Vote counting for the presidential race begins! Maryland becomes first state to start tallying mail-in ballots as bipartisan pairs use five-step process to ensure votes are not fraudulent
Canvassers in Maryland became the first in the country to begin processing the droves of mail-in ballots that have arrived across the state, working in bipartisan pairs to get them counted.
Ballot canvas for mail-in and absentee ballots began on October 1 in the state, the earliest in the United States.
Each ballot will go through a five-step process before they are open and tabulated. The extensive process is aimed at avoiding fraud.
'The canvassing process, getting the ballots ready, it's like a conveyer belt. It goes from one stage to the other,' said David Garreis, deputy director of the Anne Arundel County Board of Elections, WBAL reports.
Working in bipartisan pairs, canvassers process mail-in ballots in a warehouse at the Anne Arundel County Board of Elections headquarters on October 7
Signage for ballots with errors is seen in a warehouse at the Anne Arundel County Board of Elections headquarters
The five-step process includes each set of ballots being sorted and then bundled; afterwards, barcodes are scanned. A group of 38 scanners then checks over the lists, and when they're done, they check them again.
'We're well underway. We are just about ready to rock and roll here,' Linda Lamone, administrator of the Maryland State Board of Elections, said early on Wednesday, the Baltimore Sun reports.
Election officials had processed more than 1.2million applications for mailed ballots as of Wednesday morning. Applications are processed at a data center at the Motor Vehicle Administration headquarters, located in Glen Burnie, Maryland.
'They're doing a fabulous job, averaging about 7,000 applications a day,' Lamone said.
Some 800,000 ballots have been shipped out to voters. Ballots were first sent out on September 24 and will continue to do so up until approximately 10 days before Election Day on November 3.
A canvasser wears gloves while processing mail-in ballots
Working in bipartisan pairs, canvassers process mail-in ballots at the warehouse. Ballot canvas for mail-in and absentee ballots began on October 1 in the state, the earliest in the United States
Ballots were first sent out on September 24 and will continue to do so up until approximately 10 days before Election Day on November 3
Reider White II, the voting systems manager, feeds mail-in ballots into a high speed ballot scanner to be tabulated
Ballot drop boxes have been set up around the state and more are expected to be set up later on in the month.
Maryland is one of many states that are allowing voters to mail in their ballots due to the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic.
The two major political parties are embroiled in dozens of lawsuits across the country over issues including mail-in ballots, ballot drop boxes, witness requirements and time extensions for voting and for counting ballots.
Working in bipartisan pairs, canvassers process mail-in ballots
Each ballot will go through a five step process before they are open and tabulated
Ballot drop boxes have been set up around the state and more are expected to be set up later on in the month
No comments