November 4, 2008 Presidential General Election
Precinct Tracker
Official Results
Warren Slocum
Chief Elections Officer
The Precinct Tracker is a web-based, bar-code/scanning application that makes it possible for the Elections Office staff and the public to know the exact location of ballots (electronic and paper), supplies and voting equipment on Election Day/Night as the material moves through the process. It helps create a transparent chain of custody record.
How does it work?
Most every election component is bar-coded. The MBBs (Mobile Ballot Boxes–the name given to the electronic media that stores ballots cast at a precinct), JBCs (the “brain” of the eSlate voting system) and the supplies are bar-coded and affiliated with a specific precinct. These precinct components are scanned at each location in the chain of custody. The scanning process updates the Precinct Tracker and the location and status of a precinct's components are shown onscreen.
Here´s what each color on the precinct grid means:
| Color | Location of Ballots, Equipment and Supplies | Status |
|---|---|---|
| Blue | Warehouse (after L&A) | In secured storage awaiting Election Day |
| Red | At Precinct | Arrival - Polling Location |
| Orange | At Receiving Station | Post Election Collection Point |
| Yellow | At Tower (MB not tallied) | Arrival - Election Warehouse |
| Green | At Tower (MBB tallied) | Ballot Counted |
Once the polls close, poll workers complete a series of security and chain of custody logs, reconcile voted and un-voted ballots and pack up their precinct. The MBBs, paper ballots, JBC, and supplies in the Red suitcase are driven by the Inspector and one Judge to a designated receiving station. Upon arrival, the contents are scanned and then transferred to the Transport Truck where a different two-person team of “runners” drives the Transport Truck to the Elections Office.
Once at Elections, everything is off-loaded, rescanned and delivered to the tabulation group. They “read” the MBBs and after the MBBs are “read” and the votes are counted, the MBB is scanned for the final time–that's when the precinct status will turn green to indicate that the votes cast at that precinct have been counted.