Q&A
Process for reviewing and incorporating absentee ballots in election results
2:06:22
·
115 sec
Council Member Restler asks about the process of reviewing absentee ballots and incorporating them into Ranked Choice Voting (RCV) totals. Michael Ryan provides a detailed explanation of the current procedures for handling absentee ballots.
- Absentee ballots are reviewed, sorted, and validated before election day
- Valid ballots are opened, separated from envelopes, and scanned at specific intervals
- Preliminary results on election night include early voting and pre-scanned absentee ballots
- The process allows for a significant number of votes to be reported quickly after polls close
Lincoln Restler
2:06:22
wanna ask about absentee ballots and RCV.
2:06:24
You indicated in your back and forth with council member Carr that
Michael Ryan
2:06:28
No.
2:06:29
He wants to be there 5 minutes ago.
Lincoln Restler
2:06:30
Signature verification.
2:06:32
It was on so I just wanted to clarify.
2:06:34
Your review the BOE is now reviewing the absentee ballots in advance.
2:06:38
Is that just on signature verification or are those ballots the absentee ballots that are submitted in advance of election day to the board Yes.
2:06:47
Incorporated in the immediate RCV totals that are coming in the first round of RCV totals that are coming out?
Michael Ryan
2:06:52
Yes.
2:06:52
So what what happens now is, the absentee ballots come in, and they have to be, you know, sorted the way they would have been post election.
2:07:01
And then they have to be reviewed, and then once the the envelope is determined to be valid on a from an external review, it's then opened.
2:07:12
The envelope goes one way, the ballot goes the other way, and and ultimately all of those ballots gets scanned, at specific intervals up until, I think, the Friday before election day, and then whatever comes in after that is done.
2:07:27
But when you see preliminary results on election night, like this past election, when you saw all those large numbers coming in right after 9 o'clock.
2:07:35
What you were seeing was early voting and all of the absentee ballots that were, canvassed and scanned timely before election day, and then whatever poll sites closed quickly and got their results, in.
2:07:52
So in that first 10 minutes, after on election night, you saw a big number of ballots come in because it dealt with the 1,100,000, early, mail ballots and and absentee early voting ballots.
2:08:06
And then, after that, included in that pile were also that that data, badge.
Lincoln Restler
2:08:15
That's helpful.
2:08:16
Thank you.
2:08:16
I've got a few more items for you, Mike, that I'll try to get through quickly before kicking it over to council member Brewer, and then we'll go back to Paul.
