Board hears plan to manage new two-page ballots and scanning challenges

Allison Murphy told the board that "6 out of 8 polling places will have a 2 page ballot," the first time in her 20 years the county will use separate two-page ballots at most polling places. She described operational steps to ensure voters and judges handle multi-page ballots correctly.

Murphy explained that the scanner increments the public count when it recognizes page 1; page 2 is read for votes but does not increase the public count, so it is vital that voting judges ensure both pages are scanned. She also noted the higher page count may increase time on ballot-marking devices and lengthen the mail-in ballot canvas, and the office has added an additional scanner to the mail-in ballot canvas to help manage throughput.