WHAT ARE THE RECOUNT OFFICIALS LOOKING FOR?
The recounters are trying to determine the intent of the voter when they encounter problem ballots. Most voters fill in the circle next to the candidate they choose. But sometimes an individual will put a check mark or an X next to a name. Others will circle a name. Ballots marked in that way cannot be scanned by the voting machines, so they wouldn’t have been counted the first time around. If a voter’s intentions aren’t clear by looking at a ballot, or if there is any objection to the decision being made by the election official by either one or both of the candidates’ representatives, the ballots in dispute become “challenged” ballots that will go to the State Canvassing Board for review.
