August 7, 2018 Primary Ballot Certification

Today the Bureau of Elections released the official August 7, 2018 Primary Candidate List.

Counties should have received an email consisting of several items, including the Candidate List, formal Call of Election and other pertinent information and instructions related to the August 7th primary. An Official Candidate List is available on the BOE website.

Submit Ballot Proofs to the Bureau of Elections

Counties if you are having an August election please forward a copy to the Bureau prior to production in PDF format. Bureau staff will review all ballots to ensure that they conform to the current ballot production standards.

Submit all proofs by email to the attention of Carol Pierce at piercec1@michigan.gov. Please include "Ballot Proofs" and the name of your county in the subject line of your email submission. If corrections are needed or any changes are made to the ballots following submission and/or approval, the PDFs must be re- submitted.

2018 Election Planning – Reviewing the Basics

This article is the first of a series of articles designed to assist in the preparation of training programs and other related planning for the upcoming August and November elections. 

Opening the Polls

Preparing the polling place for Election Day is a large task for election inspectors. Polls must be open to voters by 7 a.m. And the following tasks must be complete:

*Take and sign the constitutional oath of office and complete the Election Inspector’s Preparation Certificate found in the Pollbook or on a form provided by the clerk.

*Check all forms and supplies against the list furnished by the clerk. Contact the clerk if any of the supplies are missing.

*Prepare the ePollbook, tabulator, and voter assist terminal for proper operation.

*Set up and arrange the voting room, ensuring:

• voter privacy in the voting stations (including a sit down voting station) and voter assist terminal (screen should face away from the processing area)
• workstations are arranged to process voters in an orderly manner
• a public area for poll watchers to observe without disrupting the process
• a ten foot perimeter around the tabulator

*Display the following (removing any old instructions displayed in the room):

• A flag of the United States inside or outside of the polling place
• Sample ballots in places where the voters will have an opportunity to examine them prior to voting
• Two 2 copies of the What Every Voter Should Know poster
• Notice to Voters: Voter Identification Requirement in Effect
• Vote here, directional & barrier free signage
• Proposal language posters (if applicable)

These instructions can be found on pages 2-3 of the Managing Your Precinct on Election day - Election Inspectors' Procedure Manual.

QVF Refresh Software Release 

The following items were released into the QVF Refresh software earlier this week: 

• Inbox closed items are now viewed on their own screen when the closed message checkbox is selected. 
• Inbox now allows users to scan DLN to search for voters.
• AV Details ballot and application address now ensures that voter has another address entered after using the clear option to remove (and replace) the address.
• AV Details adjustments were made to ensure that secondary election date displays, ballot number is presented properly in Activity Log, and Dual Application is appropriately displayed on the screen. 

We are planning for our next release to be deployed next Wednesday and will communicate the details in next week’s News Update. 

As a reminder, please use the updated QVF Refresh Troubleshooting Guide found in eLearning to assist you with setting up your printers and Dymo label printer to print out labels, notices, reports, etc.

Problems reported to QVFHelpDesk@michigan.gov or in the QVF voicemail box are being addressed. Many times the problems reported are items others have reported. If you don't receive a response, please know we have noted the problem and are working to correct it as soon as possible. Thank you for your patience as we work through the defects you are reporting.

Electronic Pollbook Training for New Users  

The Bureau of Elections is offering two Electronic Pollbook Training for New Users (election administrators only, not precinct workers or chairs).  Classes will be held at our 430 W. Allegan Street, Lansing, Michigan location on June 26th for Windows 7 EPBs and June 28th for Windows 10 EPBs. Each class runs from 9:00 a.m. to 1:00 p.m. The demonstration style class offers new users the opportunity to learn the Electronic Pollbook. Registration for the class is required via the Elections eLearning Center. Browse by Subject Classes. 

PLEASE NOTE:  the Electronic Pollbook software will continue to be downloaded from the QVF Legacy system for both the August Primary and the November General Elections in 2018.  Electronic Pollbook manuals were revised in June 2017 and are available in the Elections eLearning Center in versions for clerks and for inspectors for Windows 7 and Windows 10. The manuals include helpful hints, frequently asked questions, and quick reference checklists.

BOE Question of the Week:

I have registered military and/or overseas voters on my permanent AV list.  Are they covered by the rules in UOCAVA and the MOVE Act?

Answer:  Yes!  Military and/or overseas voters may be on your permanent absent voter list but they still only need to submit one application for a calendar year.  In addition, once you have a returned application on file, you must send them ballots at least 45 days before every election in the remainder of the year.

Have a question you'd  like to see
in the Question of the Week?  Send it to elections@michigan.gov.