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<p class="MsoNormal" align="center" style="text-align:center"><a name="_Hlk62516701"></a><a name="_Hlk12439619"></a><a name="_Hlk62516609"><span style="mso-bookmark:_Hlk12439619"><span style="mso-bookmark:_Hlk62516701"></span></span></a><span style="mso-bookmark:_Hlk62516609"><span style="mso-bookmark:_Hlk12439619"><span style="mso-bookmark:_Hlk62516701"><span style="font-family:"Avenir Next LT Pro",sans-serif"><img width="118" height="132" style="width:1.2291in;height:1.375in" id="_x0000_i1025" src="cid:image001.jpg@01D8565E.97A61C30" alt="DCO_Shield_color"></span></span></span></span><a name="_Hlk506281730"></a><a name="_Hlk503990985"><span style="mso-bookmark:_Hlk506281730"><span style="mso-bookmark:_Hlk62516701"><span style="mso-bookmark:_Hlk12439619"><span style="mso-bookmark:_Hlk62516609"><span style="font-size:10.5pt;font-family:"Avenir Next LT Pro",sans-serif"><o:p></o:p></span></span></span></span></span></a></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="mso-bookmark:_Hlk503990985"><span style="mso-bookmark:_Hlk506281730"><span style="mso-bookmark:_Hlk62516701"><span style="mso-bookmark:_Hlk12439619"><span style="mso-bookmark:_Hlk62516609"><b><span style="font-size:10.0pt;font-family:"Avenir Next LT Pro",sans-serif"><o:p> </o:p></span></b></span></span></span></span></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" align="center" style="text-align:center"><span style="mso-bookmark:_Hlk503990985"><span style="mso-bookmark:_Hlk506281730"><span style="mso-bookmark:_Hlk62516701"><span style="mso-bookmark:_Hlk12439619"><span style="mso-bookmark:_Hlk62516609"><a name="_Hlk2078108"><b><span style="font-size:48.0pt;font-family:"Avenir Next LT Pro",sans-serif">NEWS
RELEASE</span></b></a></span></span></span></span></span><span style="mso-bookmark:_Hlk503990985"><span style="mso-bookmark:_Hlk506281730"><span style="mso-bookmark:_Hlk62516701"><span style="mso-bookmark:_Hlk12439619"><span style="mso-bookmark:_Hlk62516609"><span style="mso-bookmark:_Hlk2078108"><b><span style="font-size:15.0pt;font-family:"Avenir Next LT Pro",sans-serif"><o:p></o:p></span></b></span></span></span></span></span></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="mso-bookmark:_Hlk503990985"><span style="mso-bookmark:_Hlk506281730"><span style="mso-bookmark:_Hlk62516701"><span style="mso-bookmark:_Hlk12439619"><span style="mso-bookmark:_Hlk62516609"><span style="mso-bookmark:_Hlk2078108"><b><span style="font-size:10.0pt;font-family:"Avenir Next LT Pro",sans-serif"><o:p> </o:p></span></b></span></span></span></span></span></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="mso-bookmark:_Hlk503990985"><span style="mso-bookmark:_Hlk506281730"><span style="mso-bookmark:_Hlk62516701"><span style="mso-bookmark:_Hlk12439619"><span style="mso-bookmark:_Hlk62516609"><span style="mso-bookmark:_Hlk2078108"><b><span style="font-size:10.0pt;font-family:"Avenir Next LT Pro",sans-serif">For
Immediate Release Date: 04/22/2022<o:p></o:p></span></b></span></span></span></span></span></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="mso-bookmark:_Hlk503990985"><span style="mso-bookmark:_Hlk506281730"><span style="mso-bookmark:_Hlk62516701"><span style="mso-bookmark:_Hlk12439619"><span style="mso-bookmark:_Hlk62516609"><span style="mso-bookmark:_Hlk2078108"><b><span style="font-size:10.0pt;font-family:"Avenir Next LT Pro",sans-serif">Contact:
Public Information Office Phone: (919) 560-0000/Fax: (919) 560-0020<o:p></o:p></span></b></span></span></span></span></span></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-left:3.0in"><span style="mso-bookmark:_Hlk503990985"><span style="mso-bookmark:_Hlk506281730"><span style="mso-bookmark:_Hlk62516701"><span style="mso-bookmark:_Hlk12439619"><span style="mso-bookmark:_Hlk62516609"><span style="mso-bookmark:_Hlk2078108"><b><span style="font-size:10.0pt;font-family:"Avenir Next LT Pro",sans-serif">E-mail:
</span></b></span></span></span></span></span></span><a href="mailto:publicinformationoffice@dconc.gov"><span style="mso-bookmark:_Hlk503990985"><span style="mso-bookmark:_Hlk506281730"><span style="mso-bookmark:_Hlk62516701"><span style="mso-bookmark:_Hlk12439619"><span style="mso-bookmark:_Hlk62516609"><span style="mso-bookmark:_Hlk2078108"><span style="font-family:"Avenir Next LT Pro",sans-serif">publicinformationoffice@dconc.gov</span></span></span></span></span></span></span><span style="mso-bookmark:_Hlk503990985"><span style="mso-bookmark:_Hlk506281730"><span style="mso-bookmark:_Hlk62516701"><span style="mso-bookmark:_Hlk12439619"><span style="mso-bookmark:_Hlk62516609"><span style="mso-bookmark:_Hlk2078108"></span></span></span></span></span></span></a><span style="mso-bookmark:_Hlk503990985"><span style="mso-bookmark:_Hlk506281730"><span style="mso-bookmark:_Hlk62516701"><span style="mso-bookmark:_Hlk12439619"><span style="mso-bookmark:_Hlk62516609"><span style="mso-bookmark:_Hlk2078108"><span style="font-family:"Avenir Next LT Pro",sans-serif">
</span></span></span></span></span></span></span><span style="mso-bookmark:_Hlk503990985"><span style="mso-bookmark:_Hlk506281730"><span style="mso-bookmark:_Hlk62516701"><span style="mso-bookmark:_Hlk12439619"><span style="mso-bookmark:_Hlk62516609"><span style="mso-bookmark:_Hlk2078108"><b><span style="font-size:10.0pt;font-family:"Avenir Next LT Pro",sans-serif"><o:p></o:p></span></b></span></span></span></span></span></span></p>
<span style="mso-bookmark:_Hlk62516609"></span>
<p class="MsoNormal" align="center" style="text-align:center"><span style="mso-bookmark:_Hlk503990985"><span style="mso-bookmark:_Hlk506281730"><span style="mso-bookmark:_Hlk62516701"><span style="mso-bookmark:_Hlk12439619"><span style="mso-bookmark:_Hlk2078108"><b><span style="font-size:14.0pt;font-family:"Avenir Next LT Pro",sans-serif"><o:p> </o:p></span></b></span></span></span></span></span></p>
<span style="mso-bookmark:_Hlk503990985"></span>
<p class="MsoNormal" align="center" style="text-align:center"><span style="mso-bookmark:_Hlk506281730"><span style="mso-bookmark:_Hlk62516701"><span style="mso-bookmark:_Hlk12439619"><span style="mso-bookmark:_Hlk2078108"><a name="_Hlk62516129"><b><span style="font-size:16.0pt;font-family:"Avenir Next LT Pro",sans-serif">Durham
County Board of Elections a Repeat Winner in EAC’s Clearinghouse Awards<o:p></o:p></span></b></a></span></span></span></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" align="center" style="text-align:center"><span style="mso-bookmark:_Hlk506281730"><span style="mso-bookmark:_Hlk62516701"><span style="mso-bookmark:_Hlk12439619"><span style="mso-bookmark:_Hlk2078108"><span style="mso-bookmark:_Hlk62516129"><span style="font-size:13.0pt;font-family:"Avenir Next LT Pro",sans-serif"><o:p> </o:p></span></span></span></span></span></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" align="center" style="text-align:center"><span style="mso-bookmark:_Hlk506281730"><span style="mso-bookmark:_Hlk62516701"><span style="mso-bookmark:_Hlk12439619"><span style="mso-bookmark:_Hlk2078108"><span style="mso-bookmark:_Hlk62516129"><span style="font-size:13.0pt;font-family:"Avenir Next LT Pro",sans-serif">BOE
claims ‘Clearie’ for Creative and Original “I Voted” Stickers<o:p></o:p></span></span></span></span></span></span></p>
<span style="mso-bookmark:_Hlk62516129"></span>
<p class="MsoNoSpacing"><span style="mso-bookmark:_Hlk506281730"><span style="mso-bookmark:_Hlk62516701"><span style="mso-bookmark:_Hlk12439619"><span style="mso-bookmark:_Hlk2078108"><b><span style="font-size:12.0pt;font-family:"Avenir Next LT Pro",sans-serif"><o:p> </o:p></span></b></span></span></span></span></p>
<p class="MsoNoSpacing" style="line-height:150%"><span style="mso-bookmark:_Hlk506281730"><span style="mso-bookmark:_Hlk62516701"><span style="mso-bookmark:_Hlk12439619"><span style="mso-bookmark:_Hlk2078108"><b><span style="font-size:12.0pt;line-height:150%;font-family:"Avenir Next LT Pro",sans-serif">Durham,
N.C. –</span></b></span></span></span></span><b><span style="font-size:12.0pt;line-height:150%;font-family:"Avenir Next LT Pro",sans-serif">
</span></b><span style="font-size:12.0pt;line-height:150%;font-family:"Avenir Next LT Pro",sans-serif">On Thursday, April 21, 2022,<b>
</b>the Durham County Board of Elections was named a 2021 Clearinghouse Award winner, also known as the “Clearie” Awards, by the U.S. Election Assistance Commission (EAC). The BOE secured the award in the category of
</span><a href="https://www.eac.gov/election-officials/durham-county-board-elections-nc-2021-clearinghouse-award-winner"><span style="font-size:12.0pt;line-height:150%;font-family:"Avenir Next LT Pro",sans-serif">Creative and Original “I Voted” Stickers</span></a><span style="font-size:12.0pt;line-height:150%;font-family:"Avenir Next LT Pro",sans-serif">.<o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNoSpacing" style="line-height:150%"><span style="font-size:12.0pt;line-height:150%;font-family:"Avenir Next LT Pro",sans-serif"><o:p> </o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNoSpacing" style="line-height:150%"><span style="font-size:12.0pt;line-height:150%;font-family:"Avenir Next LT Pro",sans-serif">The Clearinghouse Awards, also known as the “Clearie” Awards, are presented annually across the U.S. for best practices
in election administration by the </span><a href="https://www.eac.gov/"><span style="font-size:12.0pt;line-height:150%;font-family:"Avenir Next LT Pro",sans-serif">EAC</span></a><span style="font-size:12.0pt;line-height:150%;font-family:"Avenir Next LT Pro",sans-serif">.
Established by the Help America Vote Act of 2002 (HAVA), the EAC is charged with serving as a clearinghouse for election administration information. To further this mission, the EAC launched the Clearies in 2016 to promote best practices in elections and celebrate
the accomplishments of election officials.<o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNoSpacing" style="line-height:150%"><span style="font-size:12.0pt;line-height:150%;font-family:"Avenir Next LT Pro",sans-serif"><o:p> </o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNoSpacing" style="line-height:150%"><span style="font-size:12.0pt;line-height:150%;font-family:"Avenir Next LT Pro",sans-serif">Durham County’s sticker was the winning entry in the Board of Election’s second biennial “I Voted” sticker design contest
for residents that was held in the summer of 2020. It features a bull surrounded by stars and the colors of the City of Durham flag with the text “No Bull I Voted.” The design was submitted by Mark Congiusta. Durham is known as the Bull City because of its
history with tobacco companies and a product from the late 1800s called “Bull Durham Tobacco.”<o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNoSpacing" style="line-height:150%"><span style="font-size:12.0pt;line-height:150%;font-family:"Avenir Next LT Pro",sans-serif"><o:p> </o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNoSpacing" style="line-height:150%"><span style="font-size:12.0pt;line-height:150%;font-family:"Avenir Next LT Pro",sans-serif">Judges remarked that “this sticker design encapsulates so much of what Durham represents, it was the clear winner out
of the final stickers. The artists of the top three sticker submissions received monetary prizes. In addition to a monetary prize, the winner received a custom plaque that is presented by the Durham County Board of Commissioners at an official meeting.”<o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNoSpacing" style="line-height:150%"><span style="font-size:12.0pt;line-height:150%;font-family:"Avenir Next LT Pro",sans-serif"><o:p> </o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNoSpacing" style="line-height:150%"><span style="font-size:12.0pt;line-height:150%;font-family:"Avenir Next LT Pro",sans-serif">“We are very excited to win our second Clearie from the United Stated Election Assistance Commission (EAC),” said Durham
County Board of Elections Director Derk Bowens. “We would like to thank our winning designer Mark Congiusta and all the staff, from the County to the City, that helped put this awesome contest together.”<o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNoSpacing" style="line-height:150%"><span style="font-size:12.0pt;line-height:150%;font-family:"Avenir Next LT Pro",sans-serif"><o:p> </o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNoSpacing" style="line-height:150%"><span style="font-size:12.0pt;line-height:150%;font-family:"Avenir Next LT Pro",sans-serif">This year’s award categories include: Outstanding Innovations in Elections, Improving Accessibility for Voters with
Disabilities, Best Practices in Recruiting, Retaining and Training Poll Workers, Creative and Original “I Voted” Sticker Design, Outstanding Innovation in Election Cybersecurity and Technology, Outstanding Use of HAVA Grants in Election Modernization, and
Outstanding Election Official Association Program.<o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNoSpacing" style="line-height:150%"><span style="font-size:12.0pt;line-height:150%;font-family:"Avenir Next LT Pro",sans-serif"><o:p> </o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNoSpacing" style="line-height:150%"><span style="font-size:12.0pt;line-height:150%;font-family:"Avenir Next LT Pro",sans-serif">Winners were selected by independent panels of election officials and members from the EAC’s advisory boards, with the
EAC Commissioners serving as judges for the sticker category.<o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNoSpacing" style="line-height:150%"><span style="font-size:12.0pt;line-height:150%;font-family:"Avenir Next LT Pro",sans-serif"><o:p> </o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNoSpacing" style="line-height:150%"><span style="font-size:12.0pt;line-height:150%;font-family:"Avenir Next LT Pro",sans-serif">This marks the second consecutive year that the Board of Elections has received a Clearinghouse Award. The BOE was a
winner in 2021 for Outstanding Innovations in Elections for the department’s Early Voting Wait Time Tracker used in the 2020 Primary and General Election. The innovative ESRI tool, created to help voters locate sites closest to them, view voting information,
view current site wait times, view bus routes, and get GPS directions through Google Maps, has two components: the wait time entry application that is added to each site cellphone and the website application where voters search for information using their
address.<o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNoSpacing" style="line-height:150%"><span style="font-size:12.0pt;line-height:150%;font-family:"Avenir Next LT Pro",sans-serif"><o:p> </o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNoSpacing" style="line-height:150%"><span style="font-size:12.0pt;line-height:150%;font-family:"Avenir Next LT Pro",sans-serif">“The Clearie Awards give the EAC an opportunity to recognize the hard work and dedication of election officials across
the country,” said EAC Chairman Thomas Hicks. “The recipients of these awards should be incredibly proud of the work they did to ensure the accuracy, security and accessibility of the 2021 election. Their innovative thinking, resourcefulness and creativity
are excellent examples for other election administrators to follow and learn from. On behalf of myself and my fellow Commissioners, I congratulate them on their outstanding work and look forward to seeing how their contributions continue to impact the administration
of elections for years to come.”<o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNoSpacing" style="line-height:150%"><span style="font-size:12.0pt;line-height:150%;font-family:"Avenir Next LT Pro",sans-serif"><o:p> </o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNoSpacing" style="line-height:150%"><span style="font-size:12.0pt;line-height:150%;font-family:"Avenir Next LT Pro",sans-serif">Now in its sixth year, the Clearie Awards recognize the innovative efforts of election officials across America. Entries
were judged based on each initiative’s depiction of positive results, innovation, sustainability, outreach efforts, cost-effectiveness, and replicability. More information about each awardee is available on the
</span><a href="https://www.eac.gov/election-officials/eac-clearinghouse-award-winners-2021"><span style="font-size:12.0pt;line-height:150%;font-family:"Avenir Next LT Pro",sans-serif">EAC’s website</span></a><span style="font-size:12.0pt;line-height:150%;font-family:"Avenir Next LT Pro",sans-serif">.<o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNoSpacing" style="line-height:150%"><span style="font-size:12.0pt;line-height:150%;font-family:"Avenir Next LT Pro",sans-serif"><o:p> </o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNoSpacing" style="line-height:150%"><span style="font-size:12.0pt;line-height:150%;font-family:"Avenir Next LT Pro",sans-serif">EAC Commissioner and 2021 Chairman, Donald Palmer said, “Despite ongoing challenges, election officials proved once
again that they are some of the greatest civic leaders our nation has to offer. Their adaptability and perseverance allowed millions of voters across the country to successfully cast their votes in the 2021 elections.”<o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNoSpacing" style="line-height:150%"><span style="font-size:12.0pt;line-height:150%;font-family:"Avenir Next LT Pro",sans-serif"><o:p> </o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNoSpacing" style="line-height:150%"><span style="font-size:12.0pt;line-height:150%;font-family:"Avenir Next LT Pro",sans-serif">If you are interested in the Durham County Board of Elections and upcoming elections, visit
</span><a href="http://www.dcovotes.com"><span style="font-size:12.0pt;line-height:150%;font-family:"Avenir Next LT Pro",sans-serif">www.dcovotes.com</span></a><span style="font-size:12.0pt;line-height:150%;font-family:"Avenir Next LT Pro",sans-serif"> or call
919-560-0700.<o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNoSpacing" style="line-height:150%"><span style="font-size:12.0pt;line-height:150%;font-family:"Avenir Next LT Pro",sans-serif"><o:p> </o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNoSpacing" align="center" style="text-align:center;line-height:150%">
<span style="font-size:12.0pt;line-height:150%;font-family:"Avenir Next LT Pro",sans-serif">###<o:p></o:p></span></p>
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