Several procedural measures for the Nov. 2 general election were approved by a fully attended St. Croix Elections Board on Thursday evening before the meeting descended into chaos and name-calling.
The agenda for the specially convened meeting included logistical items such as the style and number of ballots needed for the election, the responsibilities of board members during the election and possible changes in written instructions to voters.
The casting of lots on Aug. 19 was discussed at length. Although the St. Thomas Elections board apparently will not draw numbers for candidate placement on the ballot until the Third U.S. Court of Appeals determines the eligibility of the gubernatorial team of Soroya Diase-Coffelt and John Canegata, the St. Croix board voted unanimously to do so.
Chairman Adelbert Bryan pointed out that the names and number can simply be crossed off the ballot if Coffelt/Canegata are ruled ineligible. Board Member Lisa Harris-Moorhead suggested asking the court to rule before the deadline; the request was included in the motion.
Rupert Ross Jr. said that although the St. Thomas board was not complying with a consent decree mandating the casting of lots, the St. Croix board should follow the law. Other board members agreed.
“We need to find a way to get them to agree with our decision,” Ross said. “We need to notify them they are wrong.”
In May, Elections Supervisor Caroline Fawkes ruled the gubernatorial team ineligible because Coffelt registered no party affiliation and Canegata is a registered Republican.
The motion to stick with the Aug. 19 schedule to cast lots and ask the attorney general to alert the St. Thomas board was approved unanimously by the St. Croix board.
A long discussion about the ballot style resulted in a vote to purchase 150 percent of the number of registered voters and use ballots without precinct designation. Several members said the highest percentage of voter turnout in the past has been only 65 percent, but Lilliana Belardo de O’Neal and Glenn Webster voted against the measure in case it was an insufficient number of ballots.
Fawkes recommended unlabeled ballots since they are interchangeable throughout polling places with less waste of paper.
Bryan argued it would be difficult for candidates to determine where they were most popular for future elections without the voters’ locations on the ballots.
Moorhead pointed out there are no procedures for the new early voting law. After some general discussion, the board agreed the Elections office will probably serve as a voting precinct for those casting ballots in the two weeks before the general election.
Bryan suggested using one machine at the office for all early voting. By law, voting would end three days before the general election. None of the board members said they were aware of any recommended changes made to the law before the governor allegedly signed it this week.
Another motion was made that designated Bryan to reword a section of the ballot to instruct about voting along party lines. The board also voted to use colors to separate candidates from one office to another.
At about 7:30 p.m., the meeting descended into mayhem. Minutes before, board members were discussing their duties on the day of election and several indicated which polling sites they prefer to supervise.
The name calling and cursing began when one or two members and Bryan jumped up and started shouting about whether or not the chairman performed his duties during the primary election. After a reported short break and the departure of several members, the meeting resumed to learn about website errors during the primary election.
The full board at the beginning of the meeting included Bryan, Harris-Moorhead, Williams, Ross, de O’Neal, vice chair Webster and Roland Moolenaar.
