Regardless of how and when you vote, the process of getting the ballot into the hands of the voter is more involved than you might think.
Anna Cloeter, Director of Elections for Roanoke County, says in each election, there’s a lot to do in a short amount of time, “Due to the condensed timeframe for candidate certifications, we have about a week to prepare and proof ballots for the upcoming presidential election."
Ballots may contain national, state, and local races, propositions and referenda. Coordinating all of these elements is a process which includes checks and double-checks to ensure accuracy and fairness in the voting process. It’s a job that must be finished and correct before early voting begins on September 20th.
Cloeter emphasizes the need for attention to detail, “Once voting starts, voting starts. So, you’ve got to get it right the first time!”
Ken Srpan is Chairman of the Roanoke County Electoral Board. He says one of the responsibilities of the board is distribution of the ballots.
Srpan explains, “If a particular precinct is told that they’re going to receive a thousand ballots, we make sure each precinct gets the amount that they’re supposed to get. When those ballots go to the precinct, they are again sealed in packages of one hundred, so when the ballot officer at the precinct opens one of those packages, they are required to count them to make sure there are, indeed, one hundred. If there are ninety-nine or a hundred-and-one, they have to let the chief officer know. We keep track of every ballot.”
From the ballots to the machines, Cloeter says all equipment used in the process must meet exacting standards, “All approved equipment have to undergo certain certifications. If a locality is looking to purchase new equipment, you can ask the state who the approved vendors are and you can pick from a very limited list. So, they all adhere to the same security standards. They might just be wrapped up in a little different package.”
Once ballots are printed and voting machines are in place, they’re put through rigorous testing known as “Logic and Accuracy” – or “L & A”.
Srpan describes the L&A process. “This is where we put hundreds, if sometimes thousands, of pre-marked ballots through the machines to make sure they work. And every possible scenario goes through. So, we mark one candidate, one candidate, one candidate - put that through. And then mark different candidates. Put ballots through with no candidates marked. Put ballots through with all candidates marked. So, to make sure that everything works and that the machines are accurate.”
Cloeter adds it’s an open process, “Political parties are notified of this and allowed to have one authorized representative present. So, it is overseen not only be a bipartisan electoral board, but by bipartisan party representatives.”
Early voting, which has grown in popularity, presents its own set of challenges. For example, those who vote early in-person could be from one of many precincts assigned to an early polling location.
Cloeter says, “We have ballot-on-demand printers. So, they’re set up to automatically print a ballot for that particular voter’s assigned precinct, which is one of the reasons it’s really important that we confirm that we’re checking in the right voter at the right address.”
Once you fill out your ballot, you feed it into the voting machine – which is programmed to pick up on any errors or possible discrepancies.
Srpan begins, “If you did not fill in the bubble correctly, it will come back out.”
Cloeter adds, “If your ballot comes back out, you need to look at the screen and the little slip of paper that will have been printed, because that will tell you what possible issue the machine detected with your ballot. When the light turns green, it means your vote was counted.”
Addresses for those who vote absentee are checked and verified throughout the year. It’s another laborious part of the process.
Cloeter tells what's involved, “We audit our permanent absentee ballot applications to make sure all the addresses stay up to date. If a voter moves within the county, we need to update the address that’s listed on their ballot. Before each November general election, we send out notices to everybody with a permanent absentee ballot on file to let them know this is what to do if you want to cancel your request. This is what you should expect if you don’t. And if you’re to change your mind and you want to vote in-person on Election Day, or in-person during early voting, you need to bring this ballot with you or you’ll have to vote provisionally.”
An image of each and every ballot is captured by the voting machines, but the physical paper ballot’s life is not over!
Cloeter assures, “Every election is fully backed on paper. And every ballot that has been voted in an election is sent to the courthouse for maintenance for a specified amount of time in case there is a recount or an audit. All Virginia elections, you’ve got the electronic record, and you’ve got the paper back-up to prove your elections are correct.”
Srpan reinforces, “And every precinct has to account for every ballot. So, if you’re issued a thousand ballots at the beginning of the day, you have to account for those thousand ballots whether they’ve been marked, whether they’ve been voided, destroyed somehow. You have to account for everyone.”
After the polls close on Election Day, the counting can begin.
This report, provided by Virginia Public Radio, was made possible with support from the Virginia Education Association.
