Receipt and
Processing of Federal Write-in Ballots:
As discussed in the edition of
the Election News released on October 10, 2008 (Issue No. 62),
the
Federal Write-In Absentee Ballot (FWAB) is a special write-in ballot which can
be used to vote for federal offices only. The form is provided and
distributed by the federal government for use by 1) members of the military
(including their spouses and dependents) who are inside or outside the
United States and 2) U.S. citizens who are outside the United States.
Preparing FWAB's
for Tabulation: In
each case, the voter's name is entered in the "List of Voters" section of the
Poll Book along with all other voters followed by "FWAB." It is recommended
that the votes cast on each FWAB be transferred to an optical scan ballot. If
the absentee ballots are counted in the precinct, this work may not be
performed until after the close of the polls. If the absentee ballots are
counted in an absent voter counting board precinct, this work may be performed
at any point throughout Election Day.
As
always, it is important that the processing of all FWAB's be carried out in a
manner that will ensure the secrecy of each ballot cast. For this reason, all
accompanying materials that could be used to identify the voter of the ballot
must be removed before any votes are exposed. To further protect the secrecy
of each ballot, if possible, FWAB's should always be processed in multiples.
Similar
to the ballot "duplication" process, the transferring of votes from each FWAB
to a blank optical scan ballot must be performed by two election inspectors
representing different political parties as follows: 1) record a number at the
top of each FWAB 2) record a corresponding number at the top of each blank
optical scan ballot 3) inspector one calls the votes from the FWAB while
inspector two records the votes on the duplicate 4) both inspectors switch
places and verify the accuracy of their work and 5) tabulate the duplicate.
(NOTE: The serial number of the optical scan ballot used to create the
duplicate ballot is not recorded.)
Straight Party Section
Votes Not Allowed:
As noted above, the FWAB may only be used to cast votes for the federal
offices on the ballot. Therefore, when transferring votes from the FWAB to
the duplicate optical scan ballot, it is important that no votes be recorded
in the "Straight Party" section of the ballot. Recording a vote in the
straight party section will result in a vote being cast for all candidates of
the political party for all partisan offices on the ballot. As noted
below, if the FWAB reflects the name of a single political party, the
duplicate ballot must be marked to reflect a vote for each candidate who is
seeking election to a federal office under the political party listed.
·
For the November 4 general election, the FWAB can only be used to vote for the
federal offices on the ballot (U.S. President, U.S. Senator and U.S.
Representative); it cannot be used to vote for any other offices or on
proposals.
· A
voter using an FWAB can cast a vote for a candidate seeking a federal office
at the election by writing in the candidate's name or political party.
If the voter writes in the name of a political party, a vote is recorded for
each candidate seeking a federal office under the indicated party's vignette.
· A
voter is not required to mark a cross or a checkmark on the FWAB.
· Federal
law provides that abbreviations, misspellings or other minor variations in a
candidate's name or the name of a political party must be disregarded when
determining the validity of the vote cast if the voter's intention can be
determined.
Questions? Please
contact the Bureau of Elections at: 1-800-292-5973.
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