Washington Administrative Code
Title 434 - Secretary of State
Chapter 434-264 - Recounts
Section 434-264-110 - Manual recount-Process
Current through Register Vol. 24-06, March 15, 2024
The counting board may only count the responses for one race or measure at a time. The following process to count the ballots shall be used during a recount.
(1) Each counting board shall be given the ballots one precinct or batch at a time. The results from the original count shall not be given to the counting board with the ballots. The precinct or batch number must be made available to any observers.
(2) The counting board shall sort the ballots into separate stacks for each of the candidates or side of a ballot measure. Additional stacks may be created for overvotes, undervotes, and write-ins.
(3) Members of the counting board must manually count each sorted stack at least twice to confirm the number of votes . The results of the manual count shall not be shared until each stack's count has been confirmed.
(4) If the manual stack counts match, the counting board shall report the results to the designated staff person and the results shall be compared to the precinct or batch results previously certified.
(5) If the manual counts do not match the precinct or batch results previously certified, the ballots shall be counted by the same counting board one more time. If the manual counts still do not match the precinct or batch results previously certified, the discrepancy must be reported to the designated staff person and the ballots referred to another counting board to be confirmed.
(6) Once the results are confirmed, the canvassing board shall amend both the cumulative and precinct abstracts to reflect the results of the recount as required by RCW 29A.64.061.
Statutory Authority: RCW 29A.04.611. 09-12-078, § 434-264-110, filed 5/29/09, effective 6/29/09; 07-12-032, § 434-264-110, filed 5/30/07, effective 6/30/07.
