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Oakland canvassing board approves independent post‑election audit and affirms mail‑ballot procedures
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Summary
The Town of Oakland canvassing board voted to authorize an independent ClearBallot audit for the March 10, 2026 post‑election audit and approved routine vote‑by‑mail oversight and duplication processing procedures, citing state approval and faster processing times.
The Town of Oakland canvassing board voted Jan. 13 to approve the use of an independent post‑election audit system for the March 10, 2026 audit and to reaffirm routine vote‑by‑mail oversight and damaged‑ballot duplication procedures.
An unnamed presenter for the canvassing board told members the independent option — referred to in the meeting as a ClearBallot-style audit — creates “high resolution backup for all ballot images,” increases transparency and “reduces the audit time by over 90%.” The presenter said the Florida Division of Elections approved the use of the ClearBallot audit system in June 2023. “This is the first time this town has had the opportunity to choose anything besides a manual audit,” the presenter said.
Board members asked how the system works and whether ballots would be re‑run if a contest arises. The presenter said the independent audit is run on the Friday after an election, when ballots are processed through the audit software; state law requires an audit to be performed. After discussion, an approval motion to use the independent audit for the 03/10/2026 audit at the supervisor of elections office was made and approved by voice vote.
The board also confirmed standard vote‑by‑mail oversight: one town representative must be present at the Orange County Elections Office at 9:00 a.m. on election day to witness processing, the canvassing board reconvenes at 3:00 p.m., and the board meets again at 7:00 p.m. after polls close to address any provisional ballots or discrepancies. The board approved the vote‑by‑mail process by motion and voice vote.
Finally, the canvassing board approved a routine duplication process for damaged vote‑by‑mail ballots: election staff will duplicate any ballot that cannot be processed by the tabulator, run the duplicate through the tabulator, and present the duplication to the canvassing board for verification before the duplicate is counted. That motion was approved by voice vote.
All actions in the meeting were taken by voice vote and recorded as approved; the meeting adjourned at 6:40 p.m.
What’s next: The independent audit is scheduled for March 10, 2026, at the supervisor of elections office. The town did not provide additional technical documentation about the ClearBallot system or a written audit procedure during the meeting.
