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Official Time for Opening and Closing Polls <br /> <br />At the April 24 meeting a member of the public asked if there we had an official policy <br />on the source to be used for establishing the accurate time for opening and closing <br />polls. In a discussion of this question the staff members pointed out that the clocks <br />installed in the schools and other city owned buildings used as polling places may not <br />precisely display the correct time and, furthermore, were not under the control of the <br />registrar’s office. It was quickly agreed that, at each polling place, the chief election <br />officer’s cell phone would serve as the official timepiece for determining opening and <br />closing times. The vice chair suggested that when a discrepancy between the clock on <br />the wall and the chief’s cell phone was discovered it would be helpful to place a sign on <br />the greeter’s table advising voters to ignore the inaccurate clock. The secretary then <br />moved that the chief’s cell phone would be the standard and that this policy would be <br />posted at the greeter’s table. The vice chair seconded the motion and it was approved <br />unanimously. <br /> <br />Policy on Early Release of Some Election Officials <br /> <br />The General Registrar provided the board members with copies of a paper she had <br />prepared containing extracts from election laws related to this question and presenting <br />her conclusions. The chair suggested that since training of election officials for the June <br />13 primary is about to begin it is too late to consider any changes to the current policy <br />for the primary. The board members agreed to take up this question after June 13. <br /> <br />Posting of Electoral Board Meeting Notices <br /> <br />At the April 24 meeting a member of the public asked if there was still a requirement to <br />post paper notices of Electoral Board meetings on the door of the registrar’s office in <br />addition to posting electronic notices on the office website. Ms. Bencoach reported that <br />she had checked the regulations and confirmed that not only is there a requirement to <br />post a paper notice in the office but that it is also required to post this notice on the <br />bulletin board customarily used for city government notices. She further reported that, <br />as of this meeting, we are now in full compliance. <br /> <br />Review of Training Materials for Research Officers <br /> <br />The General Registrar distributed copies of new drafts of the Voter Referral Worksheet <br />and research officer training materials. She walked the board through a detailed <br />explanation of the worksheet format and verbiage. Several suggestions were made by <br />board members for improvements to the form. In particular, one change to the section <br />to be completed by the poll book officers was considered important. Among the ten <br />reasons for referring the voter to the research table or chief election official only in the <br />case that a voter requests assistance in voting is that voter to be checked in