Computer programs must be prepared so as to tabulate
accurately each voter's choices for all candidates, offices, and measures for
which the voter is lawfully entitled to vote in conformity with chapters 8220
and 8230 and the laws of Minnesota.
Computer programs must require an electronically readable
precinct identifier or ballot style indicator on all ballots.
The vote tabulation portion of the computer program must be
prepared as follows:
A. The computer
program must reflect the rotation sequence of the candidates' names as they
appear on the ballots in the various precincts.
B. The computer program must reflect the
offices and questions to be voted on in the order that they appear on the
ballots in the various precincts.
C. The computer program must count valid
votes cast by a voter for candidates for an office.
D. The computer program must count valid
votes cast by a voter for or against any question.
E. The computer program must not count the
votes cast by a voter for an office or question if the number of votes cast
exceeds the number which the voter is entitled to vote for on that office or
question, but it must record that there is an overvote condition as referred to
in part
8220.0450, item C.
F. The computer program must ignore stray
marks on a ballot; these marks must have no effect on any portion of the
ballot.
G. For the purpose of
programming, the partisan, nonpartisan, and proposal sections of the ballot are
independent ballots; no action of a voter on one section of the ballot may
affect the voter's action on another section of the ballot.
H. In partisan primary elections, the
computer program must count the votes recorded by a voter for candidates in one
political party only and reject all of the partisan section of the ballot if
votes are cast for candidates of more than one political party, but count valid
votes in the nonpartisan section of the ballot.
I. In partisan primary elections the computer
program must check for the situation of a voter casting votes for candidates of
more than one political party prior to checking for overvote
conditions.
J. If the counting
equipment can examine and return a ballot to the voter before counting it, the
computer program must check for and reject without counting any ballot with an
overvote or, at a partisan primary, with votes cast for candidates of more than
one party. When the ballot is returned to a voter, an error message must
indicate the type of defect and may indicate the specific office or question
where the defective condition was found. The error message must print on a
paper tape or display electronically.
K. A mark indicating a write-in is a vote for
the purpose of determining if an overvote condition exists. Except where an
overvote condition for the office exists, the computer program must record that
a write-in has been indicated. The program must count and record valid votes on
the ballot for all other offices and questions before a ballot with a write-in
recorded is separated from ballots with no write-ins recorded. The program must
report, by office, the total number of write-ins recorded.
