The V.I. Joint Board of Elections is in "serious jeopardy" of losing federal election funds because the boards "have failed to meet and vote" for more than seven months. That’s according to a letter written by St. Croix Elections Board Chair Raymond Williams.
"As a result of our failure to meet, territorial decisions are not being made," Williams said in his letter. "Even greater than this, we are in serious jeopardy of losing HAVA (Help America Vote Act) dollars" because, Williams explains, the boards have been unable to meet and approve the State Election Plan required by the 2002 federal Help America Vote Act.
After a meeting of the joint election board was canceled Wednesday morning due to too few St. Thomas-St. John board members for a quorum, the St. Croix members met separately and voted to give the executive committee of the joint board authority to approve the state plan in hopes of greasing the wheels and making it more likely it is approved this month.
The executive committee consists of fewer members, making it slightly easier to form a quorum than the joint board, which must have at least three of each district’s seven members, according to Williams.
The St. Croix board also approved a letter to all members of both boards urging them to make sure they can show up at the next meeting. In the letter and in discussion at the meeting, Williams said the joint board is required by law to meet at least four times a year. Over the last few months, three attempts to hold a meeting have failed, including one in October, where the entire St. Croix board flew over to St. Thomas, only to have no quorum due to insufficient numbers of St. Thomas members, according to Williams.
The St. Croix board included several proposed dates for joint meetings in its letter for the St. Thomas board to consider.
Although the St. Croix board has voted to let the executive committee approve the state plan, the St. Thomas board must still meet and also give its approval before that streamlined process can take effect. But the boards would not need to meet jointly, and if the executive committee conferred quickly, the state plan might be approved by month’s end.
St. Croix board members present were: Williams, Ana Davila, Carmen Golden, Rupert Ross, Lisa Moorhead, Dodson James and by telephone, Jacqueline Heyliger. No one was absent. All votes were unanimous.
The St. Thomas board members are: Lawrence Boschulte, Arturo Watlingon, Colette White-Amaro, Lorna Thomas, Alecia Wells, Claudette Georges and Leona Smith.
