New Jersey's Post-Election Audit Bill: Fact & Friction (Got yer HCPB right here...)

[Wilms]

New Jersey's Post-Election Audit Bill: Fact and Friction

by Howard Stanislevic

January 4, 2008

snip

1. The bill does require a statistical audit to confirm outcomes of elections reported by electronic vote counts by using hand-to-eye counts of VVPRs and VVPBs. There are NO caps on the size of these audits -- even the initial ones. The size of the audit of each contest would have to be determined by the margin of victory, the number of precincts, the number of votes cast in each precinct and some scientifically reasonable assumptions that set a floor, but not a ceiling, on what the audit board may do.

snip

3. The definition of statistical power, as it relates to S507/A2730 audits can be found here.

The language in the bill uses the 100% hand count as the "gold standard" to which the effectiveness of the audit is to be compared. All hand counts must be hand-to-eye counts (i.e., not relying on optical scanners or other software).

snip

6. S507/A2730 requires all types of ballots counted electronically to be audited, including emergency, provisional, absentee, military and overseas federal ballots.

7. S507/A2730 requires all ballots cast and counted at the precincts to be subject to audit (random or targeted selection) and compared to precinct totals announced by the counties.

8. S507/A2730 requires "batching" of emergency, provisional, absentee, military and overseas federal ballots counted centrally at the county level so they can be randomly audited (or targeted for an audit) by comparing the vote totals of each audited batch, as reported by the optical scanner at the time the ballots were scanned, to hand-to-eye counts of the same ballots. Every ballot in each of these audit units selected for auditing must be hand counted. The use of batch sampling was necessary because NJ does not sort absentee ballots by precinct. The size of each batch is based on the average precinct size but the batches do not include votes already cast and counted at the precincts, as they are covered by the above audit of precincts.

9. S507/A2730 requires the establishment of an independent audit team and empowers them to oversee audits of any precincts or ballot batches in which they believe votes may have been miscounted in addition to the random audits. This team may promulgate additional regulations, subject to public comment, which may go beyond the strict requirements of the bill, and to implement those requirements. They must have verifiable expertise in statistics and auditing.

snip

http://e-voter.blogspot.com/2008/01/new-jerseys-post-election-audit-bill.html

[AmBlue]

1. Howard's a hero.

And one amazing pointy-headed dude. Hats off to NJ!!
:patriot:

[Mnemosyne]

2. Needs a knr! n/t

[Bill Bored]

3. kick nt

[Wilms]

4. Kick n/t