From mail-in to counting: An in-depth look at Clark County's electoral process

- Upon signing the return envelope and sealing it, voters dispatch it either through the postal service or by depositing it at an official ballot drop-off location.

- Received at the Election Department, the mail ballot envelopes undergo initial preparation primed for the ensuing authentication phase.

2. Signature Verification: Automated and Manual Assessment

- The Election Department employs an Automatic Signature Recognition (ASR) program that meticulously scans and analyzes voter signatures.

- Ballot envelopes that are not authenticated by ASR are then passed to a Manual Signature Verification stage, where bipartisan personnel rigorously compare the signatures against existing records, mainly coming from the Department of Motor Vehicles or voter registration forms.

3. Sorting and Separating: Verification and Validation

- A crucial sorting process differentiates between envelopes with verified signatures and those pending confirmation.

- Successfully authenticated envelopes via either automated or manual checks are dispatched to Tray Inspection, before advancing to the Central Counting Board.

- Envelopes lacking a signature or those with non-verifiable signatures are directed to the Signature Cure journey, where voters receive a notice to rectify their ballot status.

4. Tray Inspection: Rigorous Oversight

- Tray Inspectors conduct comprehensive verifications and audits on batches of mail ballot envelopes, ensuring the integrity of verified signatures.

- Post-audit, the endorsed ballot envelopes are meticulously logged and relayed to the Central Counting Board Area, marking their readiness for the final tallying operation.

5. Counting Board: Unveiling the Votes

Ballot Extraction and Inspection

- In this pivotal phase, mail ballot envelopes are carefully opened, and the contents—the mail ballot and secrecy sleeve—are delicately extracted and separated, effectively anonymizing the voter's identity.

- Each ballot is then systematically flattened and subject to stringent visual scrutiny to ensure compliance with the voting guidelines and to ascertain the ballot's readability by tabulation technology.

Ballot Duplication

- In instances where a ballot is damaged or marred to the point of possible misinterpretation by scanners, bipartisan teams meticulously recreate an accurate physical copy to preserve the voter's intent.

Imprinting

- The ballots undergo a unique imprinting process, which assigns an identifiable number critical for a post-election risk-limiting audit (RLA), a procedure designed to confirm the accuracy of the election results.

6. Tabulation: Cataloging the Electorate's Decisions

Scanning

- High-speed scanners are employed to swiftly and accurately record the selections voters have made on their ballots.

- Ballots that defy scanner readability are duly logged and redirected to the Central Counting Board for replication.

- When a ballot appears to exhibit an overvote or contains unclear markings, bipartisan adjudicators are summoned to assess and resolve the matter.

7. Secure Storage: Safeguarding Electoral Integrity

Post-Scan Protocol

- The completion of the scanning process sees ballots stored in tightly sealed boxes, which are then transported to a highly secure storage area.

- These boxes of ballots are preserved for a statutory period of 22 months, adhering to legal mandates.

Preventative Measures

- Mail ballot processing initiates a 15-day countdown before Election Day, with vote tabulation reserved exclusively for that day.

- A robust database system ensures that once a vote is cast, the individual is prohibited from submitting an additional vote, whether in person or by mail, within the same election cycle.

Bipartisan Oversight

- Critical tasks such as Ballot Extraction, Signature Verification, and Ballot Adjudication are all carried out under the watchful eye of bipartisan teams, reinforcing the nonpartisan sanctity of the voting process.