Subject: RE: kell's words of wisdom
To: AlKolwicz@xxxxxxxxx, Margitjo@xxxxxxx, info@xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx
A short summary of Nederland handcount.
Broad facts:
*** There were 3 election judges the entire time, 7am to 1am, or 18 hours, with polls open from 7-7 and then cleaning up, reconciling, handcounting, and completing report from about 7pm-1am. (Negligible time allocated to eat, go potty, etc.)
*** There were 597 ballots cast, including 29 absentee ballots delivered by the clerk in a locked box in the afternoon.
*** There were 2 races: mayoral race w/2 candidates; trustee race with about 8 candidates, and voters were to choose no more than 3 of them.
*** Paper ballots marked by pens.
*** Pollwatchers were there throughout, a very few earlier on, 8-10 during the entire counting process.
Counting procedure:
1) Divide 597 ballots into 3 roughly equal stacks and each election judge separates his/her respective stack into 3 separate stacks:one w/ all the top candidate's name marked, one w/ top candidates name not marked, and one final, 3rd stack if there is some question (e.g. overvote, coffee spill, etc.)
2) Decide on the question ones (only a couple whole night) and put in either the top candidate "marked" or "not marked" stack based on decision.
3) Swap seats, and each election judge goes through the "not marked" stack of a different election judge, double checking. Then put all "not marked" in a pile at end of table out of way.
4) Election judge on far left then takes "marked" stack and counts out 5 ballots, sliding along table to 2nd election judge, who counts them aloud in front of 3rd election judge. 3rd election judge marks a slash in the tally book (something like a teacher's gradebook made for the purpose) for each 5 votes. 2nd judge watches 3rd judge make the slash mark. Then another group of 5 counted out and passed down the table in the same way.
Every few minutes the tally election judge calls out the total # of votes up to that point so all the poll watchers, also watching carefully and tallying, can verify their count throughout the process. (All promised not to release any info prematurely.)
5) Repeat process for second from the top name on the ballot, and work way down the list to the bottom.
Brief Observations:
1) Poll watchers stood on other side of 6'x3' table during entire counting process, able to see each ballot and each mark on each ballot as easily as the judges. They were part of the process, even alerting us to errors, making occassional suggestions. (We examined and counted ballots in such a way that they could see everything about as easily as we could.) Highly transparent vote counting process.
2) 18 hours is an unacceptably long time for election judges to work, as people get careless and impatient at night after an already long day.
3) If it took 3 election judges at least 5 hours to count 2 races on 597 ballots, then how many judges would be needed to count 25 races on 100,000 ballots in x hours? Or whatever numbers; there could be a table already in existence somewhere.
This is the broad outline, so I might have left a bit out.
If anyone wishes to meet as a group I'd be happy to describe in greater detail. Or feel free to call me on the phone: 720.890.0735 (Al, I'm sure you'll want more info!) If I'm not home, just let me know a couple of times I'm likely to reach you. Thanks!
kell
alkolwicz <alkolwicz@xxxxxxxxx> wrote:
Good idea.
Al
From: Margitjo@xxxxxxx [mailto:Margitjo@xxxxxxx]
Sent: Saturday, April 10, 2004 2:35 PM
To: info@xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx
Subject: kell's words of wisdom
Maybe we could try to get Kell to tell us about his experience with hand counting in Nederland before Joe leaves town, and I could video it for people who couldn't come.
Margit
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