§ 2-4. Canvassing of ballots.

(a)

No one shall open any ballot envelope or unfold any absentee ballot at any time prior to the closing of the polls and the canvass of the absentee ballots by the board of election supervisors and election judges. A ballot envelope so opened or ballot so unfolded shall not be counted.

(b)

At any time after the closing of the polls, and as part of the canvass, the board and election judges shall proceed to count, certify and canvass the absentee ballots contained in the ballot envelopes received by them prior to the closing of the polls on election day. In conducting the canvass and before opening the ballot envelopes, the board or an election judge or judges shall determine whether there is more than one ballot envelope for any absentee voter, whether the affidavits on the outside of the ballot envelopes have been completed and signed, whether the persons signing such affidavits are qualified to vote by absentee ballot, and whether any such person has already voted. If more than one absentee ballot envelope is received from the same person prior to the closing of the polls on election day, the judges shall count, certify and canvass only the absentee ballot contained in the ballot envelope on which the voter's affidavit was first executed, and if the oaths on the ballot envelopes are dated the same or if both are undated, none of the ballots received from such person shall be counted. Ballot envelopes improperly or incompletely executed, or from persons not qualified to vote by absentee ballot, or from persons who have already voted shall be set aside and none of the ballots in such envelopes shall be counted.

(c)

Ballots shall then be removed from the properly executed ballot envelopes, counted and placed in a ballot box or boxes prepared for that purpose. When any ballot envelope is opened, the judges shall immediately enter in the registration books the fact that the voter whose name appears thereon has voted, using the initials "A. B." to indicate the vote has been by absentee ballot. If there be more than one ballot in any ballot envelope, all shall be rejected. Absentee ballots may be marked by any kind of pencil or ink. Any absentee ballot voted for a person who has ceased to be a candidate for such election shall not be counted for such candidate but such vote shall not invalidate the remainder of such ballot.

(d)

Whenever the board shall determine prior to completion of the canvass that any person who has returned an absentee ballot has died before election day, the board shall not count the ballot of the deceased voter, but it shall be preserved by the board for six (6) months and shall then be destroyed, unless prior to that time the board is ordered by a court of competent jurisdiction to keep the same for any longer period. If at or prior to the time of such counting and canvassing, the board shall not have determined that the absentee resident who marked a ballot had died before election day, said ballot shall be counted, and the fact that said absentee resident may later be shown to have been actually dead on election day shall not invalidate said ballot or election.

(e)

All voters' applications, medical certificates, affidavits, certifications, ballot envelopes and ballots shall be kept separate and apart from ballots cast in the regular voting, and retained for six (6) months after the date of election at which they were cast, unless prior to that time, the board shall be ordered by a court of competent jurisdiction, to keep the same for any longer period.

(Ord. No. 6-77, 6-9-77)