Under Charter section 26, the Mayor is assigned the responsibility for opening the sealed
boxes of ballots returned by Ward Election Officials the night of the election.
The Rules of Procedure for Recounts previously approved by the Board of Aldermen, are
as follows:
1.
2.
3.
RULES OF PROCEDURE FOR RECOUNTS
The City Clerk will operate with two-person recount teams.
For each two-person team, each candidate may have one observer.
Each candidate will be informed as to how many two-person teams will be
conducting his/her particular recount.
a. The candidate or designee shail be responsible for identifying, organizing,
instructing, and supervising the candidate’s observers.
b. The City Clerk will conduct the recount as scheduled. The recount will not
be delayed by the absence of a candidate or of a candidate’s observers.
c. It is the sole responsibility of the candidate or his/her designee to ensure
that the candidate has an observer at each counting team
Each candidate, directly or through his or her observers, will control the pace of
the recount and bear responsibility for the accuracy of the recount.
a. The procedures set forth below allow the candidate or his/her observers to
slow or stop the process at any point should doubt arise about how a ballot
is being counted or the accuracy of the counting.
b. However, only one opportunity will exist to challenge the count of each ballot
and only one opportunity will exist to challenge the accuracy of each step
of the counting process.
c. When a candidate or his/her observer fails to make a challenge when that
one opportunity arises, the candidate waives his or her privitege to contest
the manner in which a ballot is counted or the accuracy of that step in the
counting process.
Observers shall not have any writing instrument in their hands at any time while
observing or while sitting at the recount table.
Observers are prohibited from touching the ballots.
Observers shall not have any food or drink at the recount table.
No cell phones may be used in the recount area.
