DERRY, N.H. (WHDH) - Big names for both candidates are visiting the Granite State with just days to go before the general election. With so much attention levied on the state, officials are taking extra steps to make sure every vote is counted.
Holding up ballot after ballot, Derry’s Town Moderator Tina Guilford said she is filtering out all the ones that are not valid.
“Still has the post it on it but it’s not signed,” she said holding one up.
While she is not counting the votes, she is pre-processing the early ballots by making sure all the “I’s” are dotted and the “T’s” are crossed before the big day.
“We get to check that the affidavit envelope is included with the ballot and that it has been signed,” she explained.
With the early voting system being so new in New Hampshire, not every voter knows how it works and some people have been getting it wrong.
In the past, mistakes would mean the ballot would not be counted. With this new system, a clerk is able to contact the voter to let them know to make sure every vote counts.
“I got a call from this office saying you didn’t sign,” Chris Marengo said.
He was one of the voters who immediately showed up at Town Hall to right his wrong.
People looking on cheered at the thought that his vote will now be counted.
“I’m glad they did cause this is an important vote for me this year,” Marengo said.
The public is invited to watch as the names of early voters are called out. In the crowd, delegates from each party who have a vested interest in making sure their voters are heard.
“We can make sure everything is followed up on, maybe doubly,” Darlene Williams of the NH Democratic Party said.
Many voters said they hope this will not be the last time the state utilizes this new way of doing things.
“Voters get to come in and fix it so their vote is counted and I’m all about counting the vote,” Guilford said.
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