Community Corner

Southington Among Towns to Have Primary Results Audited

Ten percent of all voting precincts using optical scanners will have ballots hand-counted to ensure integrity of voting, including Southington's Plantsville and Kelley school districts.

The following is a press release from Secretary of State Denise Merrill's office.

Secretary of the State Denise Merrill joined Connecticut Voting Rights advocates at a news conference at the State Capitol to randomly select the voting precincts which will have election results audited following the . 

As required by Connecticut General Statutes 9-320f, ten percent of the polling precincts in the election using optical scan voting machines are subject to an audit. All told, 523 polling precincts used optical scan voting machines on Aug. 14, meaning that some 53 precincts were chosen to have their election results audited.  

“Voters had their say on Aug. 14 about who they want on the general election ballot,” said Secretary Merrill, Connecticut’s chief elections official. “Now, it is our duty to audit the machine totals from the statewide primaries to ensure the accuracy of our optical scanners. We are committed to making sure Connecticut voters have continued confidence that their votes were recorded accurately and that’s why these independent audits are so vital."

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The audits have already begun and must be completed by Sept. 17, 2012.

“Auditing election results isn’t just a good idea, it’s absolutely essential in order to guarantee the integrity of our elections,” said Secretary Merrill. “We don’t just take the machines’ word for it. So we will have every ballot cast in a full 10 percent of precincts using optical scan machines hand counted and matched against the machine totals. Connecticut has the toughest elections audit law in the country and I am confident that following this audit the numbers will once again match.”

In total, audits will be conducted in 60 precincts. The law requires a hand audit 10 percent of all polling places where optical scan machines were used in all elections and primaries. (Polling precincts which are already part of a recount are exempt from audits by statute).

In addition to the 53 precincts chosen for an audit, there were also 10 alternate precincts chosen. The provisions in the law, developed in close cooperation with the computer science department at the University of Connecticut, give Connecticut one of the strictest audit statutes in the country. Connecticut is the first state in New England to require a comprehensive audit of election results.

Connecticut General Statute 9-320f states that local Registrars of Voters “…shall conduct a manual audit of the votes recorded in not less than ten percent of the voting districts in the state, district or municipality, whichever is applicable. Such manual audit shall be noticed in advance and be open to public observation.”

The results of audits will be analyzed by the University of Connecticut and then presented to the Secretary of the State’s Office and the State Elections Enforcement Commission, and ultimately made available to the public.

The law contains a detailed description of the audit process:

“The manual audit…shall consist of the manual tabulation of the paper ballots cast and counted by each voting machine subject to such audit. Once complete, the vote totals established pursuant to the manual tabulation shall be compared to the results reported by the voting machine on the day of the election or primary."

"The results of the manual tabulation shall be reported on a form prescribed by the Secretary of the State which shall include the total number of ballots counted, the total votes received by each candidate in question, the total votes received by each candidate in question on ballots that were properly completed by each voter and the total votes received by each candidate in question on ballots that were not properly completed by each voter."

"Such report shall be filed with the Secretary of the State who shall immediately forward such report to The University of Connecticut for analysis. The University of Connecticut shall file a written report with the Secretary of the State regarding such analysis that describes any discrepancies identified. After receipt of such report, the Secretary of the State shall file such report with the State Elections Enforcement Commission.”

List of polling precincts to be audited:

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Town                                      Polling Place

Bethany

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Town Hall

Bethel

Frank A. Berry School - 5

Bolton

Community Hall

Branford

Brandford Hill School - Voting District 4

Bridgeport

PARK CITY MAGNET

Bridgeport

BLACKHAM SCHOOL

Bristol

Stafford School 77 Dist. 3

Danbury

Pembroke School Gym - Ward 2

Durham

Korn School 2

East Hartford

Mayberry School

Ellington

Ellington High School

Farmington

West Woods  School - District 1 Precinct 5

Greenwich

Central Middle School Dist. 8

Groton

City Of Groton Municipal Building Dist. 3

Haddam

Central Office

Hartford

Kennelly School

Kent

Town Hall

Killingly

South Killingly Fire Station Dist. 3

Ledyard

Juliet Long Elementary School - 2

Madison

District 1 (South)

Manchester

Manchester High School

Mansfield

Mansfield Fire Department #107 at Eagleville

Marlborough

Elmer Thienes Elementary School

Meriden

St. Rose Community Center Area 1

Montville

Town Hall-Gym-1

New Britain

STANLEY HOLMES SCHOOL District 11

New Britain

School Apartments District 5-1

New Haven

Mauro-Sheridan School Ward 26

New London

New London High School District 1

Newington

John Wallace Middle School---District 5

North Branford

Jerome Harrison Elementary School

Plainville

Linden Street School

Pomfret

Pomfret Community School

Ridgefield

Yanity Gym

Rocky Hill

West Hill School

Seymour

Paul E Chatfield School

Simsbury

Latimer Lane School

Southington

Plantsville School

Southington

Kennedy School

Stamford

SPRINGDALE SCHOOL (REAR ENT.)

Stonington

Deans Mill School

Thompson

Quinebaug Volunteer Fire Department

Torrington

Armory

Trumbull

Middlebrook School Dist. 4

Trumbull

St Joseph High School Dist. 2

Wallingford

Yalesville Elementary School

Washington

Town Hall

Waterbury

CROSBY HIGH SCHOOL

Watertown

Swift Middle School

Wilton

Wilton High School - District 1

Winchester

Pearson School

Windsor Locks

Windsor Locks High School

Woodbury

Senior/Community Center

 

List of Alternate Polling Precincts chosen:

 

Town                       Polling Place 

Bridgeport

THOMAS HOOKER L

Bethel

Frank A. Berry School - 3

Thompson

East Thompson Fire Station

Durham

Korn School 4

Derby

Irving Elementary School  Ward 1 Dist 104

Greenwich

North Street School

Seymour

Seymour Old Middle School 1

Simsbury

Henry James Memorial School

Bridgeport

CESAR BATALLA

Killingworth

Killingworth Elementary School

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