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4646 Dakota Street SE
Prior Lake, MN 55372
CITY COUNCIL AGENDA REPORT
MEETING DATE:
AGENDA #:
PREPARED BY:
PRESENTED BY:
AGENDA ITEM:
GOAL AREA AND
OBJECTIVE:
DISCUSSION:
JANUARY 06, 2020
5H
ANN ORLOFSKY, CITY CLERK
LORI OLSON, ASSISTANT CITY MANAGER
ADOPT RESOLUTION NO. 20-003 - AUTHORIZING THE CITY CLERK AND
ASSISTANT CITY MANAGER TO ESTABLISH A BALLOT BOARD FOR THE
RESPONSIBILITY TO ACCEPT OR REJECT BALLOTS FOR ABSENTEE
VOTERS IN PRIOR LAKE
High-Value City Services
5. Grow collaborations to provide efficient and cost-effective services to the
community.
Introduction
The purpose of this agenda item is to adopt Resolution No. 20-003, authorizing the
City Clerk and Assistant City Manager to establish ballot boards for the
responsibility to accept or reject ballots for Absentee Voters in Prior Lake.
New this year, the City of Prior Lake will serve as an in-person absentee ballot
center for the residents of Prior Lake. The State requires Scott County to manage
the Overseas Citizens Absentee Voting Act (UOCAVA) process, and Scott County
will continue to manage the mail-in ballots.
Minnesota Statutes §203B.121 requires that any municipality that is responsible
for accepting and rejecting absentee ballots must, by resolution, establish ballot
boards. The ballot board examines all returned envelopes to ensure that the
envelope is complete, witnessed, and accurate. The election judges are required
to examine the returned absentee envelopes within five days of receipt by the
Municipality. As the election nears, the ballot boards meet once to multiple times
each day in order to examine the envelopes.
The current law allows the County to begin to process the absentee ballots seven
days prior to election day. Staff will train employees to serve as election judges
and ballot board members, pursuant to MS §204B.19-204B.22. Each ballot board
will have two trained members to review and agree on the accepting or rejecting of
ballot envelopes. Staff will establish as many ballot boards as necessary in order
to timely conduct the process.
FINANCIAL
IMPACT:
None
ALTERNATIVES: 1.Motion and second as part of the consent agenda to authorize the City
Clerk and Assistant City Manager to establish a Ballot Board for the
responsibility to accept or reject ballots for absentee voters in Prior Lake.
2.Motion and second to remove from the consent agenda for discussion.
RECOMMENDED
MOTION:
Alternative #1
4646 Dakota Street SE
Prior Lake, MN 55372
RESOLUTION 20-003
A RESOLUTION AUTHORIZING THE CITY CLERK AND ASSISTANT CITY MANAGER TO
ESTABLISH A BALLOT BOARD FOR THE RESPONSIBILITY TO ACCEPT OR REJECT
BALLOTS FOR PRIOR LAKE ABSENTEE VOTERS FOR THE 2020 ELECTION CYCLE
Motion By: Second By:
WHEREAS, Prior Lake serves as an in-person absentee ballot center for the residents of Prior
Lake; and
WHEREAS, Minn. Stat. 203B.21 requires any Municipality that is responsible to accept and
reject absentee ballots have their City Council pass a resolution authorizing the
establishment of ballot boards who will determine whether ballots will be accepted
or rejected; and
WHEREAS, Prior Lake will establish a ballot board that will consist of two thoroughly trained
staff as election judges pursuant to MS §204B.19 to §204B.22 to ensure the tasks
are completed in an accurate and timely manner in order to expedite the process of
accepting or rejecting ballots; and
WHEREAS, Scott County Elections Department serves as both a mail-in and in-person
absentee ballot center for the Overseas Citizens Absentee Voting Act (UOCAVA)
and the residents of Prior Lake.
NOW THEREFORE, BE IT HEREBY RESOLVED BY THE CITY COUNCIL OF PRIOR LAKE,
MINNESOTA as follows:
1. The recitals set forth above are incorporated herein.
2. That the City Council of Prior Lake hereby authorizes the City Clerk and Assistant City
Manager to establish an Absentee Ballot Board that would consist of a sufficient number of
trained staff election judges to perform the tasks.
Passed and adopted by the Prior Lake City Council this 6th day of January, 2020
VOTE Briggs Thompson Burkart Braid Erickson
Aye ☐ ☐ ☐ ☐ ☐
Nay ☐ ☐ ☐ ☐ ☐
Abstain ☐ ☐ ☐ ☐ ☐
Absent ☐ ☐ ☐ ☐ ☐
______________________________
Lori Olson, Assistant City Manager