Author: Gary O. Bartlett, Executive Director
Previously the North Carolina Administrative Code contained ballot counting procedures for punch‐card voting equipment. Specifically 08 NCAC 04 .0207(e) stated, “If any ballot card is damaged or defective so that it cannot properly be counted by the automatic precinct counter, a true duplicate copy shall be made and substituted for the damaged ballot. All duplicate ballots shall be clearly labeled ‘duplicate,’ and shall bear a serial number which shall be recorded on the damaged or defective ballot.” When the SBE decertified all previous voting equipment in December 2005, the Administrative Code rules were rewritten and the procedure described above was eliminated.
Uniformed and Overseas Citizens Voting Act (UOCAVA) permits qualified voters to request, receive, and return absentee ballots electronically, including fax and email. Those ballots cannot be read by the vote tabulating equipment. Many county boards of elections receive large quantities of these ballots. Currently hand counted ballot totals must be manually entered into the Unity reporting system and data entry errors often occur on election night. The State Board of Elections met by teleconference this morning and has granted permission for county boards of elections to conduct a pilot program for duplicating these ballots for machine count rather than the traditional hand to eye manual count. These duplicated ballots from original electronically transmitted ballots would allow elections officials to read and tally with vote tabulation equipment the ballots and report in the Unity reporting system. In the event a recount is ordered the duplicate ballots would be counted along with other paper ballots.
- At each meeting pursuant to G.S. § 163‐230.1(c1) the CBE shall determine if absentee ballots received by the CBE need to be duplicated, stating the reasons (damaged or received electronically) and listing the names/absentee ballot number of the absentee voters in the minutes for that meeting. With oversight from the CBE, a bipartisan team shall be used to duplicate the original absentee ballots.
- Each original ballot shall be stamped or hand written with “Original.” The same Absentee Ballot Number contained on the original ballot shall be placed on the duplicate ballot that is stamped or contains hand written “Duplicate.”
- The bipartisan team will then remake the ballot creating a true duplicate copy. One team member will read all of the votes from the original ballot while another team member records the votes on the duplicate ballot; each of those team members may be observed by other members. If only two comprise the team, the team members shall verify the accuracy by changing roles and re‐reading the votes. The duplicate absentee ballots may be read into the tabulator pursuant to G.S. § 163‐234. CBE will maintain and report the duplicate absentee ballot returns as required by G.S. § 163‐132.5G.
- After the duplicates have been marked and verified, the original ballots shall be placed in an envelope labeled “Original Ballots Duplicated and Read into Tabulator MM/DD/YYYY,” and the envelope shall be sealed and signed by each member of the duplicating team. The duplicate ballot envelope will be secured with other absentee ballot materials and retained for same period as other election day materials.
For the initial pilot for the November 2012 general election a county board of elections wishing to participate shall adopt a plan for duplicating ballots that is submitted and approved by the State Board of Elections staff. The plan shall include the security steps taken to preserve the original ballots with other voted ballots for the same election. Please send your plan to veronica.degraffenreid@ncsbe.gov by the end of the business day on Friday, Oct. 19, 2012.
↓ Procedures for Counting Electronically Transmitted UOCAVA Ballots: Numbered Memo 2012-21 (PDF)