How a recount actually works, filmed inside the room where the ballots are counted

A recount is one of the least mysterious procedures in American government and one of the most misdescribed. We filmed a full day of one, with the permission of the county and both campaigns.

The room is arranged so that everything is visible. Ballots are counted at tables in batches of twenty-five, by a pair of counters from opposing parties, with observers from each campaign standing where they can see the ballots and not touch them.

Disputed ballots

The interesting part of a recount is the small number of ballots where voter intent is not obvious: a mark outside the oval, two marks with one crossed out, a write-in that matches a printed name.

Each is set aside, ruled on by the board on the record, and logged with the reason. Observers may object, and the objection is recorded. The film includes four such rulings in full, including one the board reversed after re-examination.

The rule is not that we agree. The rule is that we write down exactly what we disagreed about, so somebody else can check.— A counting board chair, at 06:30

Chain of custody

The document that carries the most weight is the least dramatic: the chain-of-custody log, which records every time a ballot container is opened, by whom, in whose presence, and with which seal number.

Seals are numbered, and the numbers are checked aloud against the log before any container is opened. It takes about ninety seconds per container and it is the reason a recount can be defended in court.

• Runtime: 9 minutes 47 seconds
• Method: batches of 25, counted by a bipartisan pair with observers present
• Disputed ballots: set aside, ruled on the record, logged with reasons
• Seals: numbers verified aloud against the log before any container is opened

The county in this film has run recounts in four of the past six cycles. Its clerk makes a point in the closing section: the procedure is boring by design, and every element that looks like unnecessary bureaucracy exists because somebody once contested a result and the answer had to be written down.