Election officials may process absentee ballots before polls close

The person in charge of an election may convene the absentee counting board before polls close to process absentee ballots. This applies to absentee ballots handled by an absentee counting board in the election official’s jurisdiction. The board may meet the day before the election and on election day during regular business hours. Before polls close, the board may not manually count ballots. Automatic tabulation may occur before polls close only if vote totals are not printed or displayed. A resolution board must be present, and each county party chairperson must receive notice at least ten days before the election. The board may process ballots the day before the election and before polls close on election day; counting may begin after polls close if earlier processing did not occur.

Election officials and counting boards must secure, verify, record, and process absentee ballots without exposing ballot contents before counting. These rules cover absentee ballots, election officials, precinct or absentee counting boards, and people observing the process. Boards must check voter identity, registration, whether the voter already voted, and required signatures before opening an envelope. Boards must not open, unfold, or examine ballots before the counting stage, and they must document envelopes that cannot be opened. Poll watchers may observe from a reasonable distance but may not obtain private information or create records linking voters to ballots. Violating the ballot-secrecy or observation rules is a Class 2 misdemeanor. These safeguards apply while officials receive, sort, validate, process, and count absentee ballots, including before polls close when early processing occurs.

Election officials must provide absentee ballot records and deliver absentee ballots to the proper counting board; the board must process and count ballots not handled earlier immediately after polls close. The rules cover absentee ballots and applicants in the election official’s jurisdiction, including ballots sent to an absentee ballot precinct. An election official who creates an absentee ballot precinct must make a pollbook listing each absentee voter and ballot type. A county may have only one absentee ballot counting board at a time. Officials must preserve applicant information and the name of an authorized messenger who requests delivery of a ballot to another voter. If the counting board did not begin processing or tabulating before polls close, it must begin processing and counting immediately after polls close.