Re: Questions for Reporters to Ask about Elections

[Neal McBurnett <neal@xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx>]

On Sat, Aug 23, 2008 at 08:56:09AM -0600, Mary Eberle wrote:
> I have done what I can with this list of questions for reporters.
> 
> Everyone is welcome to use the list, forward it, modify it in any way, etc.
> 
> Thanks to several people who made suggestions.
> 
> http://www.wheresthepaper.org/QuestionsForReportersAug22_08.htm
> 
> Teresa Hommel

Thanks for your work on this!

I have some suggestions for the questions about audits:

> a. Do you perform audits to get independent verification of the computers' election results?
> a. What auditing procedure did you use on these computerized machines?
> b. How many machines did you audit?
> c. Describe the specific steps you took during your audit to be sure that the count was correct?

I'd modify them this way, based on the work of a national team of
activists and statisticians that have been hammering out best
practices, moving away from auditing "machines" towards "risk-based"
audits of the entire election:

a. Do you perform audits to get independent verification of the election results?

[because we think that all election results should be audited, even if it was a
hand count to begin with - problems can creep in anywhere, including the
final summing procedures.]

b. Did your auditing procedure follow the Principles and Best Practices
 for Post-Election Audits 2008 (http://electionaudits.org/node/18)?
 If not, which principles did you not follow?
 Did you calculate the probability that your audit procedure would lead
 to a full recount whenever a full recount would show a different
 outcome?  What was that probability?

c. What auditing procedures did you use?

d. How many precincts (or other audit units) did you audit?

e. Describe the specific steps you took during your audit to be sure that the count was correct?

Cheers,

Neal McBurnett                 http://mcburnett.org/neal/