Vote Certification Timeline
October 7, 2003 Statewide Special Election

• October 7, 2003 - Election Day. Polls are open from 7:00 a.m. to 8:00 p.m.
• October 7, 2003 - Semifinal official canvass of the vote begins upon close of polls and continues uninterrupted until the final precinct is reported. All ballots except provisionals and absentees returned on election day are tallied during this initial canvass.
• October 9, 2003 - Official canvass of the vote must begin no later than this day (E+2) and continue until all ballots have been counted and accounted for (see below).
• November 4, 2003 - Last day for county elections officials to complete their official canvass of the vote (E+28).
• November 11, 2003 - Last day for county elections officials to report their official canvass results to the Secretary of State (E+35).
• November 15, 2003 - Last day for the Secretary of State to certify the results of the statewide vote (E+39).

THE OFFICIAL CANVASS OF THE VOTE

Immediately upon the close of polls on election day, the county elections officials and the Secretary of State begin what is called the "semifinal official canvass of the vote" -- the tallying of early-returned absentees and the ballots cast in each of the state's voting precincts on election day. The semifinal official canvass begins when the polls close at 8:00 p.m. and continues uninterrupted until the last precinct is counted and reported to the Secretary of State.

The vote tallying process actually begins before election night, with the absentee ballots. Any county that counts its ballots by computer (all 58 do) may begin processing absentees seven (7) days before the election. Once they have verified the signatures on the return envelopes, elections officials remove the voted ballots and process them through their vote tallying system. Under no circumstances may they tabulate the results until after the close of polls on election day. Most counties continue this processing until they begin their election-day preparations for counting the precinct vote. Mail ballots not counted by that time and all those received on election day, either through the mail or at the precincts, are tabulated during the official canvass of the vote. Typically, at least 75% of the total absentee vote is tallied during these seven days and reported in the first minutes after the polls close.

The California Elections Code requires that the official canvass begin no later than the Thursday following the election, that it be open to the public, and that it continue daily (Saturdays, Sundays, and holidays excepted) for not less than six hours each day until completed. The county elections officials must complete the official canvass no later than the 29th day after the election and submit a certified statement of the results of the election to the Secretary of State by the 35th day.

By law, the activities undertaken during the official canvass include:

1. Processing and counting any valid absentee and provisional ballots not included in the semifinal official canvass. Provisional ballots are cast by voters whose names do not appear on the precinct roster. The voter uses a regular precinct ballot which is then placed in a special envelope that the voter must sign, much like an absentee envelope. During the official canvass, the elections official checks the voter registration file to verify the voter's eligibility to cast the ballot. Once verified, the ballot is added to the official count. These ballots added to the absentees not processed on election night can number 500,000 to 1,500,000.
2. An inspection of all materials and supplies returned by poll workers.
3. A reconciliation of the number of signatures on the roster with the number of ballots recorded on the ballot statement.
4. A reconciliation of the number of ballots counted, spoiled, canceled, or invalidated due to identifying marks or overvotes with the number of votes counted, including absentee and provisional ballots.
5. Counting any valid write-in votes.
6. Reproducing any damaged ballots, if necessary.
7. Conducting a hand count of the ballots cast in one (1) percent of the precincts, chosen at random by the elections official.
8. Reporting final results to the Secretary of State, as required.