Paper Ballots after a Week in Storage:
What Could Go Wrong? High Risk
"Election officials should
re-examine current practices for securing the chain of custody of all paper
ballots" ~US
Senate Intelligence Committee
Storage risks:
1.
Water damage
2.
Fire
3.
Lock picks
4.
Security alarms and cameras are vulnerable computers
5.
Single lock so one person can enter
6.
Broken seals prevent trust in ballots
7.
Voters trust
seals, but seals are easy
to replace and can be ignored
by election staff
8. Precinct
summary counts are usually even less secure than ballots
Hand-count risks:
1.
Courts prevented complete recounts in 2016 (MI, PA, WI)
and 2000 (FL).
2.
Miscounts are easy, while tallying
and while reporting totals
3.
Public cannot see ballots in most large places; if they
could, arguments over interpretation could delay counting
State rules on audits: comparison and details