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Delaware Statutes § 4912 Procedure prior to opening of polls

⤴ Up to Subchapter I: Procedure Prior to Opening Polls

Statute Text

(a) The election officers of each election district shall [attend] arrive at the polling place [three quarters of an] 1 hour before the time set for opening of the polls and shall [proceed to arrange the furniture, stationery and voting machine] prepare the polling place for the conduct of the election. [If not previously collected, the election officers shall collect from the department of elections a list of voters who have voted by absentee ballot and shall maintain the same at the polling place.] The election officers shall [cause to be posted] post conspicuously within the polling place an instruction poster and 2 sample ballots. [They shall see that the light for the voting machine is in good order and that it is lighted, if that is necessary, in order that the names upon the ballot shall be clearly visible. They shall inspect the screen, hood or curtain of the machine to make certain that it has not been damaged or tampered with so as in any manner to lessen or endanger the secrecy of voting. They shall see to it that no mirror is placed or allowed to remain in such a position so as to permit a view of any part of the front, sides or top of the voting machine.]
(b) [The 2 voting machine certificates shall be delivered to the election officers at least three quarters of an hour before the time set for the opening of the polls. Section 1 of the voting machine certificates shall list the serial number, ballot number, machine case seal number, printer door number and the protective counter number for each voting machine assigned to the election district. Each election officer shall witness and verify that the numbers listed on the voting machine certificates are the same as the voting machine serial number, machine case seal number, printer door seal number, ballot number and protective counter number on the voting machine. If a number is different, the inspector shall strike through the number, enter the appropriate correction and initial the entry on each of the certificates. At the completion of this comparison, each election officer shall sign in the appropriate place in section 1 of each of the voting machine certificates.] The election officers shall verify that the correct devices are in the polling place and that the serial numbers match the numbers on the certificate provided by the Department. The election officers shall report any irregularities with the devices to the Department office in the county where the voting device is located.
(c) The election officers shall observe the opening of the polls procedure for each voting [machine assigned to the election district.] device and ensure that the public counts and the card counts are zero. [If the light in the polls ready to open box on the officer's control panel is in any other but the top position prior to the inspector pressing the open polls button, stop the procedure and contact the Department of Elections. The machine cannot be used. If, during the opening of the polls procedure, the paper tape shows "error all counters not zero," stop the procedure and contact the Department of Elections. The machine cannot be used. At the conclusion of the open polls procedure for each voting machine assigned to the election district, each election officer signs the paper tape. After the last election officer signs the paper tape, the inspector will close the write-in window.]

History

Amended by Laws 2019 , ch. 170 , s 23 , eff. 7/30/2019 .

19 Del. Laws, c. 37, § 15; 27 Del. Laws, c. 65, § 13; Code 1915, § 1764; Code 1935, § 1853; 15 Del. C. 1953, § 4913; 49 Del. Laws, c. 294, § 15; 58 Del. Laws, c. 148, § 79; 70 Del. Laws, c. 506 , § 7 ; 75 Del. Laws, c. 149 , § 2 ; 75 Del. Laws, c. 232 , § 58 ; 77 Del. Laws, c. 227 , § 58 .;