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Recent years have seen an intense scrutiny of mailed communications, with vote-by-mail processes at the forefront. Absentee ballot methods of sending, receiving, evaluating, and counting have dominated national news cycles. Suspicion and distrust fuel intense opinions on this voting method. Amidst this backdrop, counties and jurisdictions are looking to automated ballot processing systems to restore trust and accuracy in elections.
Each jurisdiction across the country runs elections according to the laws and rules under which the election boards operate. Automated solutions must be flexible and adapt to many conditions.
Automated workflow and integrity enhancements offered by solutions such as Tritek’s Correct Elect System are helping election officials mitigate perceptions of impropriety in ballot handling processes. By scanning envelopes, date/time stamping images, verifying signatures, and sorting them into precincts, automated ballot handling solutions promote an efficient and transparent vote-by-mail process. They provide the tracking and accountability necessary to validate the vote tabulation that happens later in the workflow.
As jurisdictions seek to ensure election integrity, exploring these technological tools becomes not just an option but a necessity.
When considering vote-by-mail, several concerns may arise.
Security of Ballots
One major concern is ballot security during transit and processing. Voters worry about their ballots reaching the election office safely and on time. Automation vastly improves this aspect by logging each ballot as soon as it arrives. This starts a clear, trackable trail through the entire ballot-handling process at election headquarters.
Signature Verification
Another common concern involves signature authentication. Voters wonder if their vote will count if their signature slightly differs. If a county chooses to do so, advanced technology can match signatures precisely, ensuring that only legitimate ballots get through while accepting variations within a reasonable range. The automated system sets aside any signature that exceeds the range of acceptable matches so human inspectors can take a closer look.
Efficiency and Error Reduction
Manual processes leave room for human error. Election officials using automated platforms benefit from automated sorting and verification, minimizing the chances of ballots getting misplaced or miscounted. This speeds up the process and safeguards the accuracy of the election results.
Transparency and Trust
Perhaps the most critical issue is ensuring transparency and building trust. Election officials must verify and document every step in the journey of a ballot. This meticulous attention to detail and separation from vote tabulation prompts greater public trust in the integrity of the vote-by-mail process.
Vote-by-mail success hinges on the ability to process ballots swiftly, accurately, and transparently. Elections can become bogged down by lengthy manual verification processes, especially for ballot signatures. Here’s where automated systems like Correct Elect come into play.
Automated equipment and software reduce the number of manual verifications needed to account for ballots that arrive in the mail. This not only saves time but also decreases labor costs. The system compares voter signatures on the ballot envelopes to stored signatures in the voter database. It only passes ballot envelopes along for sorting and tabulation if the signatures match. The system automatically queues questionable signatures for manual inspection. This process accelerates ballot validation and eliminates errors caused by overworked signature inspectors who must manually review signatures on every returned ballot.
By archiving time-stamped ballot envelope images, the system provides election officials with easy access to official records. These features prove invaluable when performing audits dealing with high volumes of mail-in ballots.
Machines sort the ballot envelopes according to their needs, keeping the process organized and manageable. Crucially, while such systems scan and verify signatures, they do not tabulate votes. The ballots remain securely sealed within the outer envelopes, ready to be passed along to the next operation where they are opened and counted.
As the demand for mail-in ballots grows, scalable solutions become essential. Automated ballot technology adjusts to the volume of ballots and the physical space available, ensuring smooth operations during peak election periods. By eliminating human errors and repetitive tasks, these systems ensure the integrity and speed of the vote-by-mail process.
Election officials rely on technology to maintain the integrity and trustworthiness of election processes. Implementing systems like Tritek’s Correct Elect ensures ballots are handled consistently and transparently. This technology helps ensure that every step in the vote-by-mail process meets rigorous standards for accuracy and accountability.
Correct Elect employs advanced scanning technology to record ballot envelope receipt and, optionally, verify voter signatures. This method replaces manual checks, reducing human error and saving time. The system then sorts envelopes into the precincts or other divisions as prescribed by each jurisdiction, streamlining ballot management and substantially reducing sorting time. Tritek’s automated solutions do not count votes. Ballots remain safely within their outer envelopes throughout the Tritek workflow.
Data integrity remains a top concern for election officials. Tritek’s system emphasizes security by providing a robust digital audit trail. This audit trail allows officials to trace every action taken on an envelope from receipt to sorting, all while protecting voter privacy.
Automation in the vote-by-mail process does more than increase efficiency; it strengthens public trust. By using consistent and secure methods, officials address voter concerns about the potential for interference or fraud. Faster, more accurate processing also frees election staff to focus on oversight, further enhancing the transparency and reliability of the election process.
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