Getting Started
Assess, Estimate and Organize.
Start with an assessment team to answer key questions and do initial work on what a hand count could look like for your county. Expand the initial team to establish a committee to tackle planning and implementation.
Key questions
-
Currently county-wide voting or precinct only?
Currently hand marked paper ballots, moving to that or having to count the output of a ballot marking device?
Small or large number of voters, precincts, and or ballot styles, etc.?
Counting all ballots in the election (Early Vote, Ballots by Mail and Election Day) or only part?
-
Election Day (ED), Early Vote (EV), Ballots by Mail (BBM)?
Hand-marked paper ballots?
Standard Ballot by Mail ballots (absentee ballots) used for all voting?
Creating your own ballots? If so, will you use secure paper?
Do you have a paper source?
Who will print those ballots?
-
Election Day
If currently voting In precinct
Do you currently have polling locations in all precincts?
Do all existing polling locations have enough space for counting?
Currently voting County-wide?
Can you move to precinct only?
How many new polling locations need to be identified?
Do all existing polling locations have enough space for counting?
Early Voting & Ballots by Mail
Will you move EV & BBM ballots to their precinct to be counted? (Not an option in Texas per SOS).
How/when will ballots be delivered to a central counting location?
How will you track and ensure chain of custody?
Is there enough space at your county election office to hand count or will you need to find a central location?
How will late arriving (afternoon/evening of Election Day) Ballots by Mail be incorporated Will they be counted at the elections office or at the central counting location?
-
In Texas the counting of EV & BBM ballots may begin at 7am on election day. Counting of Election Day ballots may begin as soon as there are at least 10 ballots cast.
Will you count Election Day ballots over the course of the day, or will you wait until polls close?
Do your polling locations have enough space for the number of teams required to count all ballots after the close of the polls?
·When can the County Elections Office deliver EV & BBM ballots to your central counting location?
When will you begin counting EV & BBM ballots?
What is your plan for counting late arriving BBMs that may be received after the counting of EV & BBM ballots is complete?
Data to gather
Number of precincts
Number of ballot styles
Current register voters
Total ballots cast, registered voters and party split (for primaries) for the past 3 similar type elections
Total BBM, EV, and ED ballots cast in the most recent similar type election
BBM, EV and ED ballots cast per each precinct
Turnout Estimator
Download this Turnout Estimate tool to estimate expected volume of ballots.
You’ll need:
Total Ballots Cast, Registered Voters and party share (for estimating primaries) for previous similar type elections
Current Registered Voters
Use this tool enter multiple previous elections volume and registrations to develop a % increase to feed the Staffing Estimate tool.
Estimating
Staffing Estimator
Download this Hand Count Staffing Estimate tool to estimate hand counters needed.
You’ll need:
Total ballots cast for the previous similar election
Ballots cast BBM, EV, and ED
Enter a general % increase in volume of ballots or use the Turnout Estimate tool to develop a more precise estimate based on data from multiple elections.
Structuring The Team
Echo Hand Count Planning & Implementation Team Structure
The Key Activities/Roles above can be a single function, a single position or a full committee depending on the size and complexity of elections in your county and whether you chose to count all or part of the election.
Additionally, some of these activities could be completed or directed by the county election office depending on what is in your election services contract and the level of cooperation between the hand count implementation team and the elections office.