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State Elections Board selects Va. House district 92 for risk-limiting audit, sets Nov. 20 date
Summary
The Virginia State Board of Elections on Nov. 17 randomly selected House District 92 for a risk-limiting audit and generated a 20-digit seed by in-person dice rolls; the audit will begin Nov. 20 at 10 a.m. in participating localities, staff said.
The Virginia State Board of Elections on Nov. 17 selected House of Delegates District 92 for a risk-limiting audit and scheduled the audit to begin Thursday, Nov. 20, at 10 a.m., the board learned.
Department of Elections staff described the statutorily prescribed process and demonstrated it to the board: numbered discs in a tumbler determined the district and staff then rolled twenty 10-sided dice to create a 20-digit random seed to be entered into the RLA software that will generate the sample of ballots to be retrieved. "The 20 digit number generated by this activity will be inputted into the RLA software," staff said.
The board voted to adopt the random-draw process and the staff-generated seed. Local registrars in the selected localities will host the public retrieval meetings that comprise the RLA; staff asked interested parties to contact their local general registrar for the specific meeting locations and times. The board noted that Virginia conducts its audits prior to certification and that this is part of the three-step verification of results: precinct night counts, the locality canvass, and the state-level review prior to certification.
Why it matters: Risk-limiting audits are designed to provide statistical evidence that a reported election outcome is correct; the random seed and sample selection method are essential steps to ensure the audit is defensible and transparent. The RLA software uses the seed to choose the ballots that will be pulled and compared to the electronic record.
The board said it would post the date/time/location notices and that the RLA will be open to the public in participating localities. The board also reminded members that it will reconvene on Dec. 1 to certify the statewide general election results. "Please contact your local general registrar's office for more details as to the location of the RLA on November 20 starting at 10 a.m.," staff said.
The board's action followed staff's reading of the statutory authority for the RLA process as outlined in the meeting packet.
