First off, did you know there are several types of election audits? If you've got a question, there's an audit for that. @aztammyp shares:
1) Who had access to the tabulation room? That's a security audit.
2) Did the pollworkers make an error? That's a Reconciliation Audit.
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3) Did the machine(s) count/work correctly? That's a Hand Count Audit. 4) Was the correct winner called? That's a Risk-Limiting Audit.
That last one is what we're going to see in Georgia.Deze collectie tonen -
Key point that the general population doesn't know, according to
@aztammyp: This election had more paper ballots than ever before. Yes, there were more voters, but also there is greater use of paper ballots this year than in the last presidential election.pic.twitter.com/nsKxbCfY2u
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Most people want to know: what happened to the ballots, how are paper ballots handled?
@aztammyp says "An audit is only as good as the paper trail." Her advice to reporters: follow the paper.pic.twitter.com/41WRMoxLj8
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Questions journalists should ask election officials running audits:
What kind of audit is it?
What is being audited?
What are the state laws?
How does it relate to recounts?
Who pays for it?
Is every election audited?
What happens if there's a discrepancy?Deze collectie tonen -
And the most important questions journalists should ask while covering post-election audits:
Do voters know audits happen?
What do they think about them?
Does it increase their confidence in the process?pic.twitter.com/6imkMwCDoE
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Risk-limiting audits answer the very important question: "Was the correct winner announced?"
@benadida says: "Most of the time, elections go well. If there is an issue, it very rarely amounts to a change in the winner."pic.twitter.com/56q6sEczTe
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@benadida adds: "What we usually see is that the equipment functioned properly." If we do find something that needs to change, it's usually with the voting instructions or layout of ballots, not that the machine couldn't read it.Deze collectie tonen -
"Most people think 'Uh oh, an audit means something wrong.' It's exactly the opposite. You don't run a Risk-Limiting Audit because there was a problem, you run a Risk-Limiting Audit because you want to build confidence in the results." -
@benadidaDeze collectie tonen -
So what does a Risk-Limiting Audit do (and not do) exactly?
It does allow ballots to be looked at by at least two political parties with the naked eye
It does NOT confirm a landslide or tell how big the margin wasDeze collectie tonen -
A Risk-Limiting Audit:
Does make sure a full hand count would come to the same results as the machine counting
Does NOT entail an actual full hand count
Does build extra confidence in the results being correct, and in the entire voting process. - @benadidaDeze collectie tonen -
Math is hard, but telling your audience what a "10% risk limit" is doesnt have to be: "If the tabulator did not declare the right winner, the risk-limit is the probability that the audit will fail to catch that. You have at least a 90% chance of the audit catching it."
@benadidaDeze collectie tonen -
"Are we heading into a hurricane? Maybe... We're going to stick to the science, the process... Risk-limiting audits are meant to build confidence in the accuracy of the tabulation. They're not the thing that tells you everything went well." -
@benadidaDeze collectie tonen -
"We're going to lose some information battles. [An audit is] a subtle, slightly math-heavy thing that isn't always intuitive. It's a hard battle, but... we're talking about a level of transparency with the auditing process that is really impressive." -
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"I really hope that local reporters think about how they can take... what's happening on the national level and bring it home. Talk about what's happening in your local office... They're still doing the same work that they're doing in other states as well." -
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And that concludes some of the highlights from today's conversation w/
@Voting_Works's@benadida & former Maricopa County election official@aztammyp. Thank you for sharing insights on how to cover post-election audits while strengthening the public's confidence in the results!Deze collectie tonen
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