WASHINGTON — Virginia's general elections are expected to end with several close races as Democrats and Republicans battle for control of the state legislature. With so much at stake, voters want to make sure their vote actually counts, including one viewer who was worried that if she didn't fill in her ballot perfectly, it wouldn't be counted.
“I have a mild disability that makes it difficult to write," a voter named Christyna said. "If I don’t fill in the bubbles on my ballot perfectly, will my vote still count?”
QUESTION
Will voting machines in Virginia still count paper ballots if the ovals are not perfectly filled in?
SOURCES
Angie Maniglia-Turner, Alexandria Office of Voter Registration and Elections
Tania Griffin, Arlington County Officer of Voter Registration and Elections
Ricky Keech, Loudoun County Department of Elections
Chelsea LeViner, Spotsylvania County Office of Elections
Brian Hancock, Unisyn
ANSWER
Voting machines in Virginia will count ballots that are not filled out perfectly and give voters a chance to fix errors.
WHAT WE FOUND
People who vote in-person have a chance to fix any potential errors on their ballot, and can also receive help if needed to avoid mistakes and account for disabilities.
Unisyn makes the scanner machines in Loudoun and Arlington counties and the cities of Fairfax, Manassas, and Manassas Park. Brian Hancock, its Director of Infrastructure Policy and Product Development, said in an email that, "Unisyn testing has found that the Unisyn OpenElect system will consistently recognize hand marked target areas on ballots with a 60% fill of the target area. If the voter makes a mark that is so light that the scanner cannot distinguish it, the ballot should be kicked back to the voter with a notation that one (or potentially more) races have been under voted. At that point the voter could correct the mark and re-scan her ballot."
The Deputy Director of Loudoun County's Department of Elections, Ricky Keech, said its machines are capable of recognizing a vote when the oval on the ballot is approximately 20% filled in. The Elections Operations Administrator for Spotsylvania County, Chelsea LeViner, said machines there also recognize votes if the oval is 20% filled. She added that if the tabulation scanner cannot recognize a vote, it will give the voter the option to rectify their ballot.
Angie Maniglia-Turner, General Registrar and Director of Elections for the City of Alexandria, said voters need only make a distinctive mark for their votes to count. She added that voters may ask a poll worker for a new ballot if they make a mistake.
Tania Griffin, a spokesperson for the Arlington County's Office of Voter Registration and Elections, said machines will reject ballots they cannot read and give in-person voters a chance to fix any errors. For people who vote by mail, Griffin said election workers will count every vote as long as they can determine the intent of the voter.
Virginia state law allows voters with disabilities to request help filling out their ballots, either from an election official or someone of their choosing. Both parties must fill out an assistance request form to ensure that the voter is not being coerced.
All polling places in Virginia have machines available for voters with disabilities, according to the Virginia Department of Elections. Voters can use a touchscreen or other means to make their selections, with the machine delivering a printed version of their ballot.