Election accuracy is a top priority for election officials. While methods of casting ballots may vary across the nation, every election jurisdiction follows a multi-layered approach to help ensure all votes are counted as cast.
| When | Who & What | Why |
|---|---|---|
Pre-Election | Election officials conduct logic and accuracy (L&A) testing. | L&A testing validates that the voting system and election database for a particular election are correctly scanning and counting selections on a set of premarked and predetermined test ballots. Note: All test results are cleared before equipment is locked and sealed for Election Day. |
Election DayBefore opening polls | Poll workers verify that no votes have been cast on each machine. | Poll workers print a report called a zero tape to provide a paper record confirming that no votes were cast on a machine before polls opened. |
Election DayUpon closing polls | Poll workers print multiple copies of results report. | These reports provide a paper record of the vote totals. With the reports, poll workers confirm that the number of votes cast matches the number of paper ballots. Many jurisdictions post these results at the polls for public view. |
Post-Election | Election officials conduct post-election audits. ES&S highly encourages post-election audits; jurisdictions follow their state laws regarding the conduct of audits. | These audits, in which a certain number of ballots are compared with the cast vote record, verify that votes were counted correctly. Audits are conducted in a range of methods:
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Information current as of August 2024.