Sec. 12-911. Early ballot processing.
A. All early ballots received by the City Clerk up to 7:00 p.m. on the date of the election shall be delivered in their sealed affidavit envelopes to the Early Ballot Boards for processing. The City Clerk shall keep a record of the number of early ballots delivered to each Early Ballot Board.
B. The City Clerk shall designate the date and time early ballot processing will begin. Upon receiving early ballots from the City Clerk, the Early Ballot Board shall process each early ballot in the following manner:
1. The Board shall examine each affidavit envelope to determine whether the affidavit is sufficient and whether the voter’s name appears on the poll list.
2. If the affidavit is insufficient, the signature cannot be verified, or the voter is not eligible to vote, the Board shall not process the ballot. Without opening the envelope, the Board shall write on the front of the envelope "REJECTED" and the reason for rejection.
3. If the affidavit is sufficient and the voter’s name appears on the poll list, the Board shall remove the ballot from the envelope without destroying the affidavit. The Board shall unfold and examine each side of the ballot to determine whether the ballot’s condition might prevent proper scanning. All opened envelopes shall be placed with the official returns.
4. The Board shall forward all ballots that may not be properly scanned to the Duplication Board for processing. All undamaged ballots that are not rejected shall be processed and forwarded for tabulation. All unopened envelopes and rejected ballots shall be placed with the official returns.
C. The canvass and return by the Early Ballot Board shall be made as provided for regular precincts. (Ord. No. G-5390, § 1, 2009; Ord. No. G-5560, § 1, 2010)