What happens if a ballot is damaged or improperly marked?
By ANGELO FICHERA
Associated Press
Election workers reconstruct or “duplicate” ballots that are damaged or improperly marked. That involves transcribing a voter’s choices from the damaged ballot onto a new ballot that can be scanned and counted. That can sound strange to those not familiar with election administration. But the process is a legitimate method for ensuring votes aren’t discarded simply because a ballot can’t be read by a machine. Ballot duplication is also used for ballots cast by overseas and military voters. The exact process varies by state but is often done by representatives of different political parties.
