Legislative auditors: Ford County ballot counts reconciled but machine testing missed statutory windows

Legislative Post Audit reported that Ford County’s ballots for the 2024 general election reconciled with the number of voters who checked in, but auditors identified multiple procedural issues with provisional ballots and with the timing and scope of tabulation‑machine testing.

"We found that the number of votes cast matched the number of people who checked in to vote," Sam Dads, a senior auditor with Legislative Post Audit, told the committee. He also said two provisional voters did not sign the provisional poll book and that auditors found a voted provisional ballot "stuck in one of the bins inside the tabulation machine" that had not been sealed as required by state law.

The audit reviewed two limited topics requested by the committee: Ford County’s ballot reconciliation process and its tabulation‑machine testing for the 2024 general election. Auditors said they were able to reconcile ballots cast to voter check‑ins despite the provisional‑ballot signing and sealing issues, and they concluded the one unsealed ballot was likely counted; they did not do work to re‑test vote totals.

On tabulator testing…