2014 Vermont Statutes
Title 17 - Elections
Chapter 51 - CONDUCT OF ELECTIONS
Subchapter 9: RECOUNTS AND CONTEST OF ELECTIONS
§ 2602f Recount by vote tabulator

§ 2602f. Recount by vote tabulator

(a)(1) Vote tabulator-readable ballots from each pile shall be fed through a vote tabulator by one team until all vote tabulator-readable ballots from the container have been entered. For ballots unable to be read by a vote tabulator, such as damaged or plain paper ballots, a second team shall collect these ballots from the pile and transfer the voter's choices on those ballots to blank ballots provided by the Secretary of State. After all of the vote tabulator-readable ballots have been fed through the vote tabulator, the first team shall feed through the vote tabulator any transfer ballots created by the second team.

(2) The recount teams shall switch roles for each subsequent container of ballots of a polling place that are to be fed through the vote tabulator, if there is more than one container per polling place.

(3) This process shall be used until all ballots from a polling place have been tabulated by a vote tabulator.

(b) After all ballots from a polling place have been tabulated by a vote tabulator, a recount team shall print the tabulator tape containing the unofficial results and document those results on a tally sheet. Another recount team shall then open the tabulator's ballot box and remove all ballots. The ballots shall then be divided among the recount teams to be examined to find write-in names and markings of voter intent that were not vote tabulator-readable as outlined in the Secretary of State's vote tabulator guide and most recent elections procedures manual. A caller, tally person, and double-check person shall be used to examine the ballots removed from the ballot box. If the caller and the observer or observers do not agree on how a ballot should be counted, the entire team shall review the ballot and if all members agree, it shall be counted that way.

(c) If one person does not agree, that ballot shall be set aside as a questioned ballot and a copy shall be made, which copy shall be clearly marked on its face identifying it as a copy. Any copies shall be placed on the top of the other ballots and shall remain together with the other ballots. Each original ballot deemed questionable shall be attached to a note which identifies it by town, county, polling place, and bag seal number. The originals of these questionable ballots shall be clipped to the summary sheet for that polling place and returned to the Court for a final decision.

(d) After the Court has rendered a final decision on a given questionable ballot, it shall be returned to the county clerk who shall keep it in a sealed container for a period of two years.

(e) Write-in votes for preprinted candidates shall be counted as votes for that candidate.

(f) If the tally persons do not agree on the number of votes for a candidate on ballots not able to be read by the vote tabulator, the ballots shall be retallied until they do agree. Then the team shall notify the clerk that it has completed its recount. (Added 1985, No. 148 (Adj. Sess.), § 5; amended 2013, No. 161 (Adj. Sess.), § 42.)