2024 - Honorable Mention for Innovations or New Practices in Election Administration

The Fairfax County Office of Elections addressed how to help poll workers complete a complex, math-heavy form at the end of a 16-hour day. In Virginia, poll workers must complete a Statement of Results (SOR), a complex form that requires recording numbers from many sources and doing lots of math to account for every ballot. Mistakes are common, especially with manual calculations. The Fairfax County Office of Elections created two tools to make this form easier: The Closing Numbers Worksheet, which is comprised of a simple form where poll workers record all required numbers in one place, eliminating the need to pass multiple forms around. Also, the SOR Helper was developed to serve as an online form preloaded on each precincts iPad that the Chief uses to input those numbers. The Fairfax County Office of Elections used a free online tool called Fillout. This tool calculates and exports everything into a digital PDF that looks exactly like the paper SOR form, making it easy for poll workers to copy onto their official paperwork. With these tools, poll workers no longer scramble to track down numbers or second-guess their math. This resulted in fewer mistakes, a smoother closing, and much less stress at the end of election day.