2014 South Carolina Code of Laws
Title 7 - Elections
CHAPTER 13 - CONDUCT OF ELECTIONS
SECTION 7-13-1410. Duties of officials after closing of polls; review of ballots; duplicate ballots.

Immediately following the closing of the polls, the manager shall:

(a) Count the number of electors who voted, as shown in the poll list.

(b) Count the unused ballots without removing stubs.

(c) Count the soiled and defaced ballots.

(d) Insert the totals of (a), (b) and (c) of this section on the report forms provided therefor.

(e) Count and secure or inactivate all marking devices in the polling place so that no device may be used or operated by any unauthorized person in the polling place.

(f) Remove the voted ballots from the containers and sort them according to types or parts of ballots if more than one type or part has been used. If the number of voted ballots exceeds the number of voters whose names appear upon the poll list, the managers shall enter on the poll list an explanation of such discrepancy. Any manager having a different explanation shall enter it on the poll list and subscribe to it.

Before leaving the precinct, each ballot shall be reviewed and, if there appear markings other than by the marking device or there are names of candidates in spaces authorized for write-in votes, such write-in votes shall be tabulated by the precinct officials and the results certified to the counting station. In such instance, the precinct officials shall first determine, for the contest in which a write-in vote has been cast, that the voter on such ballot has not, for such contest, voted contrary to the voting instructions for such contest. If it is determined that the voter has not violated such instructions, write-in votes shall be tabulated and the ballot shall be reinserted with the remainder of the ballots. If it is determined that the voter has violated the instruction for marking the ballot, then the entire ballot shall be tabulated by the precinct officials and the results certified to the counting station, or the county board of voter registration and elections may cause a duplicate to be made of that part of the ballot marked according to such instructions.

Provided, that if it appears that a ballot is so torn, bent, or otherwise defaced or has been marked by other than the marking device, so that it cannot be counted by the automatic tabulating equipment, the county board of voter registration and elections may cause a duplicate of each such ballot to be marked so that it can be so counted.

Such duplicate ballots, when so authorized by the board of voter registration and elections, shall be prepared at the counting station in the presence of witnesses and substituted for the original ballots, which duplicate ballots shall be counted by the automatic tabulating equipment. The original ballots shall be preserved and all such duplicate ballots shall be clearly labeled with the word "duplicate" and shall bear a serial number which shall also be recorded on the original. At the counting station, write-in votes tabulated by the precinct officials shall be added to the results from ballots tabulated with the automatic tabulating equipment and the totals certified as the precinct count on the summary sheet.

(g) Put the unused ballots with the stubs attached, and soiled and defaced ballots with the stubs attached, in the envelopes or containers provided and certify the number. The voted ballots shall be placed in designated containers provided by the county board of voter registration and elections for use with automatic tabulating equipment, sealed, and the containers shall be sealed. Officials duly authorized by the county board of voter registration and elections shall then transport all of the ballots, precinct election supplies and records to the location designated by the board of voter registration and elections for the processing or counting, or both, of such ballots.

HISTORY: 1962 Code Section 23-400.111; 1970 (56) 2022.