THE VIRGINIAN-PILOT
Copyright (c) 1994, Landmark Communications, Inc.
DATE: Friday, November 18, 1994 TAG: 9411160163
SECTION: CHESAPEAKE CLIPPER PAGE: 20 EDITION: FINAL
SOURCE: BY ERIC FEBER, STAFF WRITER
LENGTH: Medium: 72 lines
When the ballots are counted on the evening of an election, many voters assume the election is over and the results are final.
But for Chesapeake's General Registrar, Virginia W. Garrett, that's just the first step of a long process.
``It's not until the last week of November that the entire state's voting results have been canvassed or checked,'' said Garrett.
The numbers tallied on the night of the election, which are called in to Garrett's office by each precinct chief, are unofficial. Those numbers are given to Roy Eckleberry, secretary of the electoral board, who calls the results in to the office Lillie M. Hart, clerk of the Circuit Court, where workers post them on a big tote board.
``After working 15 to 16 hours that day, and with the results being called in from one office and from one individual to another, there is a possibility for error,'' Garrett explained.
To make sure the count is accurate and there is no possibility for fraud, the electoral board meets at 1 p.m. the day after the election to do an official canvass of the votes, Garrett said.
The canvass process checks three things:
Ballot cards - An inventory is made of the number of ballots that were received at each precinct, how many were used, how many were spoiled and how many were unused. ``We have to account for every ballot,'' Garrett said.
Voter tabulators - These are the computers that tabulate the votes. Each machine is checked, and two sets of results are prepared: one to attach to the official canvass results, which are sent to Richmond, and the other which is open for inspection by the public 60 days after the election.
Poll books - Each registered voter's name and address is listed in a poll book at each precinct. When one casts his or her vote, the name is checked off in the book and each voter is given a ballot.
``The numbers from all three should all be the same,'' Garrett said. ``Then the official canvass results are sealed and kept at the clerk of court's office for two years and another set of results stays at the registrar's office.''
Then the electoral board of Richmond conducts a canvass of the entire state to make doubly sure the numbers from all of Virginia's cities and counties are accurate.
``It's a lot of work,'' Garrett said. ``It's a pretty good little involved process, but it's good to check to make sure there's no fraud or abuse. I don't think people understand how much effort goes into an election count. It's comforting to know that these results are checked and double-checked at the local and state levels.''
One postscript to last week's off-year election is the low number of write-in votes for both the U.S. House and U.S. Senate races. Garrett said there were only six write-ins for the House and 19 for the Senate. She said past races have produced up to 250 write-in votes.
``Several were names of some of the voters themselves,'' Garrett said.
She said the House race got write-ins for Mike Farris and for Jim Kincaid of WVEC-TV. The Senate race received votes for world heavyweight boxing champion George Foreman, Bugs Bunny, Jim Miller, Randy Forbes and former Virginia Gov. L. Douglas Wilder. ILLUSTRATION: Chart
Chesapeake Official Vote Canvass
[Election Results]
For copy of chart, see microfilm or library clip files
(ELECTION--CHESAPEAKE)
KEYWORDS: VOTING ELECTION RESULTS
U.S. SENATE RACE CONGRESSIONAL RACE
by CNB