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Albemarle County trains ballot officers on ballot counting, handling and end-of-day procedures
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Summary
The Albemarle County Department of Elections ran a training for ballot officers covering how to count and document ballot packs, manage spoiled and provisional ballots in envelope 4, use the ballot tally sheet and ballot record report, and use ExpressVote as an emergency option. The session emphasized careful counting, documentation and secure sealing of voted and unvoted ballot boxes.
An Albemarle County Department of Elections official led a training for ballot officers that reviewed step-by-step procedures to count, document and secure ballots during election day. The official said the Code of Virginia requires ‘‘we shall carefully count the ballots’’ and framed the ballot officer’s primary role as keeping close track of voted, unvoted, spoiled, provisional and returned absentee ballots.
The presentation outlined materials and set-up for the ballot table — two chairs, pens, a check-in slip collection bin, ballots to issue, the ballot tally sheet and, if space permits, a table behind the ballot table for envelope 4 and extra counted or uncounted ballots. The official advised that ballots typically arrive in DS300 ballot bins and are organized in shrink-wrapped packs of about 100 ballots each.
The trainer demonstrated counting method and recordkeeping: open a pack, count in tens, stack counts at right angles to minimize miscounts, and note the pack count on the ballot record report. For the final partial pack the officer records how many ballots were actually issued. Spoiled ballots are stored in envelope 4, marked ‘‘spoiled,’’ and tracked with tick marks in bundles of five; provisional ballots are likewise tick-marked and included in the report attached to statement of results no. 1.
The session recommended using the ballot tally sheet to track hourly issuance so chiefs can quickly reconcile counts; otherwise officers must reconstruct counts from the ballot record report and remaining packs. The trainer reviewed voter flow at the ballot table: collect the check-in slip, place it in the container, mark the tally sheet, provide pen and ballot, direct the voter to the marking booths, and repeat.
Presenters warned about running out of ballots and advised precincts to call the registrar early if usage suggests a shortage; the registrar can print more ballots though not instantly. As an emergency measure, ExpressVote ballots can be used so that voters may still cast ballots — "ExpressVote enables every voter to vote," the official said — and while it is primarily used for ADA access, it may be used by any voter in a pinch.
After polls close, the DS300 should generate reports, the voted ballots are removed, stacked and placed in voted-ballot boxes that receive a 3A label, inventory label and three signature labels. The trainer noted the count for boxes can come either from the DS300 or from the ballot tally sheet, but officers must subtract provisional and recycled spoiled ballots that are not in that counted set. Unvoted ballot packs should remain in their shrink-wrap; unused ExpressVote blanks are not treated as ballots and should be returned in their envelope for future use rather than included in the unvoted-ballot box.
The official closed by reiterating that a good ballot officer "controls their ballots," knows how many have been issued and why, trains colleagues, and never hurries at the expense of accuracy. The training offered practical checks and record-keeping steps intended to reduce end-of-day reconciliation problems and preserve ballot chain-of-custody.
