Board authorizes election director to retain counsel ahead of June canvas

The Board of Elections voted to give the election director authority to retain outside counsel, a measure members said was needed because the board's regular counsel is unavailable for the first mail-in ballot canvas on June 1.

"If you feel that you are comfortable with that, then you can make a motion to give me the authority to retain counsel," the election director said during the meeting, asking the board to act quickly to ensure legal coverage for the canvass.

Board member Maggie moved to authorize the director to hire an attorney "to retain counsel," and the motion was seconded; the chair called for the vote and members responded "aye," approving the authorization.

The director said she will contact the current counsel, Walt, for recommendations and will proceed to recruit or retain a practicing attorney as needed. She told the board the county requires a practicing attorney for canvass work but that the role does not necessarily require a specialist in election law.

The board voted without recorded roll-call tallies; the director framed the authorization as an administrative necessity to avoid delaying the canvass schedule. The board is scheduled to be sworn in at the May 8 meeting, and the director said she will follow up with members about next steps and any appointment paperwork.