SNYDER COUNTY BOARD OF ELECTIONS PLAN
FOR CONDUCTING THE STATEWIDE AUTOMATIC RECOUNT
FOR THE OFFICE OF UNITED STATES SENATOR
AT THE NOVEMBER 5, 2024 GENERAL ELECTION
DATE OF PLAN – November 15, 2024
Per the Order of Recount and the Recount Director and Procedures issued by the Pennsylvania
Department of State, the Snyder County Board of Elections will perform a recount of the ballots
from each precinct for the office of United States Senator. This document is the Snyder County Board of Elections plan for conducting the recount.
LOCATION AND DATES
Per the order and director, the recount shall begin as early as Saturday, November 16, 2024, but must commence no later than November 20, 2024, and be completed by Noon on Tuesday, November 26, 2024.
Logic and accuracy testing of the voting equipment for this election will start at 1:00 p.m. on
Tuesday, November 19, 2024 in the Meeting Room in the Lower Level of the Middleburg Courthouse, 9 West Market Street, Middleburg, PA 17842. Under Pennsylvania law [25 PS § 3154(g)(4)], the recount and associated logic and accuracy testing can be observed by the candidate, their attorney, and up to two members from the Democratic Party and up to two members from the Republican Party.
The Snyder County Board of Elections will reconvene on Wednesday, November 20, 2024 at
10:00 a.m. in the Meeting Room in the Lower Level of the Middleburg Courthouse, 9 West Market Street, Middleburg, PA 17842 to conduct the statewide mandatory recount of the Election Day votes cast in the November 5, 2024 General Election for United States Senator. The Snyder County Board of Elections will reconvene again on Thursday, November 21, 2024 at 10:00 a.m. in the Commissioners Meeting Room, 2nd Floor, 9 West Market Street, Middleburg, PA 17842 to conduct the statewide mandatory recount of the Vote by Mail, Absentee, and Provisional votes cast in the November 5, 2024 General Election for United States Senator.
BALLOT-PROCESSING EQUIPMENT
At this General Election, Snyder County used one (1) ES&S DS450 that is permanently
stationed at the Snyder County Board of Elections for the processing of all Vote by Mail ballots, Absentee ballots, and Provisional ballots. At this election, twenty-five (25) ES&S DS200 precinct scanners were used to process all Election Day ballots.
Per the Order and the Director, the Snyder County Board of Elections must count all ballots on
“devices of a different type” than were used during the initial ballot-counting processes.
Therefore, the Snyder County Board of Elections will use the ES&S DS200 precinct scanners to recount the Vote By Mail ballots, Absentee ballots, and Provisional ballots. At the same time, the Snyder County Board of Elections will use the ES&S DS450 scanner that is
permanently stationed at the Snyder County Board of Elections to recount all standard ballots
from Election Day that were cast in the precincts.
ES&S DS450 CENTRAL COUNT SCANNER
The Snyder County Board of Elections will use one (1) central count scanner that is permanently
stationed at the Snyder County Board of Elections for the recount of the standard Election Day
ballots that originally were processed through the 25 precinct scanners. Operators will:
1. Break the seal on the precinct ballot box.
2. Remove all ballots from the precinct ballot box.
3. Process all ballots.
4. Place all ballots from that precinct in the ballot box.
5. Print the new batch report.
6. Complete Audit Sheet.
7. Secure the ballot box with a new tamper-evident seal.
8. Log the seal number.
ES&S DS200 PRECINCT SCANNERS
The Snyder County Board of Elections will have on hand five (5) precinct scanners for the
recount of the Vote by Mail ballots, Absentee Ballots, and provisional ballots. The precinct scanners are programmed to detect under votes and over votes and may be counted manually, if needed, per the Directive.
1. Remove only one batch at a time.
2. Process batch. Batches are separated by batch folders.
3. Place batch in the ballot box. There may be several batches in the ballot box.
4. Once box is filled, we will secure the ballot box with a tamper-evident seal.
PRESERVATION OF BALLOT BATCHES
In order to preserve the ballots for the possibility of a Risk Limiting Audit and/or an additional
recount, the Snyder County Board of Elections will work to preserve original ballot batches.
This means once a batch is processed through any scanner and/or manually recounted, that
batch will be re-assembled with paperwork from the original county process.
RECOUNT OBSERVER RULES
- May take notes.
- May pose questions to the Chief Clerk.
- Cannot pose questions or interrupt the workers who are performing the work of opening ballot boxes, re-sealing ballot boxes, processing the batches and processing ballots.
- Cannot touch any of the ballots.
- Per Code 25 P.S.§ 3154(e). each of the candidates may send 2 representatives to be
present. The candidate can also send a lawyer to represent them.
