The Elections (Amendment) Act, 2019 provides for the use of an electronic tabulating system. As in 2019, the 2023 General Election will include an electronic tabulating system to scan ballots, and count votes and report results.
FREQUENTLY ASKED QUESTIONS
1. Will we be voting electronically?
A. No, voters will use paper ballots to select the candidates of their choice. Votes will be scanned and tabulated using the Precinct Scanner and Tabulator (DS 200).
2. What is different about the voting process?
A. Each voter will receive a single ballot that allows the voter to select one local electoral candidate and up to four territorial electoral candidates. The voter should indicate their selected candidate(s) by shading the oval. See sample ballot below.
3. What happens after the voter fills in their paper ballot?
A. After the voter makes their selections, they should bring the completed ballot to the electronic tabulating system.
4. What happens when I go to the electronic tabulating system?
A. The machine will display a message that states, “Welcome. Please insert your ballot.” The voter should then insert the ballot paper in the space indicated. If the voter has selected one candidate in the local electoral district and four in the territorial electoral district, a message will be displayed, “Thank you for voting.”
5. What happens if I select fewer than one candidate in the local electoral district and four candidates in the territorial electoral district?
A. The DS 200 will display a message to indicate that the voter has undervoted and offer two choices, Cast Ballot or Return.
Selecting Cast Ballot, will mean that the voter is satisfied with their choices. The electronic tabulating system will display a message that states, “Thanks for voting. Your ballot has been counted.”
If the voter selects Return, he or she will be given the opportunity to vote for the correct number of candidates on their paper ballot.
6. What happens if I select more than one candidate in the local electoral district and four candidates in the territorial electoral district?
A. If the voter selects more than one local district candidate and four territorial candidates, the DS 200 will display a message to indicate that the voter has overvoted and offer two choices, Cast Ballot or Return.
If the voter selects Cast Ballot, the electronic tabulating system will display a message that states, “Thanks for voting. Your ballot has been counted.”
If the voter selects Return, they should return the ballot to the Presiding Officer and request a new ballot.
7. How do I know that my ballot will be counted?
A. Once the voter selects Cast Ballot, ballot will be scanned and tabulated. The electronic tabulating system will display a message that states, “Thanks for voting. Your ballot has been counted.”
8. What is the main purpose of the electronic tabulating system?
A.The electronic tabulating system scans every ballot inserted into the machine and tabulates the results of the poll. Additionally, it ensures that the voters have marked their ballots correctly. This ensures that every vote gets counted, and no votes are missed.
9. Is the electronic tabulating system connected to the internet?
A. No, the machines are stand-alone machines and not connected to the internet.
10. Where are the tabulated results held?
A. The results are stored on a secure storage device in the electronic tabulating system from which the results are retrieved at the central counting station.
11. What assurance can you give to candidates that these storage devices will remain secured until they arrive at the counting station?
A. The storage devices will be sealed in pouches and carrying cases before being transported, in the presence of police officers, to the counting stations. The sealed pouches will be opened in the presence of election officials and counting agents.
12. How will you avoid persons tampering with the electronic tabulating machines?
A. Once tested, the machines will be locked, sealed and secured until Polling Day.
13. How will we know that the electronic tabulating machines are functioning properly?
A. Machines undergo Logic and Accuracy tests in the presence of election staff/workers. This testing ensures that all ballots are tabulating properly prior to demonstrating the accuracy of the machines to the public.
After Logic and Accuracy testing, public tests demonstrate the accuracy of the tabulation of all ballots to candidates, the media, and the general public. In accordance with the Elections (Amendment) Act, 2019, the machines will be tested not more than 10 days before polling day. The testing of the machines will be open to representatives of political parties, members of the press, and to the general public.
14. How will I know that cast ballots have not been placed in the electronic tabulating machines ahead of Polling Day?
A. At the start of the poll, as part of opening procedures, each Presiding Officer will open the ballot box and visually inspect the inside of the box to ensure it is empty. Presiding Officers then run a report to verify that the count is zero. This confirms that no ballots have been counted prior to Polling Day.
15. What happens if electricity goes off on Polling Day? Will the DS 200 continue to work?
A. The electronic tabulating system has a battery backup that can last four to six hours. This provides sufficient time for election officers to secure an alternative power supply.
16. The DS 200 will give faster results than manual counting, but how do I know that the results are accurate?
A. Logic and Accuracy tests are completed on each electronic tabulating system to verify that all results are correct. At the beginning of election day, Presiding Officers prompt the machine to produce a results report which verifies no ballots are already counted. A results report is also printed at the closing of the poll. Finally, all paper ballots cast are stored in the ballot box of the system and can be retrieved in the event a manual recount is required.
17. How do I know that persons will not hack into the electronic tabulating system?
A. Each electronic tabulating system is a stand-alone device with no connectivity to the internet or any other device. All files stored on the DS200 are encrypted with military-level encryption.