Ballot Processing for Dummies
Folks, we need to get some basic terminology straight. Ballots and votes. You can count ballots AND you can count votes. They are not the same.
Ballots contain “ballot positions” which are votes.
There are standards for counting ballots.
There are DIFFERENT standards for counting votes.
Let’s break this down further and cover the major points.
52 USC 21081: Voting systems standards
You can read this federal code here.
In it, there is a section on Error Rates (screen shot below).
The Voting system standard issued by the FEC is located here. However, the link to the standard itself is broken on this page. You can find a link to the document referenced in Title 52 here.
FEC Voting System Standards
Section 3.2.5.1 addresses the topic of Ballot Handling, which is the ONLY point I want to cover in this article.
Remember the difference between Ballot and Votes? We are talking about BALLOT handling or BALLOT counting not VOTE counting.
In the FEC standard, central counting versus precinct counting are broken down with different acceptance criteria for accuracy. I am ONLY looking at BALLOT ACCURACY acceptance criteria in this article.
Central Counting
Here is the main point….there is NO acceptance criteria here with respect to a % or ratio of processed ballots versus non-processed ballots in central count. You can feed 100 ballots into the central count and have 50% of them JAM and still be in compliance with the FEC standard.
Precinct Counting
In terms of exception handling in the precinct, there is no reference to a level of accuracy in section 3.2.5.1.
However in section 3.2.5.2, there is reference to an allowable error rate of 2%. See below.
Let’s break this down a bit more. Section 3.2.5.2 is applicable to both central and precinct tabulators. Look at the TOC.
By my reading of this, the rate of tabulator rejection cannot exceed 2%. However, the wording is tricky. If a ballot meets vendor specifications…..then the tabulator cannot reject it at a rate of more than 2%.
However, what if a 19” ballot was “accidentally” printed on 20” paper? That ballot no longer meets the vendor specifications and therefore the 2% requirement would no longer apply. Do you agree?
That is my reading of the standard.
EAC Voting System Standards
Now let’s look at a related but different topic: EAC standards. There are two applicable documents, Volume 1 and Volume 2.
Let’s start with Volume 2 Section 3.3.1.d.
Now let’s go to Volume 1 sections 2 and 4.
Well, take my word for it, there is nothing in section 2 and 4 in Volume 1 that address any performance requirements for counting of ballots. There is a lot of other good “stuff” in Volume 1, but not related to the required ACCURACY of BALLOT counting.
I would recommend you read all the references posted here yourself.