Initial interviews for V.I. elections supervisor and both districts’ deputy supervisors took place last week and the Joint Board hopes to make a final decision June 28, said Raymond Williams, the Joint Board’s personnel committee chairman, speaking to the St. Croix Board of Elections on Friday.
Outgoing Supervisor of Elections John Abramson retired effective May 31 and was out on medical leave since late 2012.
Since Abramson announced his impending retirement in January and informed the Joint Board he would be unavailable until after the retirement, both deputy election supervisors resigned, creating a managerial vacuum. Abramson authorized rent and utility payments while on leave, but if a replacement is not in place by July 4, no one will be authorized to sign checks or take action on behalf of the election system.
St. Croix board member Roland Moolenaar asked if it would be possible for the Joint Board to meet via teleconference for the decision, to make it easier to schedule the meeting and save on travel costs. The initial interviews were conducted with members asking questions by teleconference and it worked well, Moolenaar said.
Bryan said the law required the board to meet and vote in person. "I know we can save the money, but we have to comply with the statute," Bryan said.
Williams said he would recommend to Alecia Wells, chairwoman of the Joint Board of Elections, to hold an informal meeting, with no votes, by teleconference on Thursday to allow members to vet the candidates and ask questions. And Williams recommended the Joint Board then meet Friday in person, to make a final decision, with all the questions out of the way.
St. Croix Board of Elections Chairman Adelbert Bryan appointed two subcommittees during Friday’s meeting: one, comprised of board members Rupert Ross, Roland Moolenaar and Raymond Williams, is tasked with finding a secure location to store the territory’s 1986 voting machines so they can be replaced with new digital ballot tabulators.
"To get space in here for the new machines, we need to find more secure space for the old machines," Bryan said. By law, the machines must be secured and available for inspection for several years after the last election they were used in, Bryan said.
The other subcommittee, composed of board members Glenn Webster, Liliana Belardo de O’Neal and Raymond Williams, is tasked with systematically going through the St. Croix elections office and evaluating it for ADA compliance. It would present the full board with a correction plan.
The action was taken after Williams reported on an ADA compliance meeting he recently attended. Williams said the Election System has to perform a self-evaluation to give territorial ADA Coordinator Stephanie Barnes to present to the federal government.
"It’s not an issue that needs to be rushed, but I just wanted to put it out there that we need to work on this in the next month or two so we can get our reports in," Williams said.
The board also discussed preparations for the Election System budget hearings in July.
Ross told the board he was concerned a recent U.S. Supreme Court decision might force the territory to change some of its voter registration practices. That decision in “Arizona v. Intertribal Council” invalidated a recent Arizona law requiring proof of citizenship to register to vote.
"Arizona and some other states basically said in order to register to vote you have to have proof of citizenship, which is what we do, asking for a passport, etc.," Ross said. "But the Supreme Court ruled seven to two that is a violation of federal law and all (the voter) has to do is swear they are a citizen, subject to perjury," he added.
"I’m just asking you guys to take a look at it, even though it took place a thousand miles away, because I think it will change the situation here," Ross said.
Perhaps showing a change in tone after a series of contentious meetings over the course of the last few years, Friday’s meeting marked at least the third in a row notable for a lack of rancor and an abundance of productive discussion.
Present were Bryan, Moolenaar, Webster, Ross and Williams. Absent were O’Neal and Lisa Harris-Moorhead.
