Sec of State Should Have Accepted “Taping” Lessons

by
Steve MacDonald

If you did not follow the story, there was an issue with completed ballot security and the “tamper-proof” tape used on boxes of completed ballots. It was easily circumvented. After a bit of convincing the state acknowledged the need for different tape. They didn’t not accept an offer from the vendor to provide instruction on its proper use.

I’m not sure it would have helped but it couldn’t hurt.

After cutting the security tape (for one reaosn or another) it was taped over with a few inches of duct tape. That’s ward 12 in Manchester. They even made their own custom labels (not sure that’s allowed) so the voters there are beaming with pride at the seriousness with which their poll workers secure their votes.

There were other issues. As noted, Ward 12 used homemade labels instead of the ones provided by the Secretary of State and a tabulation sheet showed a box as having uncast ballots in it when it had completed ballots inside.

Someone looked in the box so that’s a good thing but what if they had not? Garwsh where’d all those ballots go. Mickey?

Everything worked out in the end, but the lack of discipline or attention to detail is concerning, which reminds me. I received word that things were screwed up in Windham again. Of course they were, you say.

We’ll be getting to that little disaster in the coming days but for the moment, New Hampshire clerks still have some issues when it comes to something as simple as taping a box shut to secure its contents.

And the chain of custody tracking change we reproted here still has not been addressed.

Author

  • Steve MacDonald

    Steve is a long-time New Hampshire resident, blogger, and a member of the Board of directors of The 603 Alliance. He is the owner of Grok Media LLC and the Managing Editor of GraniteGrok.com, a former board member of the Republican Liberty Caucus of New Hampshire, and a past contributor to the Franklin Center for Public Policy.

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