Absentee Ballots

[lsanderson]

If the entire state of Minnesota can count all of the absentee ballots at the precinct on election day, is there some reason why other states can't? Do we need to start sending ethnic Scandinavians and Germans out to other states to help them clean up their elections? Or is there Just No Hope? Are we just one state surrounded by a sea of Banana Republics?

Comments

[minnehaha.livejournal.com]

Minnesota's method is designed to make the counting of absantee ballots easy; they just flow into the normal system. Many other states don't have election systems anywhere near as well designed.

Of course, we've got our own problems.

B

The recount

[lsanderson.livejournal.com]

Is manual.

The inside story is that the most used read-heads (ballot top up and front feed) are wearing out. On second thought, I'm not sure if that's likely -- the machine would have to only trigger the required read heads instead of the other three sets. The wear to the read heads would be the same regardless.

The machines are tested publicly before the election, but I doubt that a large number of ballots are used in the test.

Last year (or possibly the year before) I participated in the team that spot checks the Minneapolis election. We hand-counted specific races according to directions from the Sec of State. Out of a full day of counting different races in different wards & precincts, we differed from the machine by one vote on one race at the end of the day. Each election and year does make the machines one more election/year older too.

[davidschroth.livejournal.com]

Are we just one state surrounded by a sea of Banana Republics?

And here I thought it was because Minnesota was the Lost/Strayed Canadian Province...

Do You Think...

[lsanderson.livejournal.com]

We can get 'em to take us back then?

Re: Do You Think...

[davidschroth.livejournal.com]

Probably not - we probably count as (too-)damaged goods, now...

Re: Do You Think...

[mizzlaurajean.livejournal.com]

Who do they use to recount all the ballots by hand?

I heard it will take hundreds of people.

Might be a good short term job for me.

Re: Do You Think...

[lsanderson.livejournal.com]

Oddly enough, election judges.

Re: Do You Think...

[mizzlaurajean.livejournal.com]

Ya but do they call us or should we jump up and down and say "pick me pick me I want to count?"

Re: Do You Think...

[minnehaha.livejournal.com]

Brit is up in Grant County getting some training about it. EMAIL HER!!

K.

[yarram.livejournal.com]

...did you notice something else in the article: It looks like Alaska has elected a convicted felon into the Senate?

Le Whoops™.

Wot?

[lsanderson.livejournal.com]

Wot do you expect from a state with an air-headed clothes horse as governor?

[erikvolson.livejournal.com]

Absentee != Provisional.

Provisional ballots often are not counted, if they don't have the ability to change the outcome, because each one needs to be ruled on. Properly filled and filed absentee ballots are valid ballots, but properly filled out and filed provisional ballots are *not* automatically such. So, if the margin is 2000 votes and you have 1000 provisionals, they'll just give up because the vote is certain.

NC declared because the remaining provisionals can't change the outcome. MO hasn't declared because they can, and there are a lot of them that need to be tested, and then if found valid, counted. Many of these are from the STL mess, so it's going to be a while.

As to MN? That Senate Recount starts when?

Wot is this Provisional Ballot?

[lsanderson.livejournal.com]

We got none. We register voters.

We gonna recount? No idea when.