Sebastian County Elections
Emergency Plan
 

 Polling Place Information:

• Have the Emergency Contact Information of the Vote center.
• Does the facility have a landline, cell service, or back up Wi-Fi?
• Does the facility have an emergency back-up generator?
• Does the facility have a safe room to go to if inclement weather approaches?
• Is this vote center used for other purposes such as emergency shelter, fire station, and drop off point for supplies?
• If any emergency situation arises that affects the vote center contact the County Coordinator.

 

Notification for an Emergency:

• Call 911 for any type of emergency for that vote center/polling place
• Give the type of emergency
• Give the address
• Give a good call back number and any other information asked by the dispatcher
• Contact your County Coordinator
• Call your County’s Office of Emergency Management (OEM) for any additional assistance.
• Follow all directions of any local authority’s that come to the vote center/polling place in response to the emergency.

 

Consolidation of Polling Places:

In the event of an emergency, Sebastian County Elections may have to consolidate an unoperational vote centers/polling places into an operational vote center/polling places due to damage and destruction cause by nature or man-made.

This may be due to:

• Severe Weather or Tornadic activities
• Power Outage
• Flood
• Fire
• Gas Leak
• Medical Emergency that will cause a long term effect to the vote center/polling place
• Disturbances to the vote center/polling site that will cause the vote center/polling places to no longer be safe for the poll workers or the public to continue voting at the vote center/polling site. (i.e. terroristic threat)

 

In the event of an emergency with the impact are:

• Single Locations: This would impact only one vote center due to an emergency.
• Multiple Locations: This would impact two or more vote centers due to an emergency.
• County Wide Locations: This would be a county wide event and would require all locations to be closed with only one location open.
• A vote center that was closed during voting may be reopened if or when the emergency has passed and it is deemed safe by the responding authorities.
• If any emergency situation occurs and there an immediate threat to safety of the voters and poll workers and judges:
  1. If so, evacuate voters and judges, then call 911.
• If there is no immediate threat to safety:
  1.  Evacuate voters from the vote center in a calm manner. Let voters who have a ballot finish voting, unless the threat is imminent.
  2.  Seal and secure ballots for transport.
  3.  Before turning off the machines, note the number of ballots on each machine so that the number can be verified.
  4. Secure voting equipment and prepare for transport, unless the threat is imminent.
  5. Place address of other vote center/polling places at the original site evacuated if able to do so safely.
  6. If evacuated to another vote center/polling place, set up the machines as normal, verify all seals on equipment and ballot boxes are intact.
  7. After voting machines are turned back on, verify that the number of ballots on each machine are the same.
  8. Resume voting as quickly as possible and let coordinator and county clerk know when the vote center is up and operational so the coordinator can alert the media.

 

This decision close or move to another facility will made by the Sebastian County Election Coordinator and the Sebastian County Election Commissioners.

Other notification shall be made to:

• Arkansas Secretary of State
• Sebastian County Judges’ and County Clerks’ office.
• A notice of closing of a vote center/poll site to the media, for public and media notice, with a list of operational Sebastian County vote centers/polling places in the County.
• Sebastian County employees, poll workers, judges may be used to post the consolidation or closing notices were appropriate.

 

Official Notice of Emergency Closure for Early Voting:

EMERGENCY CLOSURE FOR EARLY VOTING

In the case of a severe weather event or other county wide emergency during the time period of Early Voting (October 21st to November 4th) the only location that will be kept open will be the Sebastian County Courthouse.

This decision will be made based on recommendations from the Sebastian County Judge’s Office, Sebastian County Emergency Management, and Sebastian County Sheriff’s office to the Sebastian County Election Commission.

Information will be posted on the Sebastian County website, social media accounts, and posted at each Early Vote Site.

7-5-101(d)(3)

(A) Notice of a change made in a polling site shall be provided by posting information at the polling site used in the last election and by the county clerk mailing notice to affected registered voters at least fifteen (15) days before the election unless:

(i) The election is a school election;

(ii) The election is a special election; or

(iii) The change in polling sites is due to an emergency arising less than fifteen (15) days before the election.

(B) If the change in polling site occurs in a school election, special election, or due to an emergency arising less than fifteen (15) days before the election, notice of a change made in the polling site shall be provided by posting information at the polling site used in the last election.