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Evaluation Results

You got lucky last time! You are not alone—most of your fellow union election officials face exactly the same challenges and failures. As elections have become more complex, it has become virtually impossible to meet every requirement to the letter.

Your election process likely meets these requirements:

• Adequate safeguards and controls
• Observation and election process transparency
• Ballot accountability and accuracy

However, you are risking an election challenge in these areas:

Adequate safeguards and controls

This requirement ensures that a documented election process exists to guide LMRDA-compliant elections and resolve disputes or challenges that may arise; that this documented election process is followed; that the security of ballots is maintained at all times by restricting and controlling access; and that checks and balances in the handling of ballots, ballot packages, mailing, and receipt of ballots will preclude individuals from having access or opportunity to mark, tamper, modify, duplicate, or steal ballots.

But when faced with a huge number of requirements for vote collection, it is easy to overlook a few. For example, unions are required to have separate mailboxes for completed or absentee ballots and undelivered ballots. If you allow the return deadline to pass without picking up ballots from the post office, you may inadvertently allow late ballots to be counted instead of voided. Pickup of ballots by someone who is not an election official can invalidate an entire election, as can the inability to verify that the chain of custody for completed ballots has been maintained during receipt and transport from the post office.

You can count on BallotPoint for 100% compliance for safeguards and controls on your ballots.

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Observation and election process transparency

This requirement ensures that all candidates are allowed to have an observer present as part of the election process; that election officials are afforded candidate-designated observers with the opportunity to monitor the whole of the election process; that observers are afforded the opportunity to be present any time ballots are handled, mailed, received, and counted; and that election results are posted promptly after the conclusion of the election.

In mail-ballot elections, it is extremely difficult (if not impossible) to provide adequate opportunity for election observers to observe the entire voting process and the counting of ballots because everything is done manually and is conducted at a number of different places and times.

You can count on BallotPoint for 100% effective and transparent observation processes.

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Ballot accountability and accuracy

This requirement ensures that:

• Election officials maintain an audit trail of the election process sufficient to substantiate the integrity of the election
• Election officials are able to account for all ballots (printed, mailed, received, unused, or destroyed) throughout the entire election process and retained records
• Only votes verified as being from eligible voters and that are marked in a way that the voter’s intent is clear are counted
• Vote counts are accurate and verifiable
• Election records are maintained for one year
• All eligible voters will be allowed to vote
• Only eligible voters are allowed to vote
• All votes are cast in secret
• Nothing in the election process or the administration of that process can result in the identification of any voter with the contents of his or her vote

Mail-ballot elections have several likely pitfalls in this area. Logistically, any lapses in the accounting or security of ballots can lead to ineligible voters being allowed to vote. Delivery delays or misrouting of ballots to or from voters can lead to eligible voters being denied their right to vote. Members may be given the wrong ballots based on geography or craft.

In mail-ballot elections, it is also virtually impossible to account for all ballots printed (whether they were used, unused, or destroyed), or to verify that all ballots were received. And short of hiring security personnel around the clock, it is impossible to meet the LMRDA requirement for controlling access to ballots prior to their use.

Inconsistencies in the election audit trail also can complicate the process of settling election challenges and result in lengthy, disruptive investigations that shake the confidence of union members.

You can count on BallotPoint for 100% ballot accountability and accuracy.

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