Official
Canvass Information
California State law requires an official canvass, which is
an internal audit of the election to ensure accuracy of the
results. This entails numerous manual processes that verify
the accuracy of the computer count, including a hand tally
of ballots cast in 1% of the precincts. During the canvass,
absentee and provisional ballots not counted on election
night are researched to verify their eligibility. The
eligible ballots are added to the election night tally. When
complete, election results are certified to the various
jurisdictions, which then declare the winners. California
election law allows 28-days following an election for the
election official to conduct the official canvass and
certify the election results. All aspects of the canvass are
open for public inspection. Following are the major
components of the official canvass:
Roster Reconciliation
Following the close of the polls on election night, precinct
officers are responsible for reconciliation of their roster
by completing the Official Ballot Statement. The statement
lists the exact number of voted ballots, unused ballots,
spoiled ballots, roster signatures, etc. As part of the
official canvass, the number of voted ballots indicated by
the inspector is compared to the number of ballots tabulated
by the computer tally system.
1% Manual Vote Tally
All voted ballots from a randomly selected 1% of the
total precincts are manually tallied and balanced against
the computer counts to verify the accuracy of the election
tally system. This process is required by law. The 1% manual
vote tally is done in addition to the separate election
night testing of the computer counting system, which is
known as the Logic and Accuracy Test.
Ballots Added During Official Canvass
The following ballots are not included on the election
night totals. Once eligibility is determined, these ballots
are added to the election results. The ballot types added
during Official Canvass include:
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Absentee Ballots returned on
Election Day to our office and/or dropped off at polling
locations. These ballots do not arrive in sufficient
time to be individually signature-verified, opened and
prepared for tabulation on election night.
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Damaged Ballots that are
unable to be processed through the election tally system
and, therefore, must be manually duplicated prior to
tabulation.
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Provisional Ballots and Fail-Safe
Ballots issued at the various polling places on
election day must be individually researched to
determine their eligibility. Provisional ballots are
issued at polling locations when a person's voter
registration cannot immediately be verified.
During the canvass period each provisional ballot is
researched to determine the voter’s eligibility and
verify the signature. In a major election there may be
as many as 10,000 ballots involved. After the
determination is made and if the voter is qualified to
vote, their ballots are added to the overall total for
the election.
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Write-In Ballots must be
individually reviewed to determine if the write-in vote
is for a qualified or unqualified write-in candidate (a
"qualified" candidate is one that has met the legal
requirements to run for office and has filed a statement
of write-in candidacy with the appropriate elections
office). Write-in ballots must also be checked to verify
whether or not the voter also voted for a candidate
listed on the ballot for the same office.
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