* *** EXPRESSVOTE_CONSIDERATIONS TXT - 30 Sep 2023  19:23:01 - JGKNAUTH

The ExpressVote system replaces the AutoMARK system as the facility
disabled voters can use to print a ballot provided by the Help Table.
The ExpressVote is smaller and more durable than the AutoMARK.  However
ExpressVote ballots (sometimes called "cards") are different from the
regular ballots most voters receive -- different size and different
paper.  This causes some procedural changes.  Unfortunately, the BOE
Staff did not have time to write adequate ExpressVote documentation for
this election.  They are depending on the Chief Judges to do some things
that other Precinct Officials will be able to do in the 2024 elections.
By then the Staff will have written the needed documents and prepared
training material for all Precinct Officials.

Here is a summary of some ExpressVote considerations that we (mainly I)
will have to deal with in the 2023 election.

1) The ExpressVote is more complicated to set up and take down, e.g.,
   requiring the Chief Judge to enter a special code and otherwise do
   more work with Assistants than the AutoMARK required.  In this
   election, the only documentation for ExpressVote setup and takedown
   will be in the Chief Judge Pocket Guide

2) The Ballot Table Officials must now handle ExpressVote ballots in
   addition to regular ballots.  The Chief Judge is called over whenever
   a voter requests an ExpressVote ballot.  Then the BT Official writes
   our precinct number and the intended ballot style on the back of the
   ballot before giving it to the CJ.  The style is from the ATV just as
   if you were giving the voter a regular ballot of that style.  As
   usual, record that style on the ATV as the ballot style issued, then
   number and spindle the ATV.  The CJ will take the voter and ballot to
   the ExpressVote.

3) The Chief Judge must be the one to assist any voter using the
   ExpressVote.  Only the CJs will receive the ExpressVote "how to use"
   training.  There is no "how to use" documentation, in contrast to
   what was available with the AutoMARK.  This is a temporary situation,
   to be corrected for the 2024 elections.

4) As with the AutoMARK, the BOE allows ANY voter to use the
   ExpressVote.  This hasn't been a problem in the past; in the five
   polling places I have worked at, only disabled voters have asked to
   use the HAVA machine (formerly AutoMARK, now ExpressVote).  However
   if some non-disabled voters start to ask to use the HAVA machine, the
   limited number of available ExpressVote ballots could be a problem.

5) There is a special slot in the Tabulator for inserting ExpressVote
   ballots.  It's the small slot midway up the tray.  In recent past
   elections we covered that slot with an arrow sign to hide it.  The
   sign pointed voters to the visible, large slot at the base of the
   tray.  The intent was to prevent voters from seeing two slots and
   wondering which one to use; that had been the case before we started
   covering the small slot.  In those elections, there were only voters
   with regular ballots.

   In this election we may now also have voters with ExpressVote
   ballots.  However we'll continue to cover the small slot with a sign.
   Our Tabulator Monitor will watch for any voter with an ExpressVote
   ballot and point them to the small slot under the sign.  In fact
   ExpressVote ballots can also be put in the large slot, but they are
   more likely to go in at an angle and be kicked out for a retry.  It
   would be better to just direct ExpressVote voters to use the small
   slot designed for ExpressVote ballots.  There should be few, if any,
   such voters, so this shouldn't be a big problem.

6) When the voted ballots bin is full (1500 ballots) or at poll closing,
   we empty the bin and pack the ballots in boxes.  Starting with this
   election we are supposed to go thru all the ballots from the bin and
   sort out the ExpressVote ballots so they can be packed on top in one
   of the boxes.  From what I have seen, this does not look too easy.
   In past elections, only the Chief Judge and the two Judges were
   allowed to touch voted ballots.  If the ExpressVote sorting looks
   like it might take too much time, the BOE Staff now says other
   Precinct Officials can assist, under supervision of the Chief Judge.

   Fortunately there is an easy (somewhat hidden) way to query the
   Tabulator to see how many ExpressVote ballots it has counted up to
   that point.  Thus we will know how many to look for in the bin.
   Hopefully that count will almost always be 0, so no ExpressVote
   ballot search will be required in that case.

7) At poll closing, for reconciliation the Ballot Table Officials must
   account for all the ExpressVote ballots, almost like a new ballot
   style.  See my "Ballot Count Reconciliation" worksheet, which has
   been updated to cover ExpressVote:
   http://jgkhome.name/WakeBOE/Ballot_Count_Reconciliation_Template.htm
   Note that ExpressVote ballots come in packs of 25 vs the packs of 100
   for regular ballots.  The count of "left" ExpressVote ballots is
   combined with the number of "left" regular ballots of all styles to
   produce the total of all "left" ballots.  This "left" total is used
   to complete the Reconciliation Form as in previous elections.  See
   below.

8) [This item was updated on 9/2/23, based on new information provided
   at the 8/31/23 CJ class.  The Reconciliation Form has now been
   revised so the counts for regular ballots and ExpressVote ballots are
   no longer entered separately.  The sum is already provided by the
   Tabulator and that single number is entered on the form; this seems a
   lot more logical.  This also changes the Form's item letters back to
   what they were inprevious years.]

   The Tabulator tape provides the total number of ballots the Tabulator
   has counted, i.e., the sum of both regular and Expressvote ballots.
   To this is added the Emergency bin count to give the total number of
   voted ballots at the Tabulator.  As in prior elections, that should
   match the last ATV number.

   Then to this count of voted ballots we add the number of spoiled,
   provisional, and challenged ballots to produce the number of "used"
   ballots (fields I and K).  The number of "delivered" ballots (aka
   "ballots issued from the BOE", field J) includes all regular and
   ExpressVote ballots.  Finally we subtract "used" from "delivered" to
   produce "left", field L. The result should equal the "left" total
   reported by the Ballot Table (field M); see item above.  As in past
   elections, there may be a small discrepancy if the opened ballot
   packs did not contain exactly the expected number of ballots (regular
   = 100 and ExpressVote = 25).

   Thus all the calculations will be much like in previous elections.
   However we will now have two types of ballots to deal with, regular
   and ExpressVote, whose counts get combined early in the process.

9) [This item was updated on 9/30/23, based on new information provided
   by the BOE.]  There is a special orange box containing the unvoted
   ExpressVote ballots.  At poll closing this box will be sealed with a
   signed "Unvoted Ballots" label, just like the other boxes of unvoted
   ballots.  The orange box goes in the Chief Judge Supply bag, which is
   already VERY full in a large election.

Since this will be our first use of the ExpressVote system, we and the
BOE Staff will probably learn a lot to hopefully improve things for
future elections.


Jeff Knauth, Chief Judge for Precinct 19-19