Chapter Four — Public Testing Of The Election Equipment
B. Testing Electronic Voting Equipment
1. What The Witness Is Looking For
- 1. You are there to see that all the election machines accurately count the sample ballots.
- 2. You are also there to see that, once testing is completed, that the counter is set to zero.
- 3. You are there to document the serial number or ID number of the equipment and the location where the equipment will be in service.
- 4. You are there to witness the electronic voting equipment being sealed and you will note the number of the seal.
Why Document the Serial Number?
So that voting equipment that has not been tested or has failed the test does not end up in a polling place.
Recording the equipment serial number is also the beginning of creating a database of the serial number and seal number that the poll watchers will check against the equipment before the polls open and again after the polls close.
2. Removing Electronic Voting Equipment From Service By Objection
If electronic voting equipment fails its public test, the witness, the poll watcher or the poll watcher team has two days after the public test to object to the election authority and to have the equipment removed from service until it can pass a public test.
If electronic voting equipment has not been publicly tested, then it has not been "found to be in perfect working order", the poll watcher can object to the equipment and have it removed from service until it can pass a public test. The equipment can be replaced by other electronic voting equipment that has been publicly tested and passed.
If the counter of the voting equipment is not set to zero and the election judge is unable to reset the electronic voting equipment, the poll watcher can object to the equipment and have it removed from service until such time that If any registering counter shall be found not to be set at zero (0), the precinct election officials shall immediately notify the custodian or officer or officers or board having charge of the preparation of the voting machines for the election or primary, and the election authority or person authorized by him or them or it shall adjust such registering counter or counters to zero (0), in the presence of all the precinct election officials and watchers serving in such election district..
Objecting
The objection must include the serial number (I told you it would be important) or the number used by the election authority to identify specific machines.
The objection must include the basis for the objection.
Locking the Electronic Voting Equipment Under Objection
The machine shall then be locked so that it cannot be operated or voted upon without first unlocking it and the keys shall be at once returned to the custody of the election authority, and the election authority shall cause the machine so labeled in order, set and adjusted, to be delivered at the polling place, together with all necessary furniture and appliances that go with the same, not later than one hour before the hour at which the polls are to be opened.