1. INTAKE Mail ballot envelopes returned by voters are received by the Election Department for processing. Each is scanned and the signature on each envelope is captured.
2. SIGNATURE VERIFICATION The scanned signatures are reviewed by the Automatic Signature Recognition (ASR) program. Ballot envelopes with signatures that were not verified go to Manual Signature Verification, where bipartisan teams compare envelope signatures on file from the DMV or election registration forms.
3. SORTING & SEPARATING Mail ballot envelopes are sorted to separate envelopes with a verified signature from those without. Envelopes with signatures that were verified through ASR or Manual Signature Verification move on to Tray Inspection and then Central Counting Board. Envelopes missing a signature or with a signature that cannot be matched to our records go to the Signature Cure.
4. TRAY INSPECTION Tray Inspectors verify and audit trays of mail ballot envelopes with verified signatures. Audited ballot envelopes are logged and then brought to the Central Counting Board Area.
5. EXTRACTION AND INSPECTION The mail ballot envelopes are opened, flattened and visually inspected to ensure the mail ballot voting instructions were followed and the ballot can be read by tabulation scanners. If a ballot has been damaged or marked in a way that may prevent the vote from being read by a scanner, bipartisan teams do Ballot Duplication, or create a new physical ballot.
6. IMPRINTING Ballots are imprinted with a unique number used to conduct a post-election tabulation audit called a risk-limiting audit (RLA).
7. TABULATION Ballots are run through high-speed scanners that capture the selections made by voters. Any ballots that cannot be read by the scanner are logged and sent back to the Central Counting Board for duplication.
8. ADJUDICATION Ballots that require adjudication due to an apparent overvote or an ambiguous mark on the ballot go to bipartisan teams of adjudicators to be resolved.
9. BALLOT STORAGE After being scanned, ballots are put into boxes that are sealed and brought to a secure storage area. The sealed ballot boxes are retained for 22 months as required by law.
Click HERE to subscribe for free to the Weekly Fix, the digital edition of Las Vegas Weekly! Stay up to date with the latest on Las Vegas concerts, shows, restaurants, bars and more, sent directly to your inbox!