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CITY OF MUSKEGON
ELECTION COMMISSION
MUSKEGON CITY HALL
COMMISSION CHAMBERS
933 TERRACE STREET
MUSKEGON,
MI 49440
JULY 22, 2020
@ 5:30 P.M.
MINUTES
A meeting of the Election Commission for the City of Muskegon was held in the
City Commission Chambers for the purpose of approving election inspectors for
the August 4, 2020 Election. The meeting was called to order at 5:30 p.m. on
Wednesday, July 22, 2020.
Present: Election Commission Members — Casey Allard, Betty Ivory-Roberts,
Wanda Matsey, City Clerk Ann Marie Meisch — MMC, and Deputy City Clerk
Kimberly Young.
Absent: None
Moved by Matsey, second by Ivory Roberts, to correct the meeting time on the
minutes for May 1, 2020 and to approve the minutes of the May 1, 2020 minutes,
with the correction — motion passes. ;
Elections have been very different this year. Due in part to COVID-19 and in part
to our mass mailing to households with registered voters not on the permanent
absentee list, our number of Permanent absent voters has increased from just
under 2,000 to almost 7,000 since late in the year 2019. All voters in the City were
sent an application to request an absentee ballot which included a check box
to request to become a permanent absent voter. All voters were sent these
applications for the May, August, and November 2020 Elections.
COVID-19 also contributed to the closure of one of our polling places and we
had to move the polling place for Precinct 10 from the Lakeshore Fitness Center
(900 W. Western) to the Muskegon Farmer’s Market (242 W. Western). All voters
were notified of the change with a letter and a new ID card. Signs will be posted
at the old polling place on Election Day.
The increase in absentee ballots also cause a need for additional tabulation
equipment. We purchased two more Scan devices — one of which will be
funded at 50% by the State of Michigan, Bureau of Elections, using CARE funds.
Due to continued closure and the uncertainty of the direction that the State of
Michigan will take on conducting the election, City Clerk Staff held off on
recruiting workers until very recently. The Election Commission meeting should
have been held no later than July 14, 2020 and we acknowledge that. We have
also had some difficulty in finding enough workers to have the proper balance
and the appropriate skill set. We are still working on the delicate balance and
ask for approval of the list with the understanding that the City Clerk may make
substitutions, additions, and deletions as needed to accomplish a proper
balance.
Motion by Matsey, second by Ivory Roberts, to approve the appointment of
election inspectors as presented, and allowing the clerk to make appropriate
additions, deletions, and substitutions as needed, for the August 4, 2020 Primary
Election.
Meeting adjourned at 5:43 p.m.
Respectfully submitted,
Ann Marie Meisch, MMC-City Clerk
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