Process Ballots

1. Click Voter Search on the Home screen.



2. As a best practice, we recommend selecting the applicable election from the Election filter.
3. To further refine the search results at this stage, click Advanced Search and select Ballot Printed from the Status filter.
4. Click Search to display the matching records sorted by last name. You can click any column header to sort the results by that column in ascending or descending order.
Note: For partial matches, the results are those that include your search criteria anywhere within the field.
5. Do one of the following to identify the voter:
   • Scan the bar code on the returned ballot to identify the voter.
   • If you don't have a bar code scanner, navigate through the list to find a voter. The default sort order is alphabetical by last name. If needed, you can click any column header to sort the list by that column in ascending or descending order. At the bottom of the screen, you can go to more pages.
6. Click the voter’s VUID. If you did not use the Election filter and the voter is listed for multiple elections, be careful to click the VUID for the correct election.



Details about the voter display in the top portion of the screen.

1. With Voter Details still displayed, click Return Ballot at the bottom of the screen to add a row in the Ballots section.



Note: At this point, the status changes to Ballot Returned. The return date is recorded by the system. When you upload the Voter Export file to the TEAM system as part of your daily or nightly routine, the voter’s history indicates that the ballot was returned.
2. If the ballot has been reviewed by the Ballot Board, you can update the ballot disposition. In the new row, click Ballot Disposition. Otherwise, continue from this step after the ballot is reviewed.
3. The ballot can be set to Accepted, Rejected, or Defected status. Do one of the following:
   • Click Accept, and then OK when prompted to confirm. The ballot is recorded in voter history as tabulated.
   • Select the Reject option, select from the list of reasons, and then click the Reject button in the right column. The ballot is recorded in voter history as non-tabulated.

     

   • Select the Defect option, select from the list of reasons, and then click the Defect button in the right column. The ballot is recorded in voter history as non-tabulated.

     

     Tip: Codes in the list of defect reasons are defined as: EVC=Early Voting Clerk, SVC=Signature Verification Committee, and EVBB=Early Voting Ballot Board.
4. If you rejected the ballot, select how to print the mailing label, ballot bar code, and ballot rejection letter.
   • Print Now. Save PDF files to the Downloads folder on your machine and display the PDFs in new browser tabs.
   • Schedule. Send the print objects to the Notices queue for print at a later time.

   

   Note:

   • Selecting Remember my selection retains your preference and hides this dialog for the duration of your current STAR session.
   • When you select Print Now, nothing is scheduled for the event in the Notices queue.
   • For more information about the mailing label, ballot bar code, and ballot rejection letter notices, see What's Included with Each Notice Type?.
5. If you rejected the ballot, do one of the following:
   • If you selected Print Now, see Print Applications, Rejection Letters, Bar Codes, and Labels for printing instructions.
   • If you selected Schedule on the Print Options dialog, see Print from the Notices Queue for instructions.

After a ballot is added, no further requests or ballots can be added in STAR for that voter and election combination.

After ballots are processed for an election, export voter history according to your daily or nightly routine.

You can accept all remaining ballots that have been added for an election in one entry.

1. First, add all ballots that have been returned for the election by associating a voter and the election with each ballot and clicking Return Ballot at the bottom of the Voter Search screen. Refer to the above procedures for instructions, if needed.
2. Individually reject all ballots that cannot be accepted. You can print the ballot rejection letters now or after you have accepted the remaining ballots.
Important: You should not use the Bulk Ballot Acceptance feature until you have rejected all ballots that cannot be accepted. You can accept ballots in bulk multiple times for an election, but the process cannot be undone.
3. Go to the Home screen and click Bulk Ballot Acceptance.



4. Select the applicable election.
5. Click Accept. The total number of voters with ballots to be accepted displays.



To review or save the list of voters, click CSV. The list of voter details displays in CSV format that you can simply review on-screen or save to a location of your choosing.



6. To process all ballots at this time, click Accept. All ballots that have been marked as returned but have not been rejected for the selected election are recorded in voter history as tabulated. The total number of recorded ballots displays.



7. Export voter history for the election according to your daily or nightly routine.

You can re-print ballot labels and bar codes up to three times at the voter's request. This may be necessary when these are lost in delivery or a voter's address changes.

In the event you receive a sub-sequent application from a voter for a replacement ballot, do the following:

1. First, follow the steps above to locate the correct voter.
2. In the Ballots section, click Release Ballot. This cancels the previous ballot and schedules a new set of ballot batch labels and a ballot bar code in Notices.