Counting Absentee Ballots on June 9
Wednesday, May 27, 2020
With the deadline for receiving absentee ballots 5:00 pm on June 9, districts have asked about the timing of vote counts.
School districts are prohibited from counting absentee ballots prior to 5:00 pm on June 9. However, if school districts establish proper documentation (including marking of votes in the poll list or registration file) and chain of custody procedures, absentee ballot envelopes may be removed from return mailing envelopes prior to 5:00 pm on June 9. School districts might want to utilize election inspectors for this process.
School districts are required to begin counting absentee ballots immediately after 5:00 pm on June 9. However, in the event that a school district anticipates more ballots than could be reasonable counted on June 9, it is recommended that school districts develop plans for the process to resume the next day. These plans should include security of both counted and uncounted ballots, an established and documented chain of custody for the ballots, and time for the resumption of counting on June 10.
Counting of absentee ballots, while making considerations regarding social distancing, does not need to occur in a single room. However, any live streaming of the counting of ballots should include all areas in which counting occurs.
As always, consult your attorney if you have any questions.
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