We blog questions posed to EAC along with our answers every Monday. Submit them here, use the comment form or share on Twitter @EACgov.
When do counties and states certify the official election results?
The outcome of the election is not official until election officials complete the canvass of votes and certification of results, which sometimes may be several weeks after Election Day. Each state administers its own elections and laws vary for the starting and completion dates of the canvass, which is the compilation of election returns and the validation of the outcome that forms the basis of the official results.
For an election official, the canvass means aggregating or confirming every valid ballot cast and counted—absentee, early voting, Election Day, provisional, challenged, and uniformed and overseas citizen. The canvass enables an election official to resolve discrepancies, correct errors, and take any remedial actions necessary to ensure completeness and accuracy before certifying the election. For requirements and dates, check with your state's election office. For more information about the process, see EAC’s Canvassing and Certifying an Election.
What state doesn’t require voter registration?
North Dakota does not require voter registration. Get more info about registering to vote in your state.
Can you vote if you've recently moved?
Voter registration does not move with you, so you will have to complete a new voter registration form to update your new address. Read more about moving and registering to vote. For more information about re-registering in the jurisdiction of your new address, visit your state’s election office website.
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Flu season is almost here, and EAC is collecting flu season contingency plans from election officials. We're looking to share backup staffing strategies, technology solutions and other creative approaches. Examples include plans to mitigate the effect of the flu at polling places and coordination strategies with state and local health departments. Election officials should send their plans to clearinghouse@eac.gov and list themselves as experts in the Election Official Exchange. We're posting the plans here.
Our first submission comes from Bristol, VA General Registrar Penny Limburg:
Optical Scan/ Hand Sanitizer WARNING!
If you plan to offer information regarding the use of hand sanitizers at voting precincts, I offer the follow suggestion. Never let a voter use hand sanitizer just before they are handed a ballot. In 2009, amid the flu epidemic and concern for minimizing the spread of germs, we sent hand sanitizer out to each voting precinct. A voter dispensed a big dollop on her hands just before she was given her ballot. Her ballot became damp from the sanitizer product left on her hands which in turn became jammed in the optical scan machine when she deposited it. Not only did it jam to the point that we could not readily remove the ballot, it tore into pieces that got into other parts of the machine. In spite of waiting for the residue to evaporate and attempting to remove the remains of the ballot, the machine was down for the rest of the day. Only 15 minutes before the close of the polls, the technicians were finally able to clear the slot. The machine had to be sent off for repair and cleaning.
Problems have been seen whenever the card stock that ballots are printed on become damp for any reason. We even caution our officers on rainy elections to ensure voters dry their hands well before handling a ballot.
Penny Limburg
General Registrar
City of Bristol VA
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Thanks to those who’ve shared their experience and expertise in the Election Official Exchange, EAC's online resource that helps local election officials connect and share best practices and knowledge. Find expertise about contingency planning, poll workers, voting system performance and pre and post election activities. Or sign up as an expert. Thank you again for participating! If you have questions or comments, leave them here or send us a note.
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More polling place locators and election resources are below. Or click on our national map to contact your state election office. Also, the New York City Board of Elections wants voters to tell them how it’s going! Any problems? Need assistance? They want to hear from poll workers, too. Tweet them at BOENYC and follow #nycvotes or call 1-866-868-3692.
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