102218IB.DOC

Informal Meeting Minutes
Monday, October 22, 2018 Board Members
10:00 AM Steve Chucri, Chairman, District 2
Bill Gates, Vice Chairman, District 3
BOARD OF SUPERVISORS Denny Barney, District 1
Maricopa County, Arizona Clint Hickman, District 4
(and the Boards of Directors of the Flood Control District, Steve Gallardo, District 5
Library District, Stadium District, Improvement Districts,
and/or Board of Deposit)
County Manager
Joy Rich
"The mission of Maricopa County is to Clerk of the Board
provide regional leadership and fiscally Fran McCarroll
responsible, necessary public services
to its residents so they can enjoy living
in healthy and safe communities.” Meeting Location
Supervisors' Auditorium
205 W. Jefferson
Phoenix, AZ 85003
BOARD OF SUPERVISORS
The Board of Supervisors of Maricopa County, Phoenix, Arizona, convened in Informal Session at 10:00
AM on Monday, October 22, 2018, in the Supervisors' Auditorium, 205 W. Jefferson, Phoenix, AZ 85003,
with the following members present: Denny Barney, District 1; Steve Chucri, Chairman, District 2; Bill
Gates, Vice Chairman, District 3; Clint Hickman, District 4; Steve Gallardo, District 5 (via phone). Also
present: Debra Schaffer, Deputy Clerk of the Board; Maria Ceaglske, Minutes Coordinator; Joy Rich,
County Manager; and Andrea Cummings, Legal Counsel.
PRESENTATIONS
Recorder
1. PRESENTATION REGARDING THE 2018 GENERAL ELECTION PLAN
Presentation regarding the 2018 General Election Plan including information regarding early
voting, updated voter registration numbers, recruitment efforts for technical support and set-up at
vote centers and precinct polling places, as well as recruitment for poll workers for election day.
The presentation will also include an update on efforts made to address the issues identified in the
Interim Report prepared by Internal Audit dated September 21, 2018. (C-06-19-159-M-00)
Adrian Fontes, Maricopa County Recorder
Rey Valenzuela, Elections Director
Debra Schaffer, Deputy Clerk of the Board, stated the meeting is an informal presentation
only. There would be no action taken by the Board; therefore, public comment would not be
offered. She stated the meeting was moved to the auditorium to accommodate for additional
seating. Public comments may be submitted to the following electronic mail address:
clerkboard@mail.maricopa.gov.
Chairman Chucri thanked those present and said the meeting is to ensure the best possible
outcome for the November 6, 2018, General Election. It is the spirit of cooperation and
collaboration that ensures everyone is working together so all Maricopa County voters may
have a positive election experience. He then invited Adrian Fontes, County Recorder,
forward to present to the Board.

Informal Meeting Minutes
Monday, October 22, 2018
Page 2 of 16
Adrian Fontes, Recorder, said as the 2018 General Election approached, it was important to
look at the significant improvements made in the administration of elections. He stated
written copies of his remarks would be available to the public.
He noted the following:
 There are more than 2.2 million eligible voters in Maricopa County for the 2018
General Election.
 An increase of 62,000 voters since he took office, which comes with a high volume of
work for the voter registration staff.
 Explained the processes of staff.
 Staff has processed 538,000 transactions since January 2018.
 From April through September 2018, staff has processed 117,221 new voter
registrants that included the following: 22,968 paper forms; 31,257 on
ServiceArizona.com; and 62,996 at the motor vehicle department office.
 A significant increase in 74 candidate challenges and 12 initiatives and recalls. He
explained the additional work of staff that the challenges, initiatives and recalls
entailed.
 Since May 2018 there have been 42 temporary voter registration staff working within
the Elections Department that have been working 12-hour days for at least six days a
week. Mr. Fontes stated a budget request would be forth coming to assist in the
increased voter registration staff.
 The current ballot process stated 1.6 million ballots were mailed to voters on the
Permanent Early Voting List (PEVL) and 250,000 ballots were returned.
 The processing of ballots known as over-votes and noted the process now entails a
hand-process of nearly 100,000 ballots but a staffing plan is in place to meet these
goals.
 The current turnout for in-person voters and early ballots and noted a possible
increase of these numbers as more vote centers continue to open.
 Initiated a “Souls to the Polls” program at four vote centers that would be open from
1:00 p.m. to 5:00 p.m. on Sunday, October 28, 2018 and thanked all of the vote
center workers who have agreed to work the extended hours to increase voter
access.
 40 vote centers would be open on the following dates: October 31, 2018; November
1, 2018; and November 2, 2018. He referred to the following website location for
additional information on vote center locations: www.locations.maricopa.vote.
 Reviewed Election Day planning and progress.
 The necessity of reorganization of the department and several understaffed issues.
 The creation of a project manager position to which the community relations team,
members of the policy team and staff from other areas were assigned. Under the
direction of the project manager, all staff would be primarily tasked with planning for
the General Election.
 Important issues such as staffing and training were also discussed with a plan for
setting up polling locations as a top priority.
 Explained the original plan, which entailed inspectors and troubleshooters doing a
majority of the work before Election Day. The hiring of a Contractor for equipment
set-up instead and the problems that occurred.
 He explained the plan for the General Election to utilize the original plan as well as
having one person present who worked at the Presidential Election.
 Mr. Fontes said nearly 4,000 people would be hired to work during the General
Election. This includes 6 workers at each polling location and 240 vote center
workers. The number of troubleshooters will double to assist with any issues. He
said the support from 450 County employees has been appreciated and thanked
them for their assistance.
 He explained the plan and specific details of managing the 2018 General Election.

Informal Meeting Minutes
Monday, October 22, 2018
Page 3 of 16
 He explained the planned use of monitoring for real-time length of lines at the polling
places through the use of the SiteBook check-in system.
 He spoke of the more extensive training that is available to poll workers.
 Mr. Fontes stated a significantly higher number of voters on Election Day is expected
and will likely break turn-out records for a mid-term election.
Supervisor Gates thanked Mr. Fontes for his comments and report. He asked if the 450
County employees have been contacted or assigned their duties for election day and to
indicate how the employees are effectively utilized according to their skills.
Mr. Fontes responded it is an ongoing process and not every County employee has been
contacted by phone. Notices were sent to everyone to inform them that their assignments
were forth coming. He noted the significant work of assigning poll workers according to their
skillset.
Supervisor Gates asked what the current percentage of County employees were contacted.
Mr. Fontes responded he did not have a specific number but recalls nearly 80% on general
hiring. He explained there are four different possible locations for placement: central boards
located at the warehouse; Information Technology (IT) setup; poll workers; and general
technical to assist with early voting, etc.
Supervisor Gates requested more detailed information on the staffing plan for 2018 General
Election Day.
Mr. Fontes reiterated there are four placement locations. He said polling location workers are
the core of the election day polling placement. A majority of those contacted worked the
2018 Primary Election and have experience with making sure voters are able to utilize the
equipment. Polling place workers is a large portion of where County employees would be
working. County employees would also be working in the IT setup. These are individuals
that would be working as troubleshooters and inspectors. He explained inspectors and
judges would be working as part of the same training group.
Supervisor Gates asked if the technicians for the IT setup would also be available on Election
Day.
Mr. Fontes said yes, and explained the technician groups are troubleshooters, inspectors and
judges. The inspector is in charge of each of the polling locations just as it was in the past.
He explained Sitebook setup is less complicated than setup of the polling location tabulators.
The inspectors would be the key responsible individuals. There would be other individuals
setting up as many sites as possible given the access on Saturday, Sunday and Monday. A
complete plan was set up whereby every one of the polling locations was contacted and a
scheduled opening had been made. Several troubleshooters were contacted and would be
traveling to their assigned polling places the Monday prior to election day to ensure that all
equipment was set up properly.
Supervisor Gates questioned the possible use of high school students as troubleshooters for
the 2018 General Election.
Mr. Fontes explained the use of high school and college students as troubleshooters because
of their technical abilities through the use of electronics. He said onsite troubleshooters at the
2018 Primary Election who did not have the training were talked through setup on the phone.
It is not complicated to setup and one mistake made was not giving the poll workers in the
field enough credit to handle setup. Also, the training has improved, equipment labels have
been added and easy to follow instructions were installed on all of the electronic equipment.

Informal Meeting Minutes
Monday, October 22, 2018
Page 4 of 16
Supervisor Gates asked for specifics on poll worker training that was done in preparation of
the 2018 General Election.
Mr. Fontes stated several trainings have occurred for the troubleshooters and inspectors.
The vast majority of training would take place over the next few weeks. He thanked Steve
Watson, School Superintendent, for allowing staff to use his facilities due to lack of space at
the warehouse for training. Particular issues were addressed within the training and noted a
few changes such as out-of-precinct votes, security briefings, etc. working in collaboration
with State and local enforcement.
Supervisor Hickman noted a conversation with Dr. Robert Branch and asked for an update on
the transportation of unsecured live ballots issue during the 2018 Primary Election. He asked
how many ballots were affected and if the live ballots were counted or discarded.
Mr. Fontes responded he did not have an answer as to how many ballots were affected. He
explained if there were live ballots that came back then they would have been processed just
as any other live ballot. He said there is a security risk on pre-printed ballots and noted the
large amount of pre-printed ballots that are never unpackaged or utilized. This is because of
the utilization of pre-printed ballots and polling place tabulators. He said vote centers issue
printed on-site ballots that show a receipt and auditing record. The auditing record does not
exist with pre-printed ballots and polling place tabulators. He noted 85% of voters utilize
ballot by mail. Mr. Fontes reiterated the potential vulnerability of pre-printed ballots and
encouraged the print on-site ballots hybrid model utilized at vote centers.
Supervisor Hickman asked how many live ballots were cast.
Mr. Fontes responded that he is unsure of Dr. Robert Branch’s definition of live ballot and
explained how ballots are tabulated.
Supervisor Hickman said the problem was how the ballots were not secure when transported
and noted better accountability.
Mr. Fontes agreed with Supervisor Hickman’s statement.
Supervisor Hickman noted his appreciation to County employees willing to assist on Election
Day. He noted his concern that a vast majority of employees have yet to be notified for the
2018 General Election training, check in, etc. He referred to Mr. Fontes’ assertion of a
breach of contract by the contractor during the 2018 Primary Election. Supervisor Hickman
asked if another contractor would be assisting for the 2018 General Election or will the new
volunteers and County employees be expected to assist.
Mr. Fontes noted there was a guarantee of service from the contractor hired for assistance
during the 2018 Primary Election and stated the services were not provided. He said no
contractor would be used for the 2018 General Election. Individuals will be trained for the
equipment set-up. He noted those that will be assisting are County employees that have
experience working with equipment and previously experienced poll workers. He spoke of
training sessions previously held that will continue to be held until the 2018 General Election.
Supervisor Hickman asked for confirmation that no outside contractor will be assisting for the
2018 General Election. Instead current poll workers and County employees will now be
assisting.
Mr. Fontes confirmed with Supervisor Hickman’s statement.

Informal Meeting Minutes
Monday, October 22, 2018
Page 5 of 16
Chairman Chucri stated that some poll workers who assisted at the 2018 Primary Election felt
they were not properly trained. He noted the training component is critical.
Mr. Fontes explained the compounding impact that was created from the contractor not
fulfilling their obligation. He said poll workers and staff worked together to get through the
issues during the 2018 Primary Election. He noted better training and live monitoring would
assist in eliminating issues as they happen during the 2018 General Election.
Supervisor Barney noted his concern with only 15 days until the 2018 General Election. He
requested specific details of the training plan, clarified processes and procedures and a
communications plan. He acknowledged problems happen that is of no control by anyone
and noted the importance of a communications plan and clarified processes and procedures
to assist in solving the issues.
Supervisor Gallardo asked for additional information on who was doing the training, how often
the training was being provided and the length of training. He noted ongoing training
available in the past.
Kristi Passarelli, Elections Assistant Director of Services, explained there are 50 individuals
assigned to each training class and the classes started on Thursday, October 18, 2018.
There are two trainings offered each day. All inspectors, backup inspectors and first judges
are required to attend the in-person training. All poll workers must take the online training
that was redeveloped to encompass all general aspects of election day processes. The in-
person trainings are 3 hours and are hands-on training of equipment set up, edge set up,
voter card programming, insight tabulator functions and locations. The training consists of 6
individuals: trainer, four assistant trainers and coordinator.
Supervisor Gallardo asked if the training is required.
Ms. Passarelli confirmed it is a requirement. She explained the election day opening process
would start at 5:00 a.m. and the requirement to call the contact hotline to indicate setup was
complete. This will help in dispatching troubleshooters to locations experiencing any issues.
Chairman Chucri asked if there are hardcopies of the training manuals especially for those
taking the online option.
Ms. Passarelli confirmed there are hardcopies of all training manuals and said the inspectors
and judges will always have a copy onsite.
Mr. Fontes invited the Board to attend a training session.
Supervisor Gallardo asked how many locations a troubleshooter would be assigned to and
noted the importance of the troubleshooter to each polling place.
Mr. Fontes responded that the hiring goal is 125 troubleshooters and there are currently 95.
That will reduce the polling locations per troubleshooter to four. He also noted the increased
number of hubs for supplies and equipment throughout the county.
Supervisor Gallardo asked how communication would take place to the troubleshooters.
Ms. Passarelli responded that the troubleshooter hotline has 15 phones split between
troubleshooters and election day workers, and the number of phones can be increased or
decreased as needed. The radio program with two dispatchers would be utilized with a two-
way radio that is split by west valley and east valley.

Informal Meeting Minutes
Monday, October 22, 2018
Page 6 of 16
Supervisor Gallardo confirmed there are 15 phones in the troubleshooter room and asked
how many are designated strictly for the inspector.
Ms. Passarelli responded there would be 10 phones available for election day and 5 for the
troubleshooters. That would vary depending on how the calls come in throughout the day.
Between 5:00 a.m. and 5:45 a.m., all phones would be for the inspectors to report setup
completion. At 5:45 a.m., the 5 troubleshooter lines would then be established. The
troubleshooters have a secondary way to reach staff through the radio.
Supervisor Gallardo noted concern for the 2018 Primary Election such as polling places not
having provisional envelopes. He asked what would happen in the situation where the polling
location finds there are no provisional envelopes available.
Ms. Passarelli stated there would be provisional envelopes available in the backup supply
kits.
Chairman Chucri asked if the lines were being monitored, then why not dispatch more poll
workers to the location rather than waiting for a phone call. He spoke of how overwhelmed
poll workers and voters were during the 2018 Primary Election.
Mr. Fontes explained why additional assistance would not be dispatched until staff has
spoken to someone at the polling place. In regard to line wait-time increasing, he noted the
national expectation of line wait-time is 20 minutes and the County is well within that
expectation.
~ Supervisor Gallardo left the meeting ~
Chairman Chucri stated it is the details which will assist for a successful election.
Internal Audit
2. PRELIMINARY WORK REVIEW WITH THE ELECTIONS DEPARTMENT BY BERRYDUNN
Introduction of consultants engaged in work with the Elections Department. This presentation will
include an overview of the areas of focus, the recommendations to improve the voting experience
for both the voters and poll workers, and any preliminary recommendations for further action. (C-
23-19-002-M-00)
Michael McGee, Maricopa County Auditor
Bill Brown, Principal, Government Consulting Group, BerryDunn
Chairman Chucri introduced Mr. Michael McGee, County Auditor.
Mr. McGee thanked the Board for the opportunity to provide a review. He explained the
events that led to an internal and external review of the Elections Department. The County
Auditor Department performed the expedited internal review and provided a report with
recommendations.
~ Supervisor Gallardo returned to the meeting ~
Request for Proposals were solicited for the external review and 10 proposals were received
on September 10, 2018. The contract was awarded to BerryDunn on September 19, 2018.
Mr. McGee noted the level of expertise of BerryDunn, a Government Consulting Group, on
election matters and gave a brief overview of the firm. He introduced Bill Brown, Principal in
charge representing BerryDunn.

Informal Meeting Minutes
Monday, October 22, 2018
Page 7 of 16
Chairman Chucri thanked Mr. McGee and Mr. Brown for their presence. He stated the Board
was relying on them and the Elections Department to ensure the 2018 General Election is a
success.
Mr. Brown thanked the Board and Mr. McGee for the opportunity to work with the County. He
thanked Mr. McGee, the County Auditor team and the Recorder’s Office for their
collaboration. He gave an overview of BerryDunn and the services offered. He noted the
project team consisted of 6 individuals and briefly explained each of their roles within
BerryDunn. He gave an overview of his work experience.
He stated the review consisted of three parts:
 Follow-up on recommendations based on the internal assessment review;
 Identify any additional areas for improvement and planning on election day activities;
 Provide recommendations for further follow-up and effective implementation of the
recommendations made by both County Auditor and BerryDunn.
Mr. Brown explained the timeframe of the review did not allow for standard reporting and said
the final report will include all of the comments, observations and recommendations.
The approach included the following:
 Review of work product developed by and information gathered by internal audit;
 Recorder’s Office staff interviews which included attendance at meetings, internal
discussions and other types of communications with the Recorder’s Office;
 Requested, obtained and reviewed additional documents directly from the Recorder’s
Office which supported the progress on recommendations and status of the issues
related to the recommendations
He noted the following timeline was given:
 September 19, 2018 – awarded contract
 September 25, 2018 – began review
 October 26, 2018 – draft report due
 November 2, 2018 – final report due
Mr. Brown said the compressed timeline for the review has required BerryDunn to provide
informal recommendations and suggestions to the Recorder’s Office as areas for
improvement were identified. He noted the short timeline would affect the review and
administration of the draft report but work would continue for the final report.
The observations and recommendations were categorized in the following three groups:
 Staffing, recruiting and training;
 Technology management;
 Project management
The most significant general observation was there was a significant effort by Election staff to
identify and correct any problems. There was much attention on the areas for improvement
and risk areas that were noted. The largest gap found was areas of documentation,
communication and structure. Many of the long-term suggestions and recommendations in
the final report relate to further expansion of formalization of solid management project and
transparent communication. The short-term recommendations are what would be
implemented prior to the 2018 General Election. The structure and more formal
methodologies are better managed with good processes. Staff is committed to manage with
more predictability and consistency when practicing some of those disciplines. An
assessment is critical by nature and there is a lot to do.

Informal Meeting Minutes
Monday, October 22, 2018
Page 8 of 16
[Clerk’s note: Mr. Brown’s presentation, followed the form of Issue, Current Progress to
address the Issue, Recommendations remaining for each Issue]
Issue: Insufficient staffing for election day activities
Current Progress:
 It appears that resources have been identified and recruited to provide support in
each role;
 The math works out for the dedicated setup staff on a per site basis has increased so
there are more resources dedicated to individual sites;
 Insight staff have been backfilled with a new role of an IT troubleshooter;
 A master staffing spreadsheet is scheduled to be created for the draft report, but it is
unclear at this point if it will contain either all staffing or just the setup staff.
Recommendation:
 Ensure the staffing spreadsheet includes all staff for the General Election across the
enterprise with the benefits to provide transparency in the process to make sure the
gaps have been identified.
Issue: Inadequate role-specific training for election workers
Current Progress:
 Board workers and Troubleshooters are required to complete online training which
includes Sitebook setup training;
 Inspectors and Judges are required to take an additional three hour in-person training
which includes the Sitebook setup training;
~ Joy Rich, County Manager, left the meeting ~
 The election day manual is now available on-line;
 In-person training sessions have been planned and initiated.
Recommendation:
 Include contingency plan procedures for the troubleshooters and poll workers in the
training.
Issue: Inability to monitor election day activity
Current Progress:
 Mentioned that Mr. Fontes spoke about the Dashboard, software that allows remote
monitoring of the Sitebook activity at the polling places;
 Efforts to make sure the communication between the operational project team and
developer to make sure the metrics and threshold notifications are clearly defined.
Recommendations:
 Clarify staff’s roles in monitoring and the procedures for responding to the alerts;
 Use the dashboard functionality to ensure the setup and closeout have been
executed properly.

Informal Meeting Minutes
Monday, October 22, 2018
Page 9 of 16
Issue: Reliability of the Sitebook hardware and software as well as wireless network
connectivity (WiFi)
Current Progress:
 The mobile wireless activity has been tested at the 21 sites with no connectivity
issues;
 Board workers are now trained to contact the Troubleshooter when a connectivity
issue arises;
 IT Troubleshooter role was added;
 The dashboard is in progress as a key tool in monitoring the connectivity.
Recommendation:
 To ensure that any polling place in a physically different location that it was at the
2018 Primary Election is included in the connectivity testing coverage to eliminate
any issues.
~ Joy Rich returned to the meeting ~
Issue: Contingency plan concerns; lack of documentation of the plans
Current Progress:
 Through interactions with the Recorder’s Office, plans have been made and the ideas
sound practical but the documentation and communication seems to be lacking;
 250 to 300 spare Sitebooks are available that can be used offline; similar to the paper
roster to continue to vote in the event of equipment or connectivity failure;
 Language has been clarified so voters can easily tell the difference between
provisional voting and precinct voting;
 A handout has been prepared that identifies the location of the 40 vote centers.
Recommendations:
 Ensure board workers are trained at the ground level on how to direct voters when
on-site voting equipment is not operational; to ensure all role levels, not just
inspectors and judges, can respond to questions;
 Make sure the people responsible for swapping out the equipment have been clearly
identified and a process is in place to make sure connectivity continues to run while
the mechanical swap out occurs.
Issue: Lack of Project Management process
Current Progress:
 A Recorder’s Office individual experienced in election activities has been identified as
the project manager;
 There is a spreadsheet being utilized to track tasks by category;
 Weekly meetings are being held with the Chief Deputy and other management level
staff to discuss the progress towards the tasks;
 The operational staff and technical staff are communicating to ensure the technical
staff have the technical awareness to step in if there are problems that cannot be
addressed by the troubleshooters.
Recommendations:
 Area where there is a lot of room for improvement; while full compliance will be long
term, these recommendations are achievable in the short term;
 Conducting structured tabletop exercises with all election project members to go
through the “what if” scenarios would be valuable. There are conversations taking
place but not in a structured way;

Informal Meeting Minutes
Monday, October 22, 2018
Page 10 of 16
 All the project tasks have documentation for the due dates, person responsible for
completing the task and the task dependencies;
 Formalizing the listing of the lessons learned process now. Ideas are being
discussed and possibly documented but structuring it within a document would be
important.
Issue: Polling location setup problems
Current Progress:
 Contact information has been collected but was shared previously with the board
workers and it includes after hours contacts.
Recommendations:
 Ensure the specific schedule is in place and communicated to organize the logistics
on the day before Election Day so the facility and setup staff are all able to meet,
access the facility and set up all equipment;
 Decrease the margin for error by increasing the time and resource so if something
goes wrong there is more time to correct it.
Issue: Minimize of voting line wait times
Current Status:
 Recorder’s Office has participated in a line wait reduction study;
 Plan to use the dashboard to monitor the wait times;
 Plans to deploy emergency kit with a spare Sitebook and equipment in response to
wait times that are becoming unacceptable.
Recommendation:
 Update and communicate a clear, written procedure to identify what the escalating
threshold is (30 minutes, 1 hour, etc.) and the exact procedures to mitigate.
Mr. Brown concluded by stating BerryDunn and the team appreciate the opportunity to work
on an important project that is fundamental to the democratic process.
Chairman Chucri said it is a rolling audit, which identifies issues and works to fix the issues.
The spirit of cooperation that everyone is collaborating in the best interests of all that it is
successful. He asked what percentage of recommendations were adopted by the Recorder’s
Office.
Mr. Brown estimated approximately 50% were informally communicated as of Friday, October
19, 2018.
Chairman Chucri asked if there were exposures or vulnerabilities for an unsuccessful 2018
General Election if they were not addressed immediately.
Mr. Brown responded that nothing was obvious; however, he recommended having an
analysis of the staffing to ensure any gaps are filled and training to be done.
Chairman Chucri questioned Wi-Fi testing at all locations and not just the locations that had
previous issues.
~ Supervisor Barney left the dais ~
Mr. Brown responded the recommendation is to have all locations tested for Wi-Fi. It is his
understanding that all the problematic sites were tested and other sites that were effectively

Informal Meeting Minutes
Monday, October 22, 2018
Page 11 of 16
tested during the 2018 Primary Election. The gap is where a site was not used during the
2018 Primary Election. Retesting all locations is part of the contingency plan while the other
part is the backup provider for additional Wi-Fi access in other locations. Testing Wi-Fi at all
locations would be wise.
Supervisor Gates had no questions for Mr. Brown, and thanked him for his presentation.
Supervisor Gates stated he had further questions for Adrian Fontes, County Recorder.
Supervisor Gallardo had no questions for Mr. Brown.
Supervisor Hickman asked if there was a written staffing plan.
Mr. Brown responded his team has not received a written staffing plan.
Chairman Chucri thanked Mr. Brown for his presentation, and asked Mr. Fontes to return to
the podium.
Chairman Chucri stated Mr. Brown said 50% of the recommendations were acted upon and
asked Mr. Fontes what the plan was to adopt 100% of the recommendations.
~ Supervisor Barney returned to the dais ~
Mr. Fontes stated not every recommendation would be adopted and said there were reasons
for not implementing specific recommendations. He responded to Supervisor Hickman’s
question of a written staffing plan and stated there is no document specifically called staffing
plan but there are plans/thresholds/markers that have been met to track staffing progress.
There is not one master staffing spreadsheet but that does not mean there is no tracking of
hiring of individuals and if goals are met. The materials may not be manifesting in a way that
are preferred by one or another party in this collaboration. He explained there may be a
spreadsheet regarding poll workers but it may not be incorporated in a single master staffing
document. Mr. Fontes stated the work may not be labeled the same as the
recommendations. He said 50% of the recommendations were either completed or would be
acted upon later. One, such as training, is still in development or will be completed later. The
statements heard are accurate, but it is a question of how the recommendations are spoken
about. He noted it is a process that will have different thresholds moving forward. The
creation of a master staffing plan could not, and would not, be immediately created because
staff is busy hiring and training individuals as part of the staffing plan. Formalizing a
document is far less important than getting the job done. He stated the importance to adapt,
improvise, overcome, and worry about briefing and formalizing later. He stated a staffing plan
is an important part of the execution of a project of this size, but the reality is that in many
areas of the Election Department, staff have moved forward into setting new processes and
procedures in a dynamic environment with new technology.
Chairman Chucri said timing may be an issue in adoption of some of the recommendations
but there seems to be a disagreement of some of the recommendations as well.
Mr. Fontes said there is no disagreement on the substance but what the audit team has done
has assisted in getting a different perspective.
Chairman Chucri asked if the recommendation of testing the Wi-Fi at all locations is
agreeable.
Mr. Fontes said no, because with hundreds of polling locations staff would have no idea why
a Wi-Fi would work one day but not another. All of the locations could be tested the Monday
afternoon before election day, but a connectivity issue may arise after the testing. There are

Informal Meeting Minutes
Monday, October 22, 2018
Page 12 of 16
also limited resources, time and access to nongovernmental property. Staff knew of the
problem locations and moved towards great spaces in those areas.
Chairman Chucri noted his concern that if a problem occurs within the one-hour timeframe on
Election Day he foresees the same issues of what occurred on 2018 Primary Election Day.
Mr. Fontes said it is not possible for the same issues to occur since the setup, ground staff
and scenario is entirely different. The problematic locations were all tested. To test again
would be taking resources away from some of the other tasks that must be done. He noted
the difficulty in testing the sites and explained that the equipment, the MoFi Divining Rods,
used to test the actual signal in the location must be programmed individually per site due to
the different FCC codes that each carrier has within each location.
Chairman Chucri questioned the security of the transportation of ballots.
Mr. Fontes responded that the process has since changed and explained that the ballots
would now be checked in at the hub locations before transporting to central. Nothing would
leave the hub until everything had been gathered.
Supervisor Gates asked Mr. Fontes if a documented contingency plan would be available to
show locations where voters can vote.
Mr. Fontes stated it is in process and nearly done.
Supervisor Gates asked for specifics on the number of Wi-Fi connectivity sites with issues
and how many additional polling locations would be set up for the 2018 General Election.
Mr. Fontes responded there would be one different location and there were 21 with
connectivity issues that have all been tested.
Supervisor Gates said he understands County employees that are assisting in the 2018
General Election have been asked to take off work and assist on Monday. He asked if they
would be assisting on Tuesday as well.
Mr. Fontes said some employees have and some have not depending on the technical setup
and troubleshooting. Some of the employees would be working the poll locations on Tuesday
from 5:00 a.m. to close. He said there are 450 County employees that would be fulfilling
different roles, so he was unable to specify exact locations for each.
Supervisor Gates asked if a plan was in place for communications between Elections staff
and the Board.
Mr. Fontes said there was a plan with different tiers of communication depending on the type
of communication necessary. He noted a meeting with Office of Communication staff was
still necessary for promoting and speaking with voters. He said there was also a need to
work with each District to speak specifically with constituents. He was hopeful in solidifying
the plan soon so Elections staff could work in partnership with the Board to have a smooth
Election Day.
Supervisor Gates said there was no voting center in Anthem for the 2018 Primary Election
and thanked the Election staff for adding a location for the 2018 General Election, noting it
would be extremely helpful to constituents within the area. He said there were approximately
110,000 voters who voted on 2018 Primary Election Day. As reported, the amount of money
that has been spent on the election is unprecedented. He asked if there is an estimate of
how many will be voting for the 2018 General Election.

Informal Meeting Minutes
Monday, October 22, 2018
Page 13 of 16
Mr. Fontes said Election staff is planning for a threefold increase but expects just under
300,000 voters.
Supervisor Gates asked if Election staff is confident that the same number of polling locations
for the 2018 Primary Election will accommodate for the 2018 General Election for those
voting in person.
Mr. Fontes explained that the number of polling locations does not equate to the amount of
voter access or the capacity for the Elections staff to process voters. He referred to the
reduction of 60 polling locations in March 2016, from 400 polling locations was not the reason
of not being able to accommodate voters. It was the fact that there were only two check-in
lines at each of the 60 polling locations. Not being able to process the voters in a reasonable
time was the problem. With the new Sitebook check-in system and ballot on demand, both
technologies that were not available in 2016, more voters can be processed in a timely
manner. The new check-in system operates at three times the speed of the old check-in
system. It is still possible to have lines and he was hopeful there would not be a long wait for
voters. He encouraged voters to vote early because it is convenient, easy and it is a low
pressure setting compared to election day. The schedule and addresses are located at
www.Maricopa.Vote. He said if there were a high turnout of election day voters, they would
be able to accommodate them.
Supervisor Gates questioned a comment Mr. Fontes stated regarding additional funding. He
said the Board does not want any issues on Election Day because the resources were not
available to him.
Mr. Fontes said there would be a funding request forth coming.
Supervisor Gates requested access to a master staffing spreadsheet so the Board can
review, follow the progress and offer assistance.
Mr. Fontes said making the master staffing spreadsheet could be available by taking all of the
current spreadsheets and incorporating them into one. He does not think it would be a
difficult task and will share the information once it is available.
Supervisor Gallardo said he had no additional questions for Mr. Fontes.
Supervisor Hickman referred to Mr. Fontes’ comment that the issues that occurred during the
2018 Primary Election was not a dollars and cents issue. He also noted Mr. Fontes
commented that the Board has provided enough funding for election resources. He noted his
concern about not hiring the temporary contractors and other issues such as Wi-Fi
connectivity, broken screens, software not working, etc. He was unaware that the temporary
contractors would not be utilized.
Mr. Fontes stated he misspoke and corrected his statement noting there would be less than
20 temporary IT workers that would be assisting on election day throughout the county.
There would not be a group of individuals hired to primarily setup, as it was to occur in the
2018 Primary Election.
Supervisor Hickman noted the contractor had sent too few for the 2018 Primary Election and
noted his concern that 20 individuals, was not enough.
Mr. Fontes said the 20 individuals are the temporary agency staff along with County IT
individuals, troubleshooters and onsite inspectors. He explained there are layers of
individuals working the 2018 General Election and hopes individuals are just sitting around

Informal Meeting Minutes
Monday, October 22, 2018
Page 14 of 16
because there may be too many workers. He said Election staff would get the specifics on
the number of deployed workers to the Board to assist in alleviating their concerns.
Supervisor Hickman thanked the Election staff for a successful Congressional District 8
election. Staff spoke of not having as many issues during that election due to properly
trained poll workers. There were two sites that were not open on time in that same district
during the 2018 Primary Election. He spoke of the difficulties noted by the poll workers in that
particular district because they were unable to open on time. The internal audit team
submitted a report on founded preliminary issues, offered recommendations and noted
Recorder’s Office responses. He said he was troubled by one response, and read the
following from the report issued by the internal audit:
PROJECT MANAGEMENT
Potential Issue: Leading up to the primary election, there was not a project leader
responsible for coordinating election setup activities internally between employees and
externally with a contractor for outside services. Based on our preliminary review of our
Internal Audit team, there were logistical and communication issues, with a lack of
accountability. Prior to our review, the Recorder’s Office had recognized this issue and
designated a person to serve as its project leader for the general election.
Recommendation: Ensure that this new project leader has the resources, support, and
ability to successfully plan and execute the general election activities, while mitigating
potential pitfalls. This includes ensuring collaborative communications and coordination of
efforts between all persons involved to facilitate a successful election day.
Recorder’s Office Response: None.
Supervisor Hickman asked if Mr. Fontes would like to add a response since the release of the
report. He asked if someone has been assigned and who the individual was.
Mr. Fontes first responded to the two sites not opening on time stating the problem was
resolved by adding an additional ballot on demand printer. He stated there were different
expectations about the way the 2018 Primary Election was going to happen. He spoke of
contractor issues and noted there would not be the same issue for the 2018 General Election.
He said the Recorder’s Office did not respond because the issue does not exist anymore. He
questioned internal setup and resources allocated for a project manager and said the
Recorder’s Office is following along the path of recommendations moving forward. The
accountability is happening, but the question was understood to be the relationship between
the contractor and the Recorder’s Office, which is no longer relevant.
Supervisor Hickman commented how in the past the Elections Director was always in the
forefront and questioned why the Mr. Valenzuela has not commented.
Mr. Fontes stated he is the Elected Official and feels it is his responsibility to address the
Board and voters. He spoke of the Election’s staff working together on all issues and noted
his support of the Elections Director.
Supervisor Barney noted his concerns were still the same regarding training of poll workers,
communications plan and clarification of procedures. He knows staff is working on the
details, but elections also fall to the Board. He noted concern that there is not enough
training in the short timeframe of 15 days before the next election and questioned the
communication plan for the 4,000 poll workers. He said he would like to see the work
product. He noted the need for clear operating procedures for the poll workers and
collaboration of everyone for a successful election.

Informal Meeting Minutes
Monday, October 22, 2018
Page 15 of 16
Mr. Fontes invited the Board to tour the training facilities and noted the confidence of staff to
rest the Board’s concerns of a successful election.
Supervisor Barney asked of the 4,000 poll workers onboarding how many would be online
training versus in person.
Ms. Passarelli responded that all the training would be done online.
Mr. Fontes stated there was a small percentage of poll workers that would receive only online
training, would only be folding ballots and handing them to voters, do not need to know the
specifics.
Supervisor Barney stated he would like to see clarified protocols of the processes and
procedures. He noted the need for a communication plan for the 463 polling places that do
not have the benefit of in-person training and should have something concrete for them to
hold onto in a crisis.
~ Supervisor Gallardo left the meeting ~
Supervisor Barney noted the importance of follow-up resources for poll workers that will help
them be prepared in a moment of crisis. A crisis happened in 2016 and again in 2018. The
audit team may be suggesting a different way of fixing the issues. He explained the
importance is for a successful election with training, communication and clarified processes
and procedures.
Supervisor Gates asked if there would be a paper ballot backup at every polling location if the
Wi-Fi goes down.
Mr. Fontes explained there are several layers of contingency for every polling location. The
Sitebooks have an offline mode that would allow them to continue to work, issue ballots and
print envelopes. If a polling location has no connectivity and no power, there is a paper
backup.
Supervisor Gates reiterated the question if the Wi-Fi is down and power is out, would a
person be able to vote.
Mr. Fontes assured the Supervisor that a vote would be able to be cast.
Chairman Chucri stated it is the job of the Board to make sure resources are provided for
elections. In a prior meeting, Mr. Fontes noted that the issues from the 2018 Primary Election
were not a resource issue. He noted Mr. Fontes, for the first time at this meeting, indicated
the need for additional resources and stated the request would need to come before the
Board prior to the election. He explained that after the 2018 Primary Election, the Board saw
the need for internal and external auditors to look at the issues and provide feedback to fix
the issues. He stated the Board has provided everything within their authority for a
successful election and would continue to remain a resource.
3. EXECUTIVE SESSION
Vote to convene in Executive Session to consider items on the Executive Agenda dated October
22, 2018, for Board of Supervisors and relevant Special Districts pursuant to statutory authority
listed for each item.

Informal Meeting Minutes
Monday, October 22, 2018
Page 16 of 16
Motion to approve by Supervisor Gates, seconded by Supervisor Hickman
Ayes: Barney, Chucri, Gates, Hickman
Absent: Gallardo
MEETING ADJOURNED
After discussion on the executive items and there being no further business to come before the Board,
the meeting was adjourned.
______________________________
Steve Chucri, Chairman of the Board
ATTEST
__________________________________
Debra Schaffer, Deputy Clerk of the Board