R 168.788 Receiving station; receiving board.

Rule 18. (1) All ballot containers and election materials must be delivered by the precinct inspectors to a receiving station. the clerk shall appoint at least 1 receiving board. Each board must consist of 2 or more election inspectors, with an equal number from each major political party. (2) The clerk in charge of the election shall determine the number of precincts that may be received by a receiving station. (3) Upon receipt of the ballot container from the precinct inspectors, the receiving board shall verify that the seal number on the ballot container is the same as that recorded by the election inspectors. If the ballot container is not properly sealed or there is a discrepancy with the seal number recorded in the physical pollbook or the statement of votes, the election inspectors who delivered the ballot container and the receiving board shall together take the necessary steps to correct the discrepancy. The election inspectors and the receiving board shall note the discrepancy and the corrective action in the remarks section of the physical pollbook and the election inspectors and the receiving board must sign the notation. (4) The receiving board shall issue a receipt for the ballot container to the election inspectors delivering the container. The receipt must indicate in general terms the contents of the ballot container and be made in duplicate. The original copy must be given to the inspectors delivering the ballot container and the duplicate retained for delivery to the clerk in charge of the election. (5) If, on delivery, the board discovers that materials may be inadvertently sealed in the ballot container, the receiving board may open the ballot container to review the contents of the container. (6) If the receiving board opens the ballot container, the receiving board shall place the approved seal with which the ballot container was originally sealed inside the ballot container and reseal the ballot container with an approved seal. The number of the seal used to reseal the ballot container must be recorded on the ballot container certificate and in the physical pollbook. (7) The ballot container, after resealing, must contain the items required by these rules. Resealing must be done in a manner as to render it impossible to open the ballot container or remove or insert ballots without breaking the seal. The ballot container certificate must be attached to the ballot container by an approved seal. (8) The receiving board shall determine if the number of ballots tabulated by the tabulator agrees with the number of ballots submitted by the inspectors as indicated by the physical pollbook. If the number of individuals voting as shown by the physical pollbook does not equal the number of ballots counted as shown by the statement of votes, and if an explanation of the discrepancy has not been noted in the physical pollbook, the receiving board shall ask the election inspectors about the discrepancy, note the explanation in the physical pollbook, and all shall sign the notation. (9) The receiving board shall complete the certificate in the physical pollbook, which must read substantially as follows: “RECEIVING BOARD CERTIFICATE We hereby certify that the ballot container, properly sealed, containing the ballots for this precinct was received by the counting center receiving board. The seal number agreed with the number recorded on the ballot container identification tag and in the physical pollbook.” (10) The receiving board shall review the receiving board checklist and determine whether all items have been completed. The receiving board checklist must indicate the items completed by the receiving board and include a certification by the bipartisan members of the receiving board that they have completed the items on the checklist. (11) Not fewer than 2 election inspectors of differing political party preference shall transport the ballot containers and envelope for the local clerk to the local clerk, the envelope for the county clerk to the county clerk, and the envelope for the county canvassers to the county canvassers.