Inside look at how and when mail-in votes get counted

Name: Inside look at how and when mail-in votes get counted
Uploaded: 2022-10-11T00:42:00.000Z
Duration: 2 min 24 s
Description: When a mail-in ballot arrives at the county board of elections, it's checked in by county workers. They first look at the outside envelope to make sure there are no problems with it.

When a mail-in ballot arrives at the county board of elections, it's checked in by county workers. They first look at the outside envelope to make sure there are no problems with it.

Posted 10/11/2022, 12:42:00 AM Updated 10/26/2022, 5:07:12 PM

OUR DAY BEEN BEAUTIFUL. AND

THIS IS A NICE WAY TO END IT

HERE IN THE FRONT.

>> WE ARE 4 WEEKS AWAY FROM

THE MIDTERM BEFORE ELECTION DAY

GETS HERE. WE'RE GOING TO SHOW

YOU HOW OUR STATE'S VOTING

SYSTEM WORKS WITH A SERIES

WE'RE CALLING NC VOTES 101.

AND TONIGHT WE'RE LOOKING AT

VOTING BY MAIL. IT'S ALREADY

UNDERWAY. WRAL CAPITAL BUREAU

CHIEF LAURA LESLIE IS IN

DOWNTOWN RALEIGH TO EXPLAIN HOW

AND WHEN THOSE MAIL-IN VOTES

GET COUNTED.

SO YOU'VE REQUESTED YOUR

MAIL-IN BALLOT. YOU'VE GOT IT.

YOU FILLED IT OUT. YOU GOT YOUR

WITNESS IS A SIGN THE BACK YOU

GOT STAMP AND YOU'RE GOING TO

MAIL IT.

>> WHAT HAPPENS WHEN IT GETS TO

WHERE IT'S GOING? HERE'S A LOOK

BEHIND THE SCENES WHEN MAIL-IN

BALLOTS ARE DELIVERED TO YOUR

COUNTY ELECTIONS OFFICE

WORKERS, THEY'RE CHECKED AND

THEN ONE BY ONE MAKING SURE

EACH ONE MATCHES OR REQUEST.

AND CHECKING THE POLL BOOK TO

MAKE SURE THE VOTER HASN'T

ALREADY VOTED. GARY SIMS DIRECT

ELECTIONS FOR WAKE COUNTY.

WE HAVE TO THEN MAKE SURE THAT

YOU DID COMPLETE ALL THE

INFORMATION YOUR SIGNATURE HAVE

YOUR PROBLEM WITH THIS

INFORMATION.

>> AND THEN ONCE WE VERIFY THAT

THOSE BE BAR CODE SO THAT THEY

CAN BE TRACKED. WHY? BECAUSE

THAT'S GOING TO BE YOUR VOTE.

THE UNOPENED BALLOTS ARE STORED

IN A HIGH SECURITY CAGE AT THE

BOARD OF ELECTIONS OFFICE HERE

IN WAKE COUNTY, IT HAS FLOOR TO

CEILING FENCING. MOTION

DETECTING SECURITY CAMERAS AND

VERY LIMITED BADGE ACCESS.

>> BEGINNING IN OCTOBER COUNTY

START HOLDING ABSENTEE BALLOT

REVIEW MEETINGS. THE LOCAL

BIPARTISAN ELECTION BOARD WILL

INSPECT BATCHES OF ABSENTEE

BALLOTS TO MAKE SURE EVERYTHING

ON THE CONTAINER ENVELOPE IS

CORRECT. IF THERE'S A PROBLEM,

ELECTIONS, WORKERS TRY TO

CONTACT THAT VOTER TO GIVE THEM

A CHANCE TO FIX OR CURE THE

BALLOT. IF EVERYTHING IS

CORRECT, THE BOARD WILL DIRECT

THE WORKERS TO TAKE THOSE

BALLOTS OUT OF THEIR ENVELOPES,

FLATTEN THEM OUT AND START

FEEDING THEM THROUGH THE

MACHINE THAT COUNTS THEM.

THE THING IS WHERE LEE COUNTY

DOWN, THEY'RE GOING IN THAT

HADLEY, THERE ARE RESULTS IN

THERE THAT WE ARE NOT

TABULATING THOSE BALLOTS.

THAT DOES NOT HAPPEN UNTIL

ELECTION DAY. IT TYPICALLY

THAT'S WHERE YOU'LL SEE AT

07:30PM, OR SHORTLY AFTER THAT,

THOSE WILL BE THE FIRST

UNOFFICIAL RESULTS YOU'LL SEE

ON ELECTION DAY.

>> WE DON'T KNOW WHAT THOSE

RESULTS ARE. ONCE THEY'RE

COUNTED, THE BALLOTS GO BACK

INTO THAT HIGH SECURITY STORAGE

AREA. THEY'RE KEPT FOR ALMOST 2

YEARS FOR FEDERAL ELECTIONS

BEFORE THEIR SHREDDED

ELECTIONS. OFFICIALS TELL ME

THERE'S A COMMON MISPERCEPTION

THAT ABSENTEE BALLOTS AREN'T

EVEN COUNTED UNLESS A RACE IS

THAT'S COMPLETELY NOT TRUE.

>> AS YOU JUST SAW, THEY GET

COUNTED BEFORE SOME OF THE

VOTES THAT ARE CAST ON ELECTION