【《We Chinese in America》Media Editor Tang Zhao, November 9, 2022】Pern election night, we all want to know the results right away, but counting ballots takes time. Here are some reasons why:
- Over 1.9 million registered voters.
- Every active registered voter received a ballot in the mail.
- Mail ballots can be counted if postmarked on or before Election Day and received up to 7 days after.
- Those not registered can conditionally register and vote provisionally up until Election Day.
So, what can you expect on election night?
The first set of unofficial election night results comes in shortly after 8 p.m. This will include mail ballots received before Election Day and vote center ballots from early voting between Oct. 29 – Nov. 7.
For the latest results update on election night, you can visit sdvote.com or follow the Registrar’s office on Twitter.
After the first unofficial report, election night updates will include vote center ballots cast on Election Day only. There will be no more updates to mail ballots on election night.
The Election Day ballots come in after the vote centers close at 8 p.m. There will be a gap in time for the next set of results due to poll workers packing up supplies and driving in from the county’s 218 vote centers.
Upon arrival to the Registrar’s office, the vote center ballots will be scanned, and results will be periodically updated until all of the vote center ballots have been counted.
Since there are fewer vote center locations compared to the traditional polling place model, the Registrar’s office expects to provide less frequent result updates.
The final unofficial election night results may not come in until midnight or 1 a.m. and will only cover the ballots that could be counted immediately. The counting of ballots does not end election night.
What’s left to count?
Mail ballots. The Registrar’s office mailed over 1.9 million ballots for this election and a portion of those were dropped off at vote centers, official ballot drop box locations, or picked up by the U.S. Postal Service on Election Day. Mail ballots sent right before or on Nov. 8 have seven days to arrive if postmarked by Election Day.
Then there are provisional ballots. People who missed the Oct. 24 registration deadline may conditionally register and vote provisionally in person up to and on Election Day.
Once their voter registration is processed and the Registrar’s offices confirms the voter did not vote elsewhere in the state, the voter registration becomes active, and the provisional ballot is counted.
After election night, the next release of unofficial results is scheduled to be posted by 5 p.m. on Thursday, Nov. 10. Additional updates will occur at the discretion of the Registrar of Voters. The Registrar’s office will be closed on Thursday, Nov. 24 and Friday, Nov. 25 in observance of Thanksgiving.
However, the results must be certified by Dec. 8, and the Registrar expects to use the full certification period to make sure the results are accurate. All updates will be posted on sdvote.com with the final certified results posted on Dec. 8.
For more information, visit sdvote.com or call (858) 565-5800.
【《We Chinese in America》Media Editor Tang Zhao, November 8, 2022】As an ongoing effort to enhance our valuable service to We Chinese in America website readers, We Chinese in America website posts English and Chinese versions of “IRS News Release” ， “IRS Fact Sheets”， and “tax tips” directly received from IRS Media Relations Office in Washington, D.C.. We are pleased to take on this important role partnering with IRS to better inform the public.
Treasury and IRS expand program for approving certain retirement plans
WASHINGTON — The Treasury Department and Internal Revenue Service today announced the expansion of one of their programs for approving retirement plans. The IRS will now allow 403(b) retirement plans, which are used by certain public schools, churches and charities, to use the same individually designed retirement plan determination letter program currently used by qualified retirement plans.
Revenue Procedure 2022-40 details this expansion and includes other changes affecting individually designed retirement plans.
Highlights of these changes:
Revenue Procedure 2022-40 contains the following notable additions for 403(b) retirement plans:
- Expansion for initial plan determination – Beginning June 1, 2023, 403(b) retirement plan sponsors may submit determination letter applications for all initial individually designed retirement plans based on the sponsor’s Employer Identification Numbers. (For further details, see section 12 of Revenue Procedure 2022-40.)
- Terminations – Beginning June 1, 2023, 403(b) retirement plan sponsors may also request a determination letter upon plan termination on a Form 5310, Application for Determination for Terminating Plan, or at any time thereafter without regard to their EIN.
Notable changes to procedures for submitting and processing individually designed retirement plans include:
- Prior letter issued to a Pre-approved Plan adopter not treated as an initial plan determination – A determination letter issued to an adopter of a pre-approved retirement plan as a result of filing a Form 5307, Application for Determination for Adopters of Modified Volume Submitter Plans, is no longer considered in determining whether a plan sponsor is eligible to submit that plan for a determination letter for an initial plan determination on a Form 5300, Application for Determination for Employee Benefit Plan.
- Scope of review – IRS generally will consider in its review qualification requirements and section 403(b) requirements that are in effect, or that have been included on a Required Amendments List, on or before the last day of the second calendar year preceding the year in which the determination letter application is submitted, subject to any specified modifications on the annual Employee Plans revenue procedure that provides the administrative and procedural rules for submitting determination letter applications, currently Revenue Procedure 2022-4.
These rules will apply to submissions of all individually designed retirement plans.
Revenue Procedure 2023-4, currently in development, will be released in the near future and will contain additional changes to procedural requirements for plan submissions, such as phasing-in mandatory e-submission of determination letter requests. Forms 5300 and 5310 will also be updated to reflect these changes.
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Media Contact: 202 317 4000
Public Contact: 800 829 1040
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【《We Chinese in America》Media Editor Tang Zhao, November 6, 2022】As an ongoing effort to enhance our valuable service to We Chinese in America website readers, We Chinese in America website posts English and Chinese versions of “IRS News Release” ， “IRS Fact Sheets”， and “tax tips” directly received from IRS Media Relations Office in Washington, D.C.. We are pleased to take on this important role partnering with IRS to better inform the public.
IRS Independent Office of Appeals’ priorities for 2023 focus on taxpayer service
IR-2022-195, Nov. 4, 2022
WASHINGTON – Today, the IRS Independent Office of Appeals released its focus guide for fiscal year 2023. Appeals is taking important steps to expand communications with external stakeholders and to improve taxpayer access to Appeals. Promoting transparency and taxpayer access helps Appeals fulfill its mission to resolve tax disputes in a fair and impartial manner without the need for litigation.
The focus guide outlines the taxpayer service initiatives you can expect over the coming year, including:
- Increasing stakeholder outreach – including to historically marginalized and limited English proficient communities – about the appeals process
- Improving access to in-person and video conferences and revising letters and notices to ensure taxpayers understand that it is generally their choice how to meet with Appeals
- Leveraging technology to improve how Appeals works and manages its cases
- Continuing the Practitioner Perspectives series in which tax practitioners share insights and feedback with Appeals employees. Recordings of prior panel discussions on Collection Appeals and Examination Appeals are available
- Developing training for Appeals employees on enhancing customer engagement
“We are excited to share Appeals’ 2023 priorities,” said Andy Keyso, Chief of Appeals. “We will keep doing all we can to promote a positive experience for taxpayers and practitioners, while building upon our past accomplishments and applying lessons we learned from the challenges posed by COVID-19.”
A key success in 2022 is how Appeals addressed a significant increase in cases referred for settlement after the taxpayer filed a petition in the United States Tax Court. Many of these cases involved taxpayers without legal representation and resulted from communications challenges and difficulties in obtaining and sharing documents during the pandemic.
To avoid further delays, Appeals prioritized these docketed cases and dedicated additional resources to promptly resolve them. Appeals shared guidelines for how employees would streamline their approach to these cases with the public in April 2022. Under these guidelines, Appeals attempted to reach affected taxpayers by telephone shortly after receiving the cases. In addition, Appeals considered specific-dollar settlements, expedited tax computation, and streamlined internal documentation of proposed settlements. As always, Appeals Officers applied their professional judgment, including to accept oral testimony where appropriate, to settle the cases efficiently.
Using this approach, Appeals resolved all 7,500 docketed cases pending when the initiative began. To achieve permanent improvements to the taxpayer experience, the IRS is working to increase the number of cases resolved at the earliest stage possible—before a dispute arises.
“Ensuring that taxpayers and practitioners are satisfied with the appeals process is an ongoing goal for us,” said Shahid Babar, Acting Deputy Chief of Appeals. “The 2023 focus guide is a way to share with the public and with employees our ideas for continually improving how Appeals resolves tax disputes.”
Source: IRS News Release
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Media Contact: 202 317 4000
Public Contact: 800 829 1040
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【《We Chinese in America》Media Editor Tang Zhao, November 7, 2022】Highlights of activities at Timken Museum of Art
(Source: Timken Museum)
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【《We Chinese in America》Media Editor Tang Zhao, November 5, 2022】he COVID-19 virus continues to circulate in San Diego County and all people are urged to be vaccinated and receive the updated booster. Information on the virus and vaccine is available at this link.(Photo credit: County of San Diego Communications Office).
Following is this week’s COVID-19 update from the County Health and Human Services Agency with data through October 29, 2022.
Vaccination Progress:
- More than 2.68 million or 80.3% of San Diegans received the primary series of one of the approved COVID-19 vaccines.
- Boosters administered: 1,485,461 or 59.6% of 2,490,433 eligible San Diegans.
- More vaccination information can be found at coronavirus-sd.com/vaccine.
Deaths:
- Eight additional deaths were reported since the last report on Oct. 27, 2022. The region’s total is 5,532.
- Of the eight additional deaths, four were women and four were men. They died between Oct. 12, 2022 and Oct. 21, 2022.
- Four of the people who died were 80 years or older, two were in their 70s and two were in their 60s.
- Five received at least the primary series of the vaccine and three had not.
- All had underlying medical conditions.
Cases, Case Rates and Testing:
- 1,702 COVID-19 cases were reported to the County in the past seven days (Oct. 25 to Oct. 31, 2022). The region’s total is now 931,279.
- The 1,702 cases reported in the past week were slightly higher compared to the 1,569 infections identified the previous week (Oct. 18 to Oct. 24, 2022).
- 5,650 tests were reported to the County on Oct. 29, and the percentage of new positive cases was 4.2% (Data through Oct. 29).
- The 14-day rolling percentage of positive cases, among tests reported through Oct. 29, is 3.7%.
(Source: County of San Diego Communications Office)
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