1. Risk Limiting Audits Nuts, Bolts, and Paperclips
This slide shows the elements that are needed to conduct a Risk Limiting Audit

2. Overview RLA Key Ingredients Preparation Pre-Election Election Day
Post-Election
The Audit Event
Event Planning and Costs
TOC for this presentation

3. RLA Key Ingredients Trustworthy Audit Trail (paper ballots)
RLA Tool (software)
Risk Limit; Target Race(s) and Results
Ballot Manifest (record of how ballots are organized)
Method for Selecting Random Seed #
[Cast Vote Record – Comparison Audit only]
This slide shows the major ingredients that are needed to conduct a Risk Limiting Audit

4. Pre-Election Preparation

5. Pre-Election Preparation
Election Day Precincts: No Special Prep
AV Counting Board: Get Organized
Process and store ballots in batches no larger than individual precincts.
Smaller batches (25-100) may be necessary for a Comparison Audit.

6. Election Day Precincts: Follow Existing Procedures
Ballot Accounting and Chain of Custody
General Security
AV Counting Board: Execute

7. Post-Election Preparation
Secure and clearly ID Provisional Envelope Ballots that are counted
Determine Risk Limit
Compile Results from Target Race(s)
Create the Ballot Manifest
[Get Cast Vote Record Data from County Clerk – Comparison Audit Only]
Obtain Seed Selection Hardware

8. Post-Election Preparation
Secure and clearly ID Provisional Envelope Ballots that are counted
Determine Risk Limit
Compile Results from Target Race(s)
Create the Ballot Manifest
[Get Cast Vote Record Data from County Clerk – Comparison Audit Only]
Obtain Seed Selection Hardware

9. Seed Selection->Ballot Retrieval->Tallying
The Audit Event
Seed Selection->Ballot Retrieval->Tallying

10. The Audit Event Seed Selection->Ballot Retrieval->Tallying
Purpose: to create a randomly generated “seed number” so the RLA tool can randomly generate the list of ballots to be examined.

11. The Audit Event Seed Selection->Ballot Retrieval->Tallying
Process: use a physical source of randomness such as rolling dice or drawing cards to create a 20 digit number.
Example: randomly select 20 people from the audience to roll dice; the resulting 20-digit number becomes the seed number.
Demo using dice and sign in slip with doc cam.

12. The Audit Event Seed Selection->Ballot Retrieval->Tallying
Purpose: to retrieve the ballots to be examined.

13. The Audit Event Seed Selection->Ballot Retrieval->Tallying
Process 1 – Countdown Method: using the list of randomly selected ballots created by the RLA tool, locate the ballot container, remove the ballots from the ballot container, place them in a stack on a table, and count down to the ballot(s) specified for that precinct.
Demo using stack of paper and ballot pull list with doc cam.

14. The Audit Event Seed Selection->Ballot Retrieval->Tallying
Process 2 – K-Cut Method: “Cut” the stack of ballots like a deck of cards for a predetermined number of times (5-6). The ballot that ends up on top is the ballot selected.
Demo using phone and stack of paper with doc cam.

15. The Audit Event Seed Selection->Ballot Retrieval->Tallying
Purpose: to document the results for the targeted race(s), and any other races being examined on the selected ballots, so those results can be entered into the RLA tool.

16. The Audit Event Seed Selection->Ballot Retrieval->Tallying
Process: audit teams examine the ballots and hand-tally the votes according to the Michigan standards for interpreting ballot marks. The results are entered into the RLA tool, which compares the results of the sample to the reported election results and determines the risk-limit.

17. Event Planning and Costs
Space for ballot retrieval and tallying
Technology – computer(s), printer/copier, document camera, video displays
Staffing – how many and for how long?
Supplies – slip sheets, labels, tally sheets

18. 2018 Kalamazoo Pilot RLA Spending
Supplies <$50
Staffing $125
Food $450
Total $625

19. 2019 Projected RLA Spending
Supplies <$50
Staffing $384
Food ~$75
Total $509

20. Future Considerations for Cost/Staffing
Involvement/role of state
RLA tool capabilities
Impact of coordination by county
Ability to estimate # of ballots to examine