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Canvass board reports 406 ballots counted, two rejected; turnout 23%
Summary
The city canvass board completed its countable canvass, reporting two rejected ballots and 406 total ballots counted — a 23% turnout (406 of 763). Officials described the batch-by-batch counting process and said the city clerk will prepare the official certificate of results.
The canvass board finished a city election canvass and reported 406 ballots were counted and two ballots were rejected, representing 23% turnout of 763 registered voters, the board said during the session.
The chair opened the session with step-by-step instructions for counting and reconciliation, describing roles for an announcer, an observer and two independent tally persons. “The announcer takes one pack of 25 ballots and one by one removes each ballot from the secrecy sleeve in full view of the observer,” the chair said, describing the process the board used to preserve transparency and permit cross-checking.
Why it matters: The board’s detailed procedures — reading votes aloud, working in 25-ballot batches, and requiring independent tallies and a pen-color change on the second batch — are intended to reduce counting errors and provide a clear audit trail for the election certificate the city clerk will prepare.
How the count worked
Board members followed an explicit sequence: the announcer read each ballot aloud in public view; two tally persons recorded counts on separate sheets and were not permitted to consult one another; when both tally persons called “tally” simultaneously, that signaled agreement on a subtotal. If the tally sheets disagreed, the observer returned the stack to the announcer and the batch was recounted until the discrepancy was resolved.
The canvass team also recorded rejected ballots and categorized counted ballots by method. The announcer reported two rejected ballots and gave a breakdown the board discussed — including 76 absentee in-person ballots, four absentee-by-mail ballots and nine special-needs ballots in the counted categories — which together produced the 406 counted ballots the board confirmed.
The chair said the results and supporting counts would be provided to the city clerk so the clerk can prepare the official certificate of election results, which must record the numbers of ballots counted, the number rejected and the stated reasons for rejection. The chair also directed canvass members to sign tally sheets and related certificates before placing forms in the envelopes provided by the clerk; the chair reminded members not to seal those envelopes until instructed.
The board completed its administrative closing, asked members to finish timesheets and power down electronics after placing documents in the marked boxes.
