true or false questions from the january survey

TRUE OR FALSE QUESTIONS FROM THE JANUARY SURVEY

TRUE OR FALSE:

Inspectors’ initials go in the signature (poll)

book.

It’s TRUE.

Almost nobody got this one wrong.

TRUE or FALSE

Affidavit voters do not use the voting machine.

That’s TRUE.

Almost nobody got this one wrong.Affidavit ballots should never even

be NEAR the machine.

TRUE or FALSE

Cancelled ballots and unscanned emergency ballots are the same

thing.

This one is FALSE.

Again. Almost no one got it wrong…almost.

Everyone should know that cancelled ballots are spoiled, unusable ballots, and they go into the black bag. Unscanned emergency ballots are still good ballots

that need to be tallied by the BOE. (Red Bag)

TRUE or FALSE

I check off voters as they come in, on the active sheet.

This is TRUE.

Everyone got this one right!

TRUE or FALSE

Emergency ballots are spoiled ballots.

FALSE

This is essentially the same question as “Cancelled ballots and emergency

ballots are the same thing.”

But a few more people got this one wrong; about 8% did. It’s important to understand

that “cancelled” and “emergency” are not the same thing…not at all.

TRUE or FALSE

We must fill out a ballot custody (sheriff’s) sheet.

This is TRUE.

12% got this wrong.

We cannot stress enough how important this is. Many teams of Inspectors failed to do it for the

2012 General Election.

TRUE or FALSE

After 9:00 p.m., I first remove the memory card.

FALSE

This was a little tricky.

Removing the memory card is one of the last things you do after polls are closed and the machine is turned off. The first

thing done is the tip-out procedure.

20% missed this one.

TRUE or FALSE

The active sheet and the signature book are the same thing.

It’s FALSE.

The active sheet is the first sheet checked off as voters check in to the poll site. The signature (poll)

book is where they sign their names.

20% missed this one.

TRUE or FALSE

One Inspector may assist a voter.

This is FALSE.

When a voter needs assistance, TWO Inspectors (one Democrat

and one Republican) must assist.

20 % missed this.

TRUE or FALSE

ALL ballots get physically counted by hand at night.

The answer is…FALSE.

It said “ALL ballots…”. Some ballots are hand counted, such as write-ins, affidavit ballots, unscanned emergency ballots and cancelled ballots. But not ALL ballots are hand counted. The regular ballots in the large pile in the machine are NOT hand counted. (That would be a huge task!)

24% got this wrong.

TRUE or FALSE

I can refuse to give an affidavit ballot.

FALSE

Never refuse a voter an affidavit ballot. There is never a good reason. Even in a

situation where the voter gets challenged because someone thinks they do not live in

the district.

Affidavits are a catch-all way of diffusing any problems too.

28% missed this one.

TRUE or FALSE

Don’t allow the press inside.

FALSE

Always allow the press access to the poll site. It is a public area.

They have to obey the rules though. Access must be

reasonable.

36% got this one wrong.

TRUE or FALSE

The BOE wants to know when a voter signs in but doesn’t vote.

TRUE!

We really want to know. If we do not know, it will throw off our

ballot accounting after an election.

40% missed it.

TRUE or FALSE

Write-in ballots get scanned after 9:00 p.m.

FALSE

44% missed this one, and that is a little alarming.

Write-in ballots have already been scanned. If you scan them again it

will really mess up the election.

TRUE or FALSE

Voters with a Court Order use an affidavit ballot.

This is FALSE.

Many missed this one…56% did.

It’s a difficult question. And Court Orders almost never happen. But it’s important to know that voters with such Orders do indeed get to vote on the machine like any other

voter.

TRUE or FALSE

Any voter may use the BMD.

TRUE!

Most missed this one…64%.

Again, it hardly ever happens, but some voters want to use the BMD just for the heck of it…or to see how it works. You must allow anyone to use it; as long as they are allowed to use the machine.

(Perhaps this is why so many missed this one…because we didn’t qualify that it’s any voter “otherwise allowed to vote on the machine.” If so…sorry.)

We thank you very much for participating in the survey. Your

input helped guide us in how training will go this year.

We very much appreciate all you do for Steuben County and The

Board of Elections.