Code of Massachusetts Regulations › 950 CMR - OFFICE OF THE SECRETARY OF THE COMMONWEALTH › Title 950 CMR 54.00 - Voting And Counting Procedures For Electronic Voting Systems › Section 54.07 - Counting Procedures for Punch-Card Ballots

Current through Register 1525, July 5, 2024
(1)
Application
. 950
			 CMR 54.07 applies wherever punch-card ballots are used. As used in 950 CMR
			 54.07 "computer" means any device for counting or tabulating punch-card
			 ballots.
(2)
Establishment of Tabulation Center
. The city or town
			 clerk must designate a central tabulation center, or must designate all the
			 polling places as tabulation centers, not later than one week before the date
			 of the election. The center must have a barrier of some sort to enclose the
			 counting area so that no unauthorized persons may touch any election materials
			 or be in the counting area at any time.
(3)
Personnel
. The
			 center shall be staffed by a warden, a clerk, and as many inspectors as the
			 city or town clerk determines to be necessary. The warden is the presiding
			 officer at the tabulation center, but the city or town clerk is the presiding
			 officer at a central tabulation center. The presiding officer shall assign
			 election officers any duties that will assure compliance with this chapter. The
			 warden and clerk must be from different political parties and the inspectors
			 equally divided among the two leading political parties. All tabulation center
			 personnel must be adequately trained in advance in the use of equipment which
			 they will operate.
(4)
Observers
. The chairman of each city or town political
			 committee may appoint in writing a computer expert to observe the proceedings
			 at the tabulation center. The general public must be allowed to observe all
			 proceedings at the tabulation center, but election officers may establish a
			 guard rail or similar device to separate observers from the election officers,
			 ballots, and counting equipment. If there are so many observers that they
			 obstruct the proceedings, election officers may take appropriate steps to
			 ensure cooperation in observing and collecting information.
(5)
Transportation to Central
			 Tabulation Center
.
(a) If a
			 central tabulation center is within the city or town, the container shall
			 immediately be transported to the tabulation center accompanied by the precinct
			 warden, the precinct clerk, and a police officer, who shall exercise constant
			 control and supervision over the locked metal carrying case.
(b) If a central tabulation center is outside
			 the city or town, the locked metal carrying case shall instead first be
			 similarly transported to the office of the city or town clerk and all metal
			 carrying case shall be transported together to the tabulation center in
			 vehicles designated by the city or town clerk and owned by the city or town.
			 Each presiding officer shall transfer possession of the key to his carrying
			 case to the city or town clerk. The carrying cases shall be loaded in full
			 public view and unloaded in the presence of the election officers at the
			 tabulation center. The vehicle transporting the carrying cases outside the city
			 or town shall be accompanied at all times by the city or town clerk or his
			 designee, and the carrying cases shall not be opened at any time before they
			 arrive at the tabulation center.