Code of Massachusetts Regulations
950 CMR - OFFICE OF THE SECRETARY OF THE COMMONWEALTH
Title 950 CMR 53.00 - Voting And Counting Procedures For Voting Machines
Section 53.02 - Before the Polls Open
Current through Register 1537, December 20, 2024
(1) Election Officers Report to Polling Place. All election officers must report to work at the polling place at a time to be determined by the city or town clerk, so as to be able to complete all preliminary work and to allow the polls to open on time. They must be sworn in before beginning to work. They shall open the polling place on time.
(2) Replacement of Election Officers. If an election officer assigned to a polling place fails to appear or leaves, the city or town clerk shall be notified. Replacements shall be sent, or the corresponding deputy election officer shall be designated as the replacement.
(3) Arrange The Polling Place. The voting machines, the receptacle or receptacles for the voting authority certificates and the ballot box must be in full view at all times. A guard rail shall be established to prevent unauthorized people from interfering with people who are voting.
(4) Signs To Be Posted. The following items shall be posted in a conspicuous place inside the polls but outside the guard rail:
(5) Set Up Check-In Table. The voting list and the voting authority certificates shall be placed on the check-in table at the entrance. There shall be enough certificates for all registered voters in the precinct. At the biennial state election, copies of the official information for voters pamphlet, at least one for every hundred registered voters in the precinct, shall be available to voters at the check-in area.
(6) Election Officers. The warden shall appoint two election officers of different parties to be stationed at the entrance to the voting area. Two other election officers of different parties may receive the voting authority certificates and deposit them in the receptacle when escorting the voter to a machine.
(7) Keys To The Machines. The city or town clerk shall deliver to the warden the keys to each voting machine in the precinct in separate sealed envelopes at least half an hour before the polls open on the day of the election. The number and location of the precinct, the number of the voting machine, the number of the seal which seals it, and the number that is registered on the protective counter shall be on this envelope.
(8) Check the Envelope with the Machine. At least one election officer from each political party must examine the envelope, check the number on the seal of the machine at this time if it is an outside seal, and after opening the machine if it is an inside seal, and compare it with the number on the envelope. The number on the protective counter must also be compared with that number entered on the envelope.
(9) If the Numbers Don't Agree, Notify the Town or City Clerk. If the numbers on the envelope do not correspond with those on the machine then the city or town clerk must be notified.
(10) Open the Front of the Machines to Set Up Voting Booth.
(11) Check That The Machines Have The Proper Voting Machine Strips. Election officers shall check the ballot strips on the machines against a specimen ballot to see that they are correct. If they do not correspond, the warden shall call the city or town clerk. The machine shall not be used until the correct ballot strips are inserted.
(12) Examine the Write-In Roll. An election officer shall open the slot or door and shall examine the write-in roll to ensure that it has been marked either with a red strip or a signature, and dated. If not, the election officer shall so mark it.
(13) Check Counters.
(14) If the Counters Are Not on Zero, Record Information. If the public counter or any of the vote counters is not on zero, then the number and letter of the counter together with the number registered on the counter shall be recorded in the clerk's Election Record and signed by the election officers. If any counter cannot be reset to zero on a direct electronic voting machine, the warden shall call a voting machine custodian to service the machine.
(15) Ballot Box Empty. The warden shall publicly open the ballot box and examine it. It shall be shown to be empty and the register set at zero to the satisfaction of all election officers and other persons present. The warden shall close and lock the ballot box.
(16) Election Record. The clerk shall record in the election record:
(17) Ballot Box Key. The warden shall lock the box and shall give the ballot box key to the police officer. The officer shall keep the key until the polls close.
(18) Ballot Box Locked. The ballot box must remain locked or sealed throughout the day.
(19) Open on Time. The warden shall open the polls on time if necessary materials are available, even if some things usually done beforehand must be done after the polls open.