Rule 1S-2.031 Recount Procedures

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Rule 1S-2.031Recount Procedures
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General Requirements

• Applies to machine and manual recounts of touch
  screen and optical scan ballots
• All procedures are open to the public
• Two members of the County Canvassing Board must
  be present at all times

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General Requirements

• Recounts are ordered by the board responsible for
  certifying the results of the election

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Machine Recounts

• Conducted when candidate eliminated or issue
  rejected by ½ of 1 or less of the votes cast
• Determination made based on 1st unofficial
  results due noon, Friday for primary and noon,
  Sunday for a general election
• Automatic unless the affected candidate requests
  in writing that recount not be conducted

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Machine Recounts

• Canvassing Board calling recount must notify
  affected candidates or committees
• Notification posted on public entrance to
  building of supervisors office

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Machine Recounts

• Touchscreen machines
• Produce printed vote totals for the affected race
  for each precinct and early voting site
• Compare total number of votes for the affected
  race with total number of voters who signed in to
  vote at each precinct or early voting site

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Machine Recounts

• Touchscreen machines
• Verify that the total votes taken from the
  printed vote totals for each precinct and early
  voting site are the same as the total votes shown
  from election night
• Resolve any discrepancies

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Machine Recounts

• Optical Scan machines
• Before recount, do LA test
• Put each ballot back through tabulator
• Change election parameters so only recounted race
  will be tabulated

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Machine Recounts

• Optical Scan Machines
• Sort overs and unders during machine recount, if
  possible
• Produce vote totals for only those race(s)
  involved in the recount
• Put sorted ballots into sealed container

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Machine Recounts

• Machine recount returns due 3 p.m. Sunday for a
  primary election and 3 p.m. Wednesday for a
  general election
• If not finished with machine recount by deadline,
  submit same returns as 1st unofficials
• Explanation of why recount wasnt finished
• Must go ahead and complete machine recount

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Manual Recounts

• Based on 2nd unofficial results (machine recount
  numbers)
• Conducted when candidate eliminated or issue
  rejected by ¼ of 1 or less of the votes cast
• Candidate between ½ and ¼ of 1 of votes can no
  longer request recount

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Manual Recounts

• Notice
• Candidates or committees entitled to
  representatives
• Newspaper of general circulation or post in four
  locations
• Media outlets

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Manual Recount

• Who Can Attend?
• Representatives of candidates
• Representatives of political committees
• Observers

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Manual Recounts

• Who can have representatives?
• Determine number of overvotes and undervotes
• Determine who could be affected
• Those are the people entitled to have
  representatives in the room

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Manual Recounts

• How Many Representatives?
• One per counting team and one for the county
  canvassing board
• If party candidate, political party is entitled
  to one representative

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Manual Recounts

• Security Procedures
• Canvassing board will supervise sorting of
  overvotes and undervotes
• Sorted ballots go into sealed container, if
  recount is not started immediately or if ballots
  are being transported

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Manual Recounts

• Security Procedures
• Sorted ballots are transported to the recount
  location by two members of the canvassing board
  and a sworn law enforcement officer
• Ballots thereafter guarded by sworn law
  enforcement officer

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Manual Recount

• Location must be large enough for
• Canvassing board
• Counting teams
• Representatives of candidates, political parties,
  committees
• Observers

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Manual Recounts

• Before the recount begins, go over rules

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Manual Recounts

• Touch screen machines
• Standards to determine whether there is a clear
  indication that the voter made a definite choice
• No overvote is determined by presence on the
  ballot image of a selection or an indication of
  an undervote no overvotes on touch screens
• Determination of undervote made from ballot image
  according to manufacturers indications

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Manual Recounts

• Touch screen recount procedures
• Order printing of one ballot image report from
  each machine recording undervotes for affected
  race
• Counting teams examine reports to identify and
  highlight undervotes and to determine if there is
  a clear indication that the voter made a definite
  choice

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Manual Recounts

• Touch screen recount procedures
• Objections must be based solely on departures
  from the procedures outlined in the rule
• All objections must be resolved by the county
  canvassing board

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Manual Recounts

• Touchscreen recounts
• Counting team to maintain running tally of
  undervotes by machine
• Team will compare to number of undervotes
  manually recounted to the number of undervotes
  reported by the voting system for each precinct

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Manual Recounts

• Touch screen recount procedures
• If comparison matches, counting team certifies to
  county canvassing board
• If discrepancy, counting team must retabulate

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Manual Recounts

• Touch screeen recount procedures
• If unable to resolve discrepancy, canvassing
  board will review the records produced by the
  voting system, may request software verification
  and may conduct necessary diagnostic tests
• 3 members of canvassing board must be present for
  any determination

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Manual Recounts

• Optical Scan Counting Team Procedures
• Counting team reviews ballots for clear
  indication of that voter has made a definite
  choice
• Counting team to put in stacks
• votes for each candidate or issue choice
• ballots with no clear indication
• ballots set aside for canvassing board
  determination

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Manual Recounts

• Optical Scan ballots
• County Canvassing Board Procedures
• Review each ballot set aside to determine whether
  there is a clear indication that the voter made a
  definite choice
• All three members must be present
• Determination by majority vote

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Manual Recounts

• Record of proceedings
• Audio or audio/video tape
• Minutes of the recount
• Within 2 weeks

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Manual Recounts

• Report to Division
• Following recount, examine ballots not allocated
  to any candidate
• If there are markings which the canvassing board
  believes indicated that the voter made a definite
  choice but that you did not count, notify the
  Division