Chapter 5 — In-Person, In-Precinct Voting.

2.1. Placement of the Ballot Box/Tabulator.

Make sure the ballot box/tabulator is in full view and is placed so that it remains in full view while the polls are open.

If the ballot box/tabulator is not completely visible, or if the ballot box/tabulator is behind a barrier or in another room, then the poll watcher has the right to ask that the ballot box/tabulator be moved and all barriers be removed before the polls open.

If the barrier is not removed upon request, or if the ballot box/tabulator is not repositioned so that it is fully visible while the polls are open, then immediately contact your sponsor or the poll watcher team to get someone in front of a judge.

2.2. Make Sure the Ballot Box/Tabulator Is Empty.

Ask the election judge to open the ballot box or tabulator to make sure that it is empty and free of ballots.

On tabulators, there is a second receptacle with a shallow shelf. That is for ballots that are tabulated, but may jam before accepted. The tabulator will instruct the election judge to place the ballot in the slot (usually on the front of the tabulator).

Only ballots that are already counted are to go into this receptacle.

Before the polls open, ask the election judge to open this smaller receptacle to make sure it is empty.

2.3. Check the Counter on the Tabulator.

Make sure that the counter on the tabulator is set to zero (0).

2.4. Running a Tape On The Tabulator.

If your polling place uses a vote tabulator, an election judge will test the tabulator, usually by running a the tape of before the polls open.

The poll watcher is not allowed to touch the vote tabulator.

The poll watcher is allowed to read the printed results.

The poll watcher has the right to see the tape, read the results and, if necessary, have the results explained to the poll watcher.

Before the polls open, all results on the printed tape should be zero (0).

2.5. Witnessing the Signing of the Tape.

At the bottom of the tabulator tape, there is a section for the election judges to sign.

The poll watcher witnesses the signing.

The poll watcher should challenge any election judge who attempts to sign the tape but who was not in the polling place when the tape was run.

What the Poll Watcher Is Looking For.

Testing the Tabulator Before Election Day.

Note: The operational check of the tabulators before the polls open is not to be confused with public testing the tabulator. Public testing takes place before tabulators are delivered to the polling place. The public testing of tabulators assures that the tabulator is accurately tabulating votes.

Running a tape before the polls open, also is not a substitute for the public testing the tabulator.

See: Chapter 4, Public Testing Of The Election Equipment. opens in a new browser tab.