Intership and Canvassing of 2020 General Election Ballots Begins

Today, Jacquelyn began helping to slice open, canvass, and judge mail-in ballots at the Carroll County Board of Elections. There are many processes involved in canvassing, especially on the first day of canvassing. First, the ballots are removed from special blue rolling lockboxes and sorted into bundles of 25. The names of the voters who submitted the ballots in each bundle are cataloged electronically by the Board of Elections, and a title sheet listing the amount of ballots in each bundle and those which need to be reviewed are then recorded on the sheet. Then, the ballots are sliced open, either using a special machine or a letter-opener. The ballots and the bundles sliced open are then cataloged in a spreadsheet. The ballots are judged and reviewed afterwards, with 2 people, one member of each the Democratic and Republican Parties, sit at numerous tables and review the ballots, making sure no identifying markers of the voter are on the ballot itself and assuring a signature is on the front of the envelope. They also recount the ballots to make sure that the correct amount recorded at the beginning still remain in each bundle. Then, the ballots and envelopes are sorted out separately and bundled into two different bundles in a privacy folder. The ballots do not begin to be scanned until closing of polls on election day November 3rd. Email ballots must also be copied onto an official ballot at the Board of Elections before any of the previously mentioned processes can occur. At the end of the day, the reviewed ballots are put back into boxes by number and which bundles are located in which box is recorded in a spreadsheet. They are stored in a locked warehouse within the Board of Elections. Jacquelyn participated in these processes from 8-5:30 pm, also meeting and having conversations with many election judges. She was one of two young adults and youth participating in the canvassing process!