For some precincts reviewed, the results matched 100%. Where discrepancies did exist, the differences were a result of “ undervoting. ” Undervoting refers to a selection not being made in a particular election race on a ballot. This can happen unintentionally if a voter does not adequately fill in a bubble, or if they place a checkmark or an “ x ” on the bubble of their preferred candidate. Sometimes, a check mark is placed entirely outside of the bubble. Intentional undervotes occur if a voter consciously chooses not to vote for any candidate in a particular race. Undervotes are distinct from overvotes, in which more than one candidate is selected for a particular race and the vote cannot be counted. Using hand - counting rules, an undervote can generally be attributed to a candidate if the voter ’ s intention is clear. Those interested in hand - count voting rules can find more information on the Virginia Department of Elections website.
Undervoting Examples
Correct
Likely to Scan Correctly
Unlikely to Scan Correctly
Won ’ t Scan Correctly
Intentional Undervote
After the bipartisan team evaluated more than 7,000 ballots by this method and the findings were compared to the reported results, nothing was found that would have impacted the election. No votes would have switched; each candidate would have simply gained a few additional votes (which were similar in proportion to the overall election results) that had not previously counted due to undervoting. “ What we found, as expected, is the voting machines are very accurate. Any issues were from voters not correctly filling in the oval next to the candidate ’ s name. ” said Director of Elections Donna Harpold. “ We are proud to have been at the forefront of this kind of audit in Virginia and had a great team of officials assisting us in this accomplishment, ” she added. As a result of efforts like this audit, Orange County voters can be confident when heading to their polling place that their votes will counted fairly and accurately. They should be further encouraged that their officials voluntarily pursued the highest standards of verification.
Page 4 | December 2023
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