115.299. Absentee ballots, how counted.
Absentee ballots, how counted.
115.299. 1. To count absentee votes on election day, the electionauthority shall appoint a sufficient number of teams of election judges. Eachteam shall consist of four judges, two from each major political party.
2. The teams so appointed shall meet on election day after the timefixed by law for the opening of the polls at a central location designated bythe election authority. The election authority shall deliver the absenteeballots to the teams, and shall maintain a record of the delivery. The recordshall include the number of ballots delivered to each team and shall include asigned receipt from two judges, one from each major political party. Theelection authority shall provide each team with a ballot box, tally sheets andstatements of returns as are provided to a polling place.
3. Each team shall count votes on all absentee ballots designated by theelection authority.
4. One member of each team, closely observed by another member of theteam from a different political party, shall open each envelope and call thevoter's name in a clear voice. Without unfolding the ballot, two teammembers, one from each major political party, shall initial the ballot, and anelection judge shall place the ballot, still folded, in a ballot box. Noballot box shall be opened until all of the ballots a team is counting havebeen placed in the box. The votes shall be tallied and the returns made asprovided in sections 115.447 to 115.525 for paper ballots. After the votes onall ballots assigned to a team have been counted, the ballots and ballotenvelopes shall be placed on a string and enclosed in sealed containers marked"voted absentee ballots and ballot envelopes from the election held...................., 20....". All rejected absentee ballots and envelopesshall be enclosed and sealed in a separate container marked "rejected absenteeballots and envelopes from the election held ...................., 20....".On the outside of each voted ballot and rejected ballot container, each memberof the team shall write his name, and all such containers shall be returned tothe election authority. Upon receipt of the returns and ballots, the electionauthority shall tabulate the absentee vote along with the votes certified fromeach polling place in its jurisdiction.
(L. 1977 H.B. 101 § 9.060, A.L. 1993 S.B. 31)