Missouri Laws 115.233 – Testing of automatic tabulating equipment, when done, procedure
Terms Used In Missouri Laws 115.233
- Automatic tabulating equipment: the apparatus necessary to examine and automatically count votes, and the data processing machines which are used for counting votes and tabulating results and which are air-gapped and not physically able to be connected to a network. See Missouri Laws 115.013
- Ballot: the paper ballot, or ballot designed for use with an electronic voting system on which each voter may cast all votes to which he or she is entitled at an election. See Missouri Laws 115.013
- County: any county in this state or any city not within a county. See Missouri Laws 115.013
- Electronic voting system: a system of casting votes by use of marking devices, and counting votes by use of automatic air-gapped tabulating or air-gapped data processing equipment, including computerized voting systems that mark or tabulate ballots. See Missouri Laws 115.013
- Independent: a candidate who is not a candidate of any political party and who is running for an office for which political party candidates may run. See Missouri Laws 115.013
- Major political party: the political party whose candidates received the highest or second highest number of votes at the last general election. See Missouri Laws 115.013
- New party: any political group which has filed a valid petition and is entitled to place its list of candidates on the ballot at the next general or special election. See Missouri Laws 115.013
- Political party: any established political party and any new party. See Missouri Laws 115.013
Within fourteen days prior to an election at which an electronic voting system is to be used, the election authority shall have the automatic tabulating equipment tested to ascertain that the equipment is in compliance with the law and that it will correctly count the votes cast for all offices and on all questions. At least forty-eight hours prior to the test, notice of the time and place of the test shall be mailed to each independent and new party candidate and the chairman of the county committee of each established political party named on the ballot. The test shall be observed by at least two persons designated by the election authority, one from each major political party, and shall be open to representatives of the political parties, candidates, the news media and the public. The test shall be conducted by processing a preaudited group of ballots. If any error is detected, the cause shall be ascertained and corrected, and an errorless count shall be made before the tabulating equipment is approved.