Hand counting

[Evan Daniel Ravitz <evan@xxxxxxxx>]

While those "hundreds of pages" of specs for our voting systems may be 
a gold mine for Hart Anti-Civic and bureaucrats, in comparison with 
the Colorado law regarding hand-counts, they show just how inferior 
computers are compared to people. Here is the whole of the Colorado 
law:


http://198.187.128.12/colorado/lpext.dll?f=templates&fn=fs-main.htm&2.0

Colorado Revised Statute

1-7-307. Method of counting paper ballots.

Statute text

(1) The election judges shall first count the number of ballots in the 
box. If the ballots are found to exceed the number of names entered on 
each of the pollbooks, the election judges shall then examine the 
official endorsements. If, in the unanimous opinion of the judges, any 
of the ballots in excess of the number on the pollbooks are deemed not 
to bear the proper official endorsement, they shall be put into a 
separate pile and into a separate record, and a return of the votes in 
those ballots shall be made under the heading "excess ballots". When 
the ballots and the pollbooks agree, the judges shall proceed to count 
the votes.

(2) Each ballot shall be read and counted separately. Every name and 
all names of joint candidates separately marked as voted for on the 
ballot shall be read and an entry made on each of two accounting forms 
before any other ballot is counted. The entire number of ballots, 
excepting "excess ballots", shall be read, counted, and placed on the 
accounting forms in like manner. When all of the ballots, except 
"excess ballots", have been counted, the election judges shall post 
the votes from the accounting forms.

(3) When all the votes have been read and counted, the ballots shall 
be returned to the ballot box, the opening shall be carefully sealed, 
and the election judges shall place their initials on the seal. The 
cover shall then be locked and the ballot box delivered to the 
designated election official, as provided in section 1-7-701.

(4) All persons, except election judges and watchers, shall be
excluded from the place where the ballot counting is being held
until the count has been completed.

History
Source: L. 92: Entire article R&RE, p. 741,  9, effective January
1, 1993. L. 93: (1) amended, p. 1421,  75, effective July 1.

There's more on the website, including relevant court decisions.

Evan Ravitz
1130 11th St. #3
Boulder CO 80302
(303)440-6838