19:53B-17. Reading of emergency ballots

26. The district board members, in the actual procedure of counting the emergency ballots, shall break the seal and open the emergency ballot box. The emergency ballots shall be taken singly and separately therefrom by the judge of the election board. Ballot envelopes marked "SPOILED" shall be set aside and remain unopened, and at the conclusion of counting the emergency ballots shall be placed on the string or wire after all other ballots. The outside front of each envelope which contains a voted emergency ballot shall be numbered in consecutive order beginning with the number one. This number shall be circled. While each emergency ballot shall remain in the hands of the judge, the judge shall audibly and publicly read the ballot in full view of the other members of the district board, including the inspector of the district election board. The inspector shall verify that each emergency ballot is being correctly read by the judge. The remaining members of the district election board shall record the votes on the tally sheets, as provided. The district board members shall also record the number of void ballots on the tally sheets, as provided.

After the reading of an emergency ballot, including a ballot determined to be void, and before taking another emergency ballot from the box, the judge shall deliver the ballot to the inspector, who shall write on the back thereof the number of the emergency ballot in consecutive order beginning with the number one, in the order in which the same shall have been taken from the box; and shall string the envelope that contains the emergency ballot as one ticket in the order in which the envelope was taken from the box and numbered, on the string or wire to be provided for that purpose.

The outside front of each envelope that contains a voided emergency ballot shall have the word "VOID" written next to the circled number.

After all the envelopes which contain the emergency ballots cast in one election district have been tallied and strung, the envelopes shall be returned to the ballot box. All unused emergency ballots and pre-punched single-hole plain white envelopes shall also be placed in the emergency ballot box.

L.1992,c.3,s.26.