hand counting ballots

Canadian vote count system does not involving sorting votes, a critical post-election difference.

KNOXVILLE, TN, U.S., November 1, 2021 /EINPresswire.com/ -- Responding to public calls (1) to instigate a Canadian style ballot hand counting in U.S. elections, Tn. based NPO Dixsvillewisdom has published a logistical study (2) to consider the time to sort and count 3000 ballots from a single large U.S. precinct.

Canada is divided into 338 districts called ridings. Voters in each riding choose a single candidate out of 4 or 5 in the running. The verbal count takes multiple hours and is concluded on election day. Each Canadian ballot carries one choice, whereas a U.S. ballot carries many dozens of choices. This difference has significant repercussions.

For the study, actual figures from the notorious Fulton County in Georgia were considered. In 2020 there were 86 candidates and 12 yes or no referendum choices needing a voter’s attention. 86 +12 = 98 choices. The Fulton voter had to narrow this choice total down to mark 37 decisions on a ballot. Therefore 3K ballots X 37 marks = 111K distinct votes. Sorting is the process whereby these 111K votes are called out one by one and a paper marker is placed by a worker in one correct box out of 98 possible places. Sorting by hand is a tedious and time consuming task.

Using optimization techniques, 15 teams of 31 post election workers were postulated to sort the 3K ballots. (These 465 workers are almost 1/6th the number of voters.) A 3.5' distance between workers was decided on. See the photo for a distance reference. This requires 55' long tables with 15 workers per side. All 15 tables take up 3/4 of a football field. 75 yards X 50 yards.

Working simultaneously the 15 teams can (at minimum) sort the ballot contents in 61.66 hours (at 30 seconds per vote). That’s 2 + 2/3rd days straight for the first part of the undertaking. Next the votes are counted by taking all the paper markers out one by one from each of the 98 boxes at each of the 15 tables. Each marker is withdrawn and tabulated in a running count until all of the 98 totaling actions are witnessed and verified. This requires 6 hours (at 3 seconds per vote). Then all the 98 result totals from the 15 groups require math merging (2 hours) to give final combined results for each of the 98 candidate/issues.

The sorting time (2 + 2/3rd days) with the counting and merging time (1/3rd day) totals 3 straight days. In the real world (with breaks and reality figured in) the entire 3K ballot sort and count is projected to require 4 to 5 days with extremely well trained paid employees working overtime. 

The conclusion is revealing. Sorting required almost 3 uninterrupted days (72 hours), or 4.5 realistic days. Counting only requires 6 hours. In comparison all the Canadians must do is verbally count and tabulate winners. That is why hand counting is feasible for them. The U.S. has the lengthy job of sorting the ballot's content to get it ready for counting.

About Dixsvillewisdom

Dixsvillewisdom is a Tennessee non-profit organization that is the maker of the VoteTeller, a lightening-fast tabulator based voting system that is 100% secure. It uses paper ballots and is a new concept in safe precinct and absentee voting. No post election workers are needed at all. Ultimately, the mission is to have the 50 states collectively legislate a co-owned elections agency (not in federal hands) taking over at no cost the dixsvillewisdom enterprise for the benefit of the people. Then the non-profit will be disbanded.

For more information, please visit: https://www.voteteller.org/

Wilfred Pye
Dixsvillewisdom
office@dixsvillewisdom.org