CERA Absentee and Mail Voting Administration 2 — Questions and Answers
Question 1: What is a ballot drop box used for in elections administration?
- Storing unused ballots after election night
- Providing voters a secure location to return completed absentee ballots without using the mail (Correct answer)
- Collecting provisional ballot envelopes only
- Distributing sample ballots to the public
Correct answer: Providing voters a secure location to return completed absentee ballots without using the mail
Ballot drop boxes are secure, monitored receptacles where voters can deposit completed absentee/mail ballots as an alternative to mailing them.
Question 2: What is 'ballot harvesting' and why is it controversial?
- The process of printing ballots in bulk
- The practice of a third party collecting and submitting completed absentee ballots on behalf of voters, which some states restrict or prohibit due to fraud concerns (Correct answer)
- Recycling spoiled ballots for paper use
- Electronically tabulating mail ballots early
Correct answer: The practice of a third party collecting and submitting completed absentee ballots on behalf of voters, which some states restrict or prohibit due to fraud concerns
Ballot harvesting (third-party ballot collection) is restricted or banned in many states because of concerns about coercion, tampering, or selective non-submission.
Question 3: Under most state laws, what does 'canvassing' of absentee ballots refer to?
- Door-to-door voter registration drives
- The official process of opening, verifying, and preparing absentee ballots for tabulation (Correct answer)
- Designing the ballot layout
- Training poll workers on absentee procedures
Correct answer: The official process of opening, verifying, and preparing absentee ballots for tabulation
Canvassing refers to the official review process — checking signatures, opening envelopes, and preparing ballots — before or after Election Day tabulation.
Question 4: What is the purpose of a 'secrecy envelope' (inner envelope) in a two-envelope absentee ballot system?
- To hold the voter's ID documents
- To separate the voted ballot from the identifiable outer envelope, protecting ballot secrecy (Correct answer)
- To display postage prepaid information
- To hold the signature affidavit
Correct answer: To separate the voted ballot from the identifiable outer envelope, protecting ballot secrecy
The inner secrecy envelope ensures that once the outer envelope is verified and removed, the voter's identity cannot be linked to their specific ballot.
Question 5: Which HAVA provision most directly affects absentee voting administration for first-time voters who registered by mail?
- It requires all states to offer no-excuse absentee voting
- It requires first-time voters who registered by mail and did not provide ID verification to show ID when voting, including by absentee (Correct answer)
- It mandates paper records for all absentee ballots
- It requires drop boxes at every polling place
Correct answer: It requires first-time voters who registered by mail and did not provide ID verification to show ID when voting, including by absentee
HAVA Section 303 requires first-time mail registrants who did not provide a verifiable ID number to submit ID documentation when voting, including absentee.
Question 6: What is the recommended chain-of-custody practice for absentee ballot drop boxes?
- Empty them only on Election Day
- Use a single staff member to collect ballots alone
- Require at least two election workers of different parties to retrieve and log ballots on a defined schedule (Correct answer)
- Allow any member of the public to retrieve and deliver contents to the office
Correct answer: Require at least two election workers of different parties to retrieve and log ballots on a defined schedule
Best practice requires bipartisan retrieval teams who log the collection time and ballot count to maintain a secure, auditable chain of custody.
CERA Absentee and Mail Voting Administration 2
What is a ballot drop box used for in elections administration?