Record the Return of Mail Ballots
This topic explains how to process returned mail ballots for counties using the Voter Focus method of return; that is, the method for counties not using a third-party system for mail ballot processing. Counties with
The processing of returned mail ballots updates voter records to indicate their ballot has been received. The record will also indicate whether the ballot was properly voted, referred to the Canvassing Board for some reason, or returned as undeliverable by the postal service. It also increments totals of returned mail ballots for reporting purposes.
Voter Focus gives you the option of organizing returned ballots into batches, which can help with the management of these important documents. If your county uses batch control and you are interested in more details, refer to About Batches for Returned Mail Ballots.
To record the return of a group of mail ballots:
-
Ensure that the election you want is in focus.
-
Go to Vote By Mail > Return Ballots.
-
On the Returns Ballots dialog, in the Return Date field, enter the date the ballots were received in the elections office.
In the Return
Batch field, enter a new batch ID or the ID of the batch you were
previously working in. If your county does not use batch control or uses
a third-party system
Click Continue.
-
Swipe the bar code on the first returned ballot in the group.
If the ballot does not have a bar code (as in
the case of emailed or faxed ballots) or the bar code is not readable,
click 
to
open the Find
a Voter dialog. Then do a search for the voter.
If the voter's ballot style has changed since ballot was released, a message will appear similar to the one below.
Should you see such a message, the action you take depends on your county's procedures. Some counties have their workers click OK and continue with processing of the ballot, but refer the ballot to the Canvassing Board; however this is not required. Check with your absentee coordinator to determine what you should do here.
If the voter has recently moved to a non-voting precinct, and they returned their ballot after moving, you will see the message:
Voter's current precinct not voting. OK to continue with absentee return.
Click OK and then continue with the return as described below. You should accept or refer the return in accordance with your county's procedures.
-
On the Return Ballots dialog, compare the signature clip in the voter's record with the signature on the return envelope. (Ballots sent by email or fax and returned by email or fax might not have signatures; for these ballots, the signature verification can be skipped.)
To see a larger view of the signature clip, click View Image.
At this point, you might consider selecting the option Send Sign Renewal Letter to schedule the voter for a Signature Update Request notice. This is automatically done if the ballot is referred due to the reason Signature different from File, but you can select this option for any returned mail ballot, regardless of whether it is accepted or referred.
-
If the voter is a MARG voter, notice that the value in Referral Reason is MARG Voter - No Id and a button labeled Photo ID/Exemption appears above the Referral Reason box. For MARG voters, there are only three possible referral reasons unless a photo ID or exemption is recorded with the return: MARG Voter - No Id, Returned Undeliverable, and Temporarily Away/Forwarding Address.
If the MARG voter did not include proof of a photo ID or exemption document, click Refer Return. This completes return of the voter's ballot.
If the MARG voter included proof of photo ID or exemption with their ballot, click Photo ID/Exemption. On the Select Exemption or Photo ID Provided dialog, select the type of ID they provided and click OK.
Now that you have recorded the ID/exemption, the full slate of values in the Referral Reason field are now available.
- If the voter received their ballot by email or fax, or by mail to an overseas address, the Overseas Ballot Return Method field will be visible. Select M—Mail, E—Email, and F—Fax to indicate how the ballot was returned by the voter.
- To accept the ballot, click Accept Return. From there you can process the next ballot in the group. Voters whose ballots are accepted will show Voted <date of acceptance> on the Vote-By-Mailtab of their voter registration record.
If the ballot cannot be accepted, select a reason from the Referral Reason drop-down menu and click Refer Return. Voters whose ballots are referred to the Canvassing Board will show Voter-Error <date of referral> on the Vote By Mail tab of their voter registration record.
Voter Focus prints a Canvassing Referral Sheet if the ballot is referred because the signatures did not match. The sheet prints to your default printer and can be attached to the ballot before being set aside for the Canvassing Board's review. Depending on how your Voter Focus system is optioned, a Canvassing Referral Sheet will be printed for other referral reasons except Returned Undeliverable and Temporarily Away/Forwarding Address. (The option controlling this is VOTER FOCUS ADMIN > System Options > Vote By Mail > Print Canvassing Referral Sheet for All Reasons.) If you want a sheet for a voter whose referral reason is Returned Undeliverable or Temporarily Away/Forwarding Address, you can print it using the Reprint Referral Sheet button on the Return Ballots dialog.
Voters whose ballot is referred will be scheduled for the notice defined for the referral reason in VOTER FOCUS ADMIN > System Codes > Vote-By-Mail Referral Reasons > Notice Sent to Voter.
See About Referral of Returned Mail Ballots for more information on referring ballots.
Depending on how your Voter Focus system is set up, referred ballots might be held for managerial review. See How to Review Referred Mail Ballots for more information.
