE RESOURCES THAT MAKE EVERYTHING WORK WELL.
AND SO YOU, WE DID A GREAT JOB WITH THAT AND HAVING THE PEOPLE THAT YOU NEED.
SO IS THERE ANY OTHER COMMENTS? WE HAVE A MOTION BY COMMISSIONER CONLEY FOR APPROVAL, UH, WITH A SECOND BY COMMISSIONER HALE.
IS THERE ANY OTHER DISCUSSION ON THIS ITEM? ALL IN FAVOR.
MOVE TO ITEM TWO ON ADJOURNMENT.
I DO HAVE A PAPER FOR Y'ALL TO SIGN AND I'M GONNA GO TO RICH'S OFFICE AND TRY TO GET IT PRINTED REAL QUICK.