5.85 Receiving, counting, tallying and return of ballots.

647 words·~3 min read·/wi/chapter-5/5-85

A research copy — for the controlling text, always check the official state or federal source. Not legal advice.

(1)At any polling place at which an electronic voting system is utilized, the following procedures for receiving, counting, tallying and return of the ballots shall be used. Whenever paper ballots are utilized at a polling place in combination with ballots employed in an electronic voting system, the paper ballots shall be deposited in a separate ballot box or boxes, according to the types of ballots used. For the purpose of transporting the ballots or the record of the votes cast, the municipal clerk shall provide a secure container for each polling place. At each polling place, the applicable portions of the procedure prescribed for initiating the canvass under s. 7.51

(1)and

(2)shall be performed, except that no count of the ballots, except write-in votes and paper ballots used for absentee voting and other purposes authorized by law, may be performed at a polling place if a central counting location is designated for the counting of ballots at that polling place by the municipality.

(a)The election officials shall examine the ballots or record of votes cast for write-in votes and shall count and tabulate the write-in votes. The election officials shall count write-in votes as provided in s. 7.50

(d). When an electronic voting system is used in which ballots are distributed to electors, before separating the remaining ballots from their respective covering envelopes, the election officials shall examine the ballots for write-in votes. When an elector has cast a write-in vote, the election officials shall compare the write-in vote with the votes on the ballot to determine whether the write-in vote results in an overvote for any office. In case of an overvote for any office, the election officials shall follow the procedure in par.

(b).

1. In case of an overvote for any office, the election officials may either use the override function of the electronic voting system in order to eliminate the votes for the overvoted office, which shall be noted on the inspector’s statement, or make a true duplicate ballot of all votes on the ballot except for the office that is overvoted in the manner described in this subdivision. If the election officials make a true duplicate ballot, they shall use an official ballot of that kind used by the elector who voted the original ballot, and one of the marking devices, so as to transfer all votes of the elector except for the office overvoted to an official ballot of that kind used in the ward at that election.

Unless election officials are selected under s. 7.30

(c)without regard to party affiliation, whenever election officials of both of the 2 major political parties are present, the election officials acting under this subdivision shall consist in each case of at least one election official of each of the parties.

2. On any original ballot upon which there is an overvote and for which a duplicate ballot is made under subd. 1. , the election officials shall, in the space on the ballot for official endorsement, identify the ballot as an “Overvoted Ballot” and write a serial number. On any duplicate ballot produced under subd. 1. , the election officials shall, in the space on the ballot for official endorsement, identify the ballot as a “Duplicate Overvoted Ballot” and write a serial number.

The election officials shall place the same serial number on each “Overvoted Ballot” and its corresponding “Duplicate Overvoted Ballot,” commencing with number “1” and continuing consecutively for each of the ballots for which a “Duplicate Overvoted Ballot” is produced in that ward or election district. The election officials shall initial the “Duplicate Overvoted Ballot” ballots and shall place them in the container for return of the ballots. The “Overvoted Ballot” ballots and their envelopes shall be placed in the “Original Ballots” envelope.