Code of Maine Rules › 29 - DEPARTMENT OF THE SECRETARY OF STATE › 250 - BUREAU OF MOTOR VEHICLES › Bureau of Corporations, Elections and Commissions › Chapter 535 - RULES GOVERNING THE ADMINISTRATION OF ELECTIONS DETERMINED BY RANKED-CHOICE VOTING › Section 250-535-5 - Preparation for Ranked-choice counting

Current through 2024-29, July 17, 2024
1.
Central location for ranked-choice count.
The Secretary of State
				  will select a suitable facility in the Augusta area, in which to securely store
				  the election materials and conduct the RCV count. The space used for storage of
				  ballots and memory devices that contain cast vote records must be secured
				  against access by unauthorized personnel and all access must be logged. The
				  Secretary of State is responsible for security of the storage and counting
				  space. No ranked-choice counting personnel will have access to the areas where
				  ballots or memory devices are stored unless accompanied by at least one other
				  authorized person.
2.
Retrieval of election materials.
The Secretary of State will
				  contract with a private courier service (hereafter "courier") to provide secure
				  retrieval of the election materials from the affected municipalities and
				  deliver them to the RCV counting facility if an RCV count is needed. Once the
				  Secretary of State determines that an RCV count is needed for one or more
				  ranked-choice contests, the Secretary of State will notify the courier and the
				  affected municipalities that election materials will be retrieved. The courier
				  is responsible for the coordination and retrieval of the ballots and/or memory
				  devices, as applicable, from the affected municipalities; transportation of
				  these materials to the RCV counting facility; and ensuring the security of
				  these materials while in the courier's custody. The Secretary of State will
				  provide transmittal forms to document the chain of custody from the
				  municipality to the courier's personnel. Secretary of State personnel at the
				  RCV counting facility will accept and log the materials upon receipt from the
				  courier. Municipalities that used the digital scan tabulators to tabulate their
				  ballots will provide the courier with all memory devices containing results and
				  cast vote records for the election. The Secretary of State will provide
				  transmittal packaging and tamper-evident seals to be used for memory device
				  transmittal. If any ballots were not scanned by a tabulator, the municipality
				  must seal these ballots in a separate container or envelope from the fully
				  scanned and counted ballots, and must provide the container or envelope of
				  unscanned ballots to the courier along with the memory devices. Municipalities
				  that hand-counted their absentee and election day ballots must provide the
				  courier with all tamper-proof containers used to seal the hand-counted ballots
				  cast in the election.
3.
Ranked-choice counting personnel.
The following personnel may
				  participate in the ranked-choice counting process.
A.
Supervisor of ranked-choice voting
				  count.
The ranked-choice counting rounds will be conducted under the
				  supervision of the Secretary of State, or his or her designee, who is called
				  the RCV Supervisor. The RCV Supervisor will direct and oversee the conduct of
				  the RCV count according to all applicable laws, rules and procedures.
B.
Ranked-choice voting
				  assistants.
The Secretary of State or RCV Supervisor will designate the
				  necessary number of Department staff to act as RCV Assistants. If additional
				  personnel are needed, the Secretary of State may designate municipal election
				  officials or UOCAVA election officials to act as RCV Assistants.
C.
Security personnel.
The
				  Secretary of State may use law enforcement personnel from the Department's
				  Office of Investigations to receive the election materials from the courier's
				  personnel and secure the materials at the RCV counting facility.
D.
Vendor support staff.
The
				  Secretary of State may authorize support staff from the voting system vendor to
				  be present during the ranked-choice voting count to assist ranked-choice
				  counting personnel with using the software and hardware necessary to complete
				  the count.
E.
Additional
				  staff.
The Secretary of State and the Department's legal counsel may
				  assist with the RCV count as needed.