Election Isn't Over Yet

If you thought the Nov. 4 election was over at 10 p.m., when Susan Benton won the sheriff's race, take a look at the Highlands County elections office.

On Friday, they were still counting, still testing their own results and assuring state election officials that the vote totals were accurate.

After the election ended, there were still 11 deadlines to meet, said Supervisor of Elections Joe Campbell.

The first was midnight on Nov. 4, when the preliminary election returns were required by the state of Florida.

Two days later, Campbell and the canvassing board had to finish examining the 147 provisional ballots, and decided which ones to count.

"When a person votes a provisional ballot, they have two days to come in and give proof," said Campbell. Provisional ballots are for people who can't prove their eligibility at the polls.

"They may be registered in another state or county, or they may be a convicted felon," Campbell said. Or a signature may not match. "They have two days to come in and show their driver's license, or their clemency papers, to prove whatever they need to prove."

Overseas ballots are due 10 days after the election, Campbell said. "If it's postmarked by Nov. 14, we have to count it, but only for the federal race. If it gets here before the election, everything counts."

By Nov. 16, Campbell was required to file a Conduct of the Election report with the Florida Division of Elections.

"If there are any problems, we're required to tell the state about it," Campbell said. He marked yes on one of the five pages because one of the two scanners failed to work at Precinct 16, Avon Park Lakes.

"I don't think there were any votes cast in it. But what we do when that happens is, if there are any ballots in the machine, we put them in the emergency bin. Then two officials from two different parties - so that nobody thinks there's any hanky panky - takes the ballots from the emergency bin, and they're run through the other scanner."

The new list of elected officials is due on Nov. 17, so the state knows who to contact when newly elected officials are commissioned, Campbell said.

Friday found election officials auditing a random precinct.

"This is a new law," Campbell said. "Within seven days after we certify the election, we pull a randomly selected precinct and race. We put all precincts into a hat, and we put each race in a hat. And we had another person from another office come in and draw out names. They drew Precinct 9, and it was the Guy Maxcy, Zane Thomas race."

At 9 a.m. Friday, the election officials looked at each ballot, including absentee and early voting. They counted the undervotes - where a voter doesn't vote in a particular race - and examined each questionable vote.

"I've always preached and preached," Campbell said. "Darken those ovals."

If a voter just marks his choice with an X or a check, the scanner may not see enough ink to count the choice.

"The machine may show it as a blank ballot," Campbell said. He is required to explain why ballots don't match the count. If the state sees a pattern of undervotes or machine errors, it may decide to change procedures.

By Dec. 8, the results of the manual audit must be reported to the state, and on the next day, the individual results of all 26 precincts must be filed.

On Dec. 15, the final report - the over and undervote in the presidential election - is due to the state. The ballots, which are stored in Campbell's office, can be taken to the warehouse.

Good Job

He credits a relatively smooth election day to absentee and early voting, in which 20,800 ballots were cast. That's 45 percent of the total votes cast in the election.

Campbell admits he wasn't convinced when the state first proposed early voting.

"I had mixed emotions," Campbell said. "I knew it was going to be expensive to the taxpayers, which it is. When there's a low turnout, it's very expensive. When there's a high turnout then it's worth the money."

The first time Highlands County voted early, so many people jammed the election office that the fire marshal interceded. There were too many people on the second floor of the County Government Center.

"We had to move it downstairs," Campbell recalled.

These days, he credits early voting with making election days go smoothly.

"We've never had the long, long lines like they've had in other counties. I heard a rumor that in Orange County, they fielded 10,000 calls in one election. Their workers couldn't get through."

"A lot of preparation went into it," said Campbell. Polling places had to be arranged, forms and ballots ordered, equipment checked and maintained, rechecked and reset for the Jan. 29 presidential primary, the Aug. 26 state primary, and the Nov. 4 presidential election.

"We started preparing in May."