Thank you @Victoria33 --- I'm assuming that there are set rules also for counting mail-in votes? I'm reading that some precincts are asking for extended time to count these ballots and I see a lot of opportunity for fraud and corruption to take place.
@libertybele @Cyber LibertyYes, there are definite rules to evaluate mail-in ballots. All states have law rules for this and they are seldom very different. First, there is a difference between states as to the date mail ballots have to arrive at the central counting station.
Texas law says the ballots must be in by the last regular mail delivery on election day. Each county can start evaluating mail ballots any number of days before election day. I started our Board three days before election day; then on election day we evaluated the ballots that came in that day by regular mail. THERE IS AN EXCEPTION FOR MILITARY BALLOTS. They can come in three days after the election and be counted.
It is distressing that Penn. and a few other states, cannot evaluate a mail ballot until election night. These states need to change their law.
On TV, maybe that was yesterday, a reporter went into the area where a state was evaluating ballots. I watched that and it is the same system as we do in Texas.
Here it is:
There is an equal number of Democrats and Republicans working on ballots. A Judge is there to direct traffic and answer questions; that is what I did. Always a Dem and Rep together working on a ballot.
A group of people in one area, were looking at the envelope the ballot materials were in. If there was no signature on the back of the envelope, they were sent to another group of people. They did have a step here that Texas does not do. This second group tried to call the voter to tell him/her there is no signature and do they want to come there and sign it. If the voter does not want to do that, that ballot is not counted. The rejected envelopes are put in a rejected stack.
The next group to get the envelopes with a signature, compares that signature with the signature on the application for a ballot. If the two are the same, the envelope goes to another group. If the signatures do not match, the ballot is rejected and put in the rejected stack. Now, some states do not require an application as they send mail ballots to everyone, so the signature on the envelope is compared to their signature on their application to be a voter.
The accepted ballots in their Security Envelope goes to another group. They take the ballots out of the Security Envelope and put the accepted ballots in stacks. On election day, those accepted paper ballots plus early voting ballots if they use paper ballots, are sent to central counting to be put in machines and be counted.
The Judge of the Early Ballot Board or whatever they call that Board in that state, must have a list of voters and their addresses whose ballots were rejected and why they were rejected and Judge sends a letter to each voter telling voter why the ballot was rejected.
Let's go one step further:
Now the paper ballots from mail and paper ballots from early voting if they use paper ballots for that, go to the machines to be counted. The voter made a mark on the candidate they wanted. Wait, the machine just dumped one ballot out. Why? The voter marked two people for the same office. The machine dumped another one. Why? There is a hole in the paper. Another one is dumped. Why? The voter wrote down the candidates they wanted, did not make the mark. Paper ballots may have write-in candidates on it. Machine will kick it out.
All these ballots to go the "Resolution Committee". This is a group with an equal number or Democrats and Republicans. A Democrat and a Republican look at a ballot and try to "fix it" so the machine will accept it. Numerous times, they know what the voter wanted but the ballot itself is damaged and machine will not take it. A new ballot is prepared and the Judge of this committee signs the back of the new ballot so it is a legal ballot. The bad ballot is attached to the new one so the people at the machine know what to do and the bad ballot is kept in a special place for such ballots.
OK, finished this.
