How to Research Poll Tape Posting Policy
New to America Counts? Check out the Overview.
Poll Tape Policy Varies by State and County
To make a plan to use Actual Vote, you have to know how poll tapes work in your area. You can check what America Counts already knows about your state.
In some states, such as Florida and Georgia, the law requires poll tapes to be posted in public at polling places on election night. In these states, you can be an Actual Vote Hero.
In other states, such as Pennsylvania and Ohio, it’s not as clear. It seems like some counties may post the tapes on election night, but further research is required. Such research might reveal that:
- A few counties in Ohio post the tapes, and Actual Vote Heroes can record the tapes in these counties),
- The rest of the counties don’t, so you don’t have the option of being an Actual Vote Hero in these counties.
This research will help avoid people going out to be Actual Vote Heroes only to find that poll tapes aren’t posted in their county.
This page explains how to do that research.
Limitations of America Counts's Research
America Counts wants to give you the best information about using Actual Vote that we practically can.
We’ve researched laws and manuals for all 50 states, and made a phone calls to key counties. But we’re a small team, so we can’t do comprehensive research for each county. In particular:
- It can be hard to find definitive answers in law and manuals alone
- Poll tape posting policy can change since the time of our research, such as if a county decides to change its voting equipment or decides to no longer tabulate results at polling places
- Election officials and poll workers who are required to post poll tapes might not be aware of this
- Your county might have a different policy than other counties in your state, but it’s not obvious from just what we’ve found
- Election officials in your county are the definitive source of information, but America Counts can’t call all of them
So regardless of what we’ve found out about your state and county, it’s always a good idea to call your local election officials (you can use the contact info we provide on the page for your state) and ask how poll tapes work in your county.
Steps for Finding Poll Tape Info for Your County
This is a good way to get started.
Here’s a summary of what you might find:
For some states, we’ve found a law or regulation that says that posting poll tapes is required, and we give the relevant link in the “More Information” section. We’re pretty sure you can be an Actual Vote Hero in these states, but you can always complete the steps below to be sure.
For some states, we have reason to believe that some counties may post tapes while other don’t. In these states, it’s critical to do the research below for your county to see if poll tapes are posted and you can be an Actual Vote Hero.
For the rest of the states, we have reason to believe that poll tapes are basically not posted. In these states, if you do the research below, there’s a chance you might find out that poll tapes are actually posted in your county, but it doesn’t seem likely based on what we know. For these states, we have provided suggestions for different ways to participate with Actual Vote.
To continue to Step 2, find your state’s or county’s elections website, either from your state’s Actual Vote Information Page, or by searching for “[my county], [my state] elections website”.
Then locate the contact information for your county’s elections office.
Here’s a simple example of a conversation you could have:
- Hi, I’m a resident of [my city], and I have a question about election procedure in [our state or county] for the upcoming election.
- Ok…
- I’d like to know if votes will be tabulated onsite at vote centers, or if all tabulation is done at a central location.
- [If it’s all done at a central location, that means poll tapes won’t be posted at vote centers on election night—there’s your answer.]
- [If tabulation occurs at vote centers, great! Go on.]
- Ok, so here’s my main question: will they be posting poll tapes from the tabulating equipment at vote centers for the public to view?
- [If no, that means poll tapes won’t be posted—there’s your answer.]
- [If yes, great! That means you can be an Actual Vote Hero in your county. Go on.]
- Great, so I could swing by on election night after they’re posted and take a look if I wanted to.
- Yes. But… why would you want to?
- Oh, I’m an elections nerd. I enjoy little details like that. Anyway, thanks for your help!
Be polite, assertive, and persistent. Your election officials work for you! And it’s your right as a citizen to know the specific election policies in your area.
When all is said and done, if the poll tapes will be posted on election night, go be an Actual Vote Hero!
If they’re not going to be posted, or you can’t find a definitive answer, that’s okay. You can always explore other ways you can make an impact with Actual Vote.
If you get a usable answer, feel free to drop us a line to let us know what you found out! We’ll add it to our research so that other Actual Vote users in your area can make use of it.
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