Duval County's hand count of ballots from the Aug. 18 primary and special election found zero errors, Supervisor of Elections Jerry Holland announced Tuesday, Sept. 1.
How the Hand Count Was Conducted
Elections office staff manually tallied early voting, Election Day, vote-by-mail and provisional ballots for the Democratic primary for commissioner of agriculture in two precincts. The machine totals and the hand count matched exactly.
What It Means for Beaches Voters
The result matters for Beaches voters. All Duval County residents, including those in Atlantic Beach, Neptune Beach and Jacksonville Beach, cast ballots in the Special First Unitary Election for City Council At-Large Group 1 on Aug. 18. That citywide race appeared on every ballot regardless of party registration, meaning the voting equipment used to count Beaches ballots was part of the same system the audit verified.
Audit Required Under Florida Law
The two precincts reviewed, 210 and 1206, were randomly chosen by Judge Michael Bateh, an alternate member of the Duval County Canvassing Board, according to the elections office. The audit is required under Florida Statute 101.591 and Rule 1S-5.026 of the Florida Administrative Code. The law calls for a manual review of at least 1% but no more than 2% of precincts after every election, covering every ballot type. Results must be made public within seven days of certification.
Every Ballot Type Checked
The audit checked each category of ballot cast in the selected precincts: votes submitted early, on Election Day, by mail and through provisional ballots. No discrepancies were found.
Conducted in Public View
The audit was open to public observation at the Election Center in Jacksonville.
The Canvassing Board overseeing the primary included Chair Judge Robin Lanigan, Holland, City Council Member Michael Boylan and alternates Judge Bateh and Judge James Nealis, according to the board's public notice.
Looking Ahead to November
Duval County's next countywide election is the general election on Tuesday, Nov. 3, according to the elections office. Voters with questions can visit duvalelections.gov or call 904-255-VOTE (8683).
