The following is a press release from Secretary of State Denise Merrill's office.
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Secretary of the State Denise Merrill joined Connecticut Voting Rights advocates at a news conference at the State Capitol to randomly select the voting precincts which will have election results audited following the . As required by Connecticut General Statutes 9-320f, ten percent of the polling precincts in the election using optical scan voting machines are subject to an audit. All told, 523 polling precincts used optical scan voting machines on Aug. 14, meaning that some 53 precincts were chosen to have their election results audited.
“Voters had their say on Aug. 14 about who they want on the general election ballot,” said Secretary Merrill, Connecticut’s chief elections official. “Now, it is our duty to audit the machine totals from the statewide primaries to ensure the accuracy of our optical scanners. We are committed to making sure Connecticut voters have continued confidence that their votes were recorded accurately and that’s why these independent audits are so vital.”
The audits can begin as of today and must be completed by Sept. 17, 2012.
“Auditing election results isn’t just a good idea, it’s absolutely essential in order to guarantee the integrity of our elections,” said Secretary Merrill. “We don’t just take the machines’ word for it. So we will have every ballot cast in a full 10 percent of precincts using optical scan machines hand counted and matched against the machine totals. Connecticut has the toughest elections audit law in the country and I am confident that following this audit the numbers will once again match.”
In total, audits will be conducted in 60 precincts. The law requires a hand audit 10 percent of all polling places where optical scan machines were used in all elections and primaries. (Polling precincts which are already part of a recount are exempt from audits by statute). In addition to the 53 precincts chosen for an audit, there were also 10 alternate precincts chosen. The provisions in the law, developed in close cooperation with the computer science department at the University of Connecticut, give Connecticut one of the strictest audit statutes in the country. Connecticut is the first state in New England to require a comprehensive audit of election results.
Connecticut General Statute 9-320f states that local Registrars of Voters, “… shall conduct a manual audit of the votes recorded in not less than ten per cent of the voting districts in the state, district or municipality, whichever is applicable. Such manual audit shall be noticed in advance and be open to public observation.” The results of audits will be analyzed by the University of Connecticut and then presented to the Secretary of the State’s Office and the State Elections Enforcement Commission, and ultimately made available to the public.
The law contains a detailed description of the audit process:
“The manual audit… shall consist of the manual tabulation of the paper ballots cast and counted by each voting machine subject to such audit. Once complete, the vote totals established pursuant to the manual tabulation shall be compared to the results reported by the voting machine on the day of the election or primary. The results of the manual tabulation shall be reported on a form prescribed by the Secretary of the State which shall include the total number of ballots counted, the total votes received by each candidate in question, the total votes received by each candidate in question on ballots that were properly completed by each voter and the total votes received by each candidate in question on ballots that were not properly completed by each voter. Such report shall be filed with the Secretary of the State who shall immediately forward such report to The University of Connecticut for analysis. The University of Connecticut shall file a written report with the Secretary of the State regarding such analysis that describes any discrepancies identified. After receipt of such report, the Secretary of the State shall file such report with the State Elections Enforcement Commission.”
List of polling precincts to be audited:
Town Polling Place
Bethany
Town Hall
Bethel
Frank A. Berry School - 5
Bolton
Community Hall
Branford
Brandford Hill School - Voting District 4
Bridgeport
PARK CITY MAGNET
Bridgeport
BLACKHAM SCHOOL
Bristol
Stafford School 77 Dist. 3
Danbury
Pembroke School Gym - Ward 2
Durham
Korn School 2
East Hartford
Mayberry School
Ellington
Ellington High School
Farmington
West Woods School - District 1 Precinct 5
Greenwich
Central Middle School Dist. 8
Groton
City Of Groton Municipal Building Dist. 3
Haddam
Central Office
Hartford
Kennelly School
Kent
Town Hall
Killingly
South Killingly Fire Station Dist. 3
Ledyard
Juliet Long Elementary School - 2
Madison
District 1 (South)
Manchester
Manchester High School
Mansfield
Mansfield Fire Department #107 at Eagleville
Marlborough
Elmer Thienes Elementary School
Meriden
St. Rose Community Center Area 1
Montville
Town Hall-Gym-1
New Britain
STANLEY HOLMES SCHOOL District 11
New Britain
School Apartments District 5-1
New Haven
Mauro-Sheridan School Ward 26
New London
District 1
Newington
John Wallace Middle School---District 5
North Branford
Jerome Harrison Elementary School
Plainville
Linden Street School
Pomfret
Pomfret Community School
Ridgefield
Yanity Gym
Rocky Hill
West Hill School
Seymour
Paul E Chatfield School
Simsbury
Latimer Lane School
Southington
Plantsville School
Southington
Kennedy School
Stamford
SPRINGDALE SCHOOL (REAR ENT.)
Stonington
Deans Mill School
Thompson
Quinebaug Volunteer Fire Department
Torrington
Armory
Trumbull
Middlebrook School Dist. 4
Trumbull
St Joseph High School Dist. 2
Wallingford
Yalesville Elementary School
Washington
Town Hall
Waterbury
CROSBY HIGH SCHOOL
Watertown
Swift Middle School
Wilton
Wilton High School - District 1
Winchester
Pearson School
Windsor Locks
Windsor Locks High School
Woodbury
Senior/Community Center
List of Alternate Polling Precincts chosen:
Town Polling Place
Bridgeport
THOMAS HOOKER L
Bethel
Frank A. Berry School - 3
Thompson
East Thompson Fire Station
Durham
Korn School 4
Derby
Irving Elementary School Ward 1 Dist 104
Greenwich
North Street School
Seymour
Seymour Old Middle School 1
Simsbury
Henry James Memorial School
Bridgeport
CESAR BATALLA
Killingworth
Killingworth Elementary School
