The Election as a Job: What the City Clerk Does

For Ferndale residents, all they have to do , go to their polling location, fill in their answer and feed it into the voting machine.

For City Clerk Cherilynn Tallman and her staff, there's a little more to it. From processing paperwork, proofing ballot language and training polling inspectors, it takes about 80 hours, and sometimes more, to put together an election.

On Tuesday, Tallman and her 41 election employees – who are employed on Election Day and do not work all year in the city clerk's department – will monitor Ferndale's nine polling locations, check and recheck voters so they match their ballots and, simply, keep order.

For November 2010 election, there were 16,855 registered voters. Nearly 41 percent, or 6,858, of the voters came out for the gubernatorial vote Nov. 2.

May elections bring out far fewer voters. Ferndale, . The numbers for the school board elections are quite small.

(Check out prior election results and numbers here.)

However, regardless of the voter turnout, Tallman's tasks stay the same. "There is very little difference between November and May," she said.

Among issues that election workers watch for are people who may violate the 100-foot rule. State law requires all campaigners to stay at least 100 feet away from a polling location. This also includes discussing the election while waiting to vote. (Read a copy of this law here.)

She said in most instances, those who violate the 100-foot rule usually don't realize there is a state law in place. Tallman said that in the four years she's been city clerk, resolving the issue has never escalated to calling the police to remove campaigners.

"The election inspectors will explain the rule to (a campaigner) and ask them to back up 100 feet," she said. If the campaigner fails to cooperate, Tallman said the clerk's office has three Department of Public Works employees helping out. "We'll send out two or three DPW workers, and that usually resolves the issue," she said. "We've never had to bring the police in."

Here is a breakdown of the city clerk's tasks:

Task

Minutes

Remove prior election's ballots from ballot cans and seal in ballot bags for retention period

60

Set up electronic poll books (nine laptops) for training, then reset for election

240

Organize and remove previous election-specific information from gray binders in preparation for next election; prepare and insert election-specific information for current election

240

Create Chart of Predetermined Results (Test Deck)

30

Complete Oakland County Pre-Election Questionnaire

15

Order ballots and supply kits for precincts and AV (absent voter) counting board

60

Order AV ballot applications

15

Inventory of supplies that are needed for the upcoming election

60

Proofread ballot proofs from Oakland County

30

Print out AV applications for almost 800 permanent AV voters

240

Place postage on AV applications

60

Determine the number of privacy screens, secrecy sleeves, tables and chairs that are needed for each polling location, based on number of registered voters

15

Send reservation requests to polling locations

30

Send M-100 Cards & AutoMARKs cards to the county to be burned with May's election information

30

Create, send, proof, and publish and send to Tribune Close of Registration newspaper notice

30

Prepare a test deck for each precinct

30

Complete the Preliminary Accuracy Test, charge and seal the M-100 Tabulators. 

120

Complete the Preliminary Accuracy Test, charge and seal the AutoMARKs. 

120

Complete the Optical Scan Tabulator Preparation Certificate and fax to Oakland County

30

Appoint precinct inspectors (includes contacting them for availability, finding replacements when they have to pull out, preparing and mailing confirmation letters, getting approval of Election Commission)

300

Issue and send out AV ballots

720

Load Unity-Election Definition on the laptop

60

Create and file Master Cards and create and mail Voter IDs for those eligible for the May election

120

Create, send, proof, and publish and send to Tribune Notice of Election and Public Accuracy Test newspaper notice

45

Participate in mock election

60

Memos to police to request free parking for school, sergeant of arms at clerk's office on Election Night and an officer to transport materials to Oakland County

30

Complete necessary forms in the Poll Book; Green Ballot Container Certificate; White Precinct Transfer Container Certificate; prepare return envelopes for precincts

120

Organize and pack supply carts for each precinct

180

Verify that Department of Public Works has a vehicle to transport election equipment

5

Organize the number of privacy screens and secrecy sleeves for each polling location

60

Contact the Postal Service for a Saturday mail delivery and get the key for City Hall Drop Box

15

Participate in the Public Accuracy Test

60

Conduct three sessions of election inspector training: two hours for class; one hour to set up; one hour to break down.

720

Print out and place AV lists in AV poll books

60

Purchase and set up refreshments for election workers returning to City Hall after the election

60

Place specified number of ballots for each precinct in their Titan Ballot Security Bag; seal them; keep record of seal numbers

60

AV posting (done twice; before polls open and after polls close)

30

Visit precincts during Election Day

480

Process M-100 Cards to County/Local

60

Email results to those who have requested them.

30

Update Voter History

30

Process paperwork from precincts

15

Fill out the Provisional Ballot Report

15

80+ hours total

Three employees manning office from 9 a.m.-2 p.m. Saturday prior to election in accordance with state law

Three employees manning office eight hours, in addition to regular workday, on Election Day

On Tuesday, Ferndale residents will vote on a millage. For election information, polling locations and stories, check out election central .