(a) Time of Pick-Up of Ballot Box. Ballots will be picked up from the designated post office at least two days per week, along with a final pick-up at the close of business at the post office on the day of the election as provided in YTC 3.25.080. Drop boxes shall be checked and emptied at least one time per week.

(b) Opening of Locked Ballot Box. After the ballots have been picked up and returned to the election headquarters, the election staff will review the signatures on the registration forms, which shall be compared to the envelopes in the ballot boxes to confirm that the ballots have been returned in accordance with voter regulations, and contact the voter if there is a correctable error. Should any envelope reviewed not conform with the regulations set forth in this title, a second review by the Election Board will be made, and should any envelope reviewed by the Election Board not conform with the regulations set forth in this title, it will remain unopened and shall be marked “spoiled.” Each member of the Election Board shall initial the envelope in which the ballot is improperly returned. Those envelopes marked “spoiled” shall be sealed and preserved along with other executed ballots at the end of the count.

(c) Opening of Ballots. Upon completion of the review of the envelopes from the drop boxes and U.S. Postal Service, return envelopes shall be opened. The return envelope from those ballots determined to have been properly returned shall at this point be set aside until after the count, at which time they will be placed in the election file cabinet with other materials from the election. [Ord. 76 § 4710, amended, 6/23/2022; Ord. 56 § 4711, amended, 5/9/2019; Ord. 42 § 4711, adopted, 3/4/2015.]