Resources > Everything in Its Place: Ballot Organization

Everything in Its Place: Ballot Organization

Ballots and Audits

Procedures and tools for orderly receiving and processing of mail ballots

table of contents

Processing mail ballots is a complex operation with many steps. It may seem intuitive to experienced staff, but for new staff or observers, it can seem confusing.

“Spatial organization” – orderly procedures which are structured around and reinforced by storage tools and the clear labeling of each batch of ballots and its status – can help prevent errors. And by making the status of every set of ballots evident to observers, it can allay concerns.

This guide suggests procedures and tools to help improve the spatial organization of your mail ballot processing room.

The Elections Group created this tool as part of the US Alliance for Election Excellence.

What you’ll need

The guide: Everything in its Place: Ballot Organization
Staff responsible for mail ballot processing
Your mail ballot processing procedures (if you have written documentation)
Microsoft Word or another program for creating batch labels and signs
The guide also suggest tools you may choose to purchase

Getting started

Improving the spatial organization of your mail ballot room will help your staff, observers and managers, by facilitating immediate recognition of the processes that are taking place and why. Staff will more quickly recognize the status of batches coming to them and what steps should be taken next. Observers will be more trustful of an organized process. And you will be able to monitor progress at a glance if materials are well labeled and progressing along a planned path through the processing space.

Use this guide to:

Select storage and organizational tools
Create signs for processing areas and labels to identify batches of ballots and their status.
Plan the flow of materials through your mail ballot processing area.

Using the tool

This guide is a planning tool that you should consult several months before the election, to allow time to purchase or create any new organizing tools you opt for.

Skim the guide once to understand the recommended approach.
Take time to think about your existing procedures and the layout of your mail ballot processing area. What works and what would you like to improve.
Then, read the guide in detail, to determine which suggestions you’d like to pursue.

Customizing for your office

This guide offers a variety of options for storage and organizing tools, and principles for developing signage and forms. It’s up to the reader to adapt and customize their own solutions.

How do I know if this resource is helping?

When you implement the recommendations in this guide, you should find that walking into your mail ballot area, you can quickly recognize the work going on, the status of all batches and the progress that has been made. The visual chaos that sometimes characterizes a mail ballot processing operation should have been banished.

Which Standards of Excellence does this resource support?

Ballots and Audits

Which Values of Excellence does this resource support? Why?

Values for the U.S. Alliance for Election Excellence define our shared vision for the way election departments across the country can aspire to excellence. These values help us navigate the challenges of delivering successful elections and maintaining our healthy democracy.

Alliance values are nonpartisan and designed by local election officials, designers, technologists and other experts to support local election departments.

You may find this tool especially helpful for this Value:

High integrity. An orderly process prevents mistakes and helps ensure tabulation is correct.
Proactive transparency. An orderly process is easier for observers to understand.

To learn more about the Values for Election Excellence, and to see the full list, visit the Alliance website.

Sharing feedback

How was this resource developed?

This resource has been put into practice by at least one jurisdiction. Share your experience with this resource and improve it for your peers by reaching out to support@ElectionExcellence.org.

How do I stay in touch?

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