EnglishTypes of Ballots
HMPB - Hand Marked Paper Ballots
Hand Marked Paper Ballots (HMPB) are traditional voting ballots where voters manually fill in circles or boxes next to their chosen candidates or answers to referendum questions. These ballots are physically marked by the voter using a pen or pencil, typically by filling in a circle or completing an arrow next to the desired selection. HMPBs are particularly valuable in identifying double counted ballots, as each voter's markings are unique. Even slight variations or marks outside the designated areas can serve as visual aids in the process of verifying the authenticity of each ballot and detecting doubles. This individuality in marking style contributes to the integrity and security of the voting process.
BMD – Ballot Marking Device Ballot
A Ballot Marking Device (BMD) ballot is a type of modern voting ballot generated through a computerized system.
Voters use a touchscreen interface to make their selections, and upon completion, the BMD prints out a paper ballot. This printed ballot includes the voter's choices in a format that is both human-readable and encoded in a QR code.
BMD ballots are characterized by their uniform appearance; ballots with identical voting choices appear exactly the same, as they are machine-printed. This uniformity extends to the QR codes on these ballots, which precisely replicate for like-voted options, making them identical to other ballots with the same selections. However, this standardization presents challenges in election auditing, particularly in distinguishing between legitimately cast ballots and those that may have been scanned multiple times.
The lack of unique, identifying marks, as found on hand-marked ballots, makes the detection of double-counted BMD ballots more difficult. Despite these challenges, BMDs offer a digital method for voters to record their choices, combining electronic voting with a physical paper trail for tabulation and verification purposes.
Data Sources
CVR - Cast Vote Records
The Cast Vote Record (CVR) is a database record, used to document and store detailed information about each individual vote cast in an election.
The CVR includes essential data such as the tabulator number, batch identifier, precinct information, and polling ID. This comprehensive record serves as a digital footprint of each vote, capturing the specific details and context of the voting process. For analysis and review purposes, the CVR can be exported in various file formats, including JSON (JavaScript Object Notation) and CSV (Comma-Separated Values).
JSON CVR – JSON formatted Cast Vote Record
The JSON CVR, or a JSON formatted Cast Vote Record, refers to a digital representation of the Cast Vote Record (CVR) that is exported in the JSON (JavaScript Object Notation) format. JSON is a widely-used, text-based format for storing and transporting data, known for its simplicity and ease of use, particularly in programming and web development contexts.
In the realm of election analysis, the JSON CVR provides a structured and programmer-friendly way to access and manipulate the detailed voting data captured in the CVR. This format is especially beneficial for those involved in developing software tools and applications for analyzing and processing election data, as it allows for straightforward importing, parsing, and handling of complex voting records. The use of JSON format ensures that the data is not only easily accessible but also compatible with a wide range of programming environments and data processing tools.
CSV CVR – Comma Separated Value Cast Vote Record
The CSV CVR, or Comma Separated Value Cast Vote Record, refers to a format of the Cast Vote Record (CVR) that is exported as a CSV file. CSV is a simple file format used to store tabular data, such as numbers and text, in plain text. Each line of the file is a data record, and each record consists of one or more fields, separated by commas.
DVS Number – Dominion Voting Machine Number
The DVS Number, short for Dominion Voting System Number, is a specific identifier associated with ballots processed by Dominion Voting Machines. This number plays a crucial role, particularly in the context of Ballot Marking Device (BMD) ballots. In BMD systems, the ballots are typically 'scrambled' or shuffled to obscure the order in which voters cast their ballots, aiming to maintain voter anonymity and ballot secrecy.
However, the DVS Number can be utilized to reverse this scrambling process, effectively restoring the original order of the ballots. This reordering is significant as it enables analysts to detect and study patterns in the voting data that would otherwise be concealed due to the scrambling process.
The methodology to reverse the ballot order using the DVS Number was developed by J. Alex Halderman, a notable figure in the field of election security and computer science. Further information and details about this process are available at https://dvsorder.org, providing a resource for those interested in understanding and applying this technique in ballot analysis.
Aberration Types
Stray Ballots
Stray ballots refer to ballots that are present in one set of voting records or counts but are absent in another, under circumstances where they are expected to be consistently accounted for across all records. They may arise due to various reasons such as administrative errors, handling mistakes, or issues in ballot processing.
Double-Counted ballots
This refers to ballots that have been scanned and recorded more than once in the vote tallying process, typically twice or sometimes even thrice. These repetitions occur when the same ballot is passed through the scanning machine multiple times. As a result, the same votes get counted more than once, which can lead to inaccuracies in the final vote tallies. In proper electoral procedures, these double counted ballots should be identified and removed to ensure they do not unjustly influence the final vote count.
Duplicate ballots
This refers to a procedure used to address ballots that are not readable by the tabulating machines. In this process, a new ballot is created to exactly replicate the voter's original selections from the unreadable ballot. This duplication is conducted under strict guidelines and proper procedures to ensure the integrity and accuracy of the voter's intent. Duplicate ballots are a recognized and valid method for handling ballots that, due to damage, misprints, or other issues, cannot be processed by standard tabulation equipment. The creation of duplicate ballots is an essential practice in election administration and should not be misconstrued as a problematic or irregular action.
Ballot Group
Ballot Group, also known as Counting Group, is the classification system used to record the method by which a ballot is cast. Before a Machine Count begins, each tabulator is assigned a specific Ballot Group to ascribe to ballots cast on that machine.
The four (4) Ballot Groups can be summarily defined as:
- Election Day (DAY): In-Person voting on Election Day via BMD
- Advanced Voting (ADV): In-Person voting before Election Day via BMD
- Absentee by Mail (ABM): Absentee voting before Election Day via HMPB
- Provisional (PRO): Absentee voting on Election Day via HMPB
It is important to note that unlike Ballot Type (HMPB/BMD), which is an immutable characteristic and determined by the physical properties of a ballot, Ballot Group is credited entirely based on the tabulator used to scan the ballot regardless of the Ballot Type. There are multiple instances of absentee ballots being incorrectly grouped in the data.
Counting Events
MC1 – Machine Count 1
Machine Count 1 (MC1) refers to the initial and original counting of the ballots conducted for the 2020 presidential election. This count represents the first systematic tabulation of votes as collected from various voting methods, including Hand Marked Paper Ballots (HMPB) and Ballot Marking Device (BMD) ballots. MC1 is crucial as it establishes the baseline figures for the total votes each candidate received in the first tally of the election. The accuracy and integrity of MC1 are essential for a reliable and trustworthy electoral process, as it forms the primary record of voter preferences as initially registered and tabulated.
RLA – Risk Limiting Audit
In 2020, Georgia conducted a Risk-Limiting Audit (RLA) of its presidential election results. This type of audit is designed to provide an extra level of confidence in the accuracy of the final vote tally. It involves manually recounting a random sample of ballots, with the size of the sample determined by the margin of victory and the desired confidence level.
MC2 – Machine Count 2
Machine Count 2 (MC2) refers to the second recount of ballots that took place a few months following the initial count (MC1) in the 2020 presidential election. This recount serves as a critical process to verify and validate the results obtained from the original count. The purpose of MC2 is to ensure accuracy and reliability in the election outcome by providing a secondary, independent tally of the votes. This recount is especially significant in close races or in situations where discrepancies or procedural concerns were raised about the first count.