Forget to put your ballot inside these sleeves, and in some states your vote won’t count. On top of that, your ballot may be visible to anybody.
FAIRFAX COUNTY, Va. — 10/09/20 – Many voters will trust the US Postal Service to get their ballots to county officials on time for the 2020 election.
Virginia ballots are inside two envelopes, labeled “A” and “B.”
The “A” envelope directs the US Postal Service to get the ballot to the right place. It’s the critical “B” envelope, something called a secrecy sleeve, that validates the voter’s identity, according to Virginia law.
“It’s really the same information, but we’re getting it in the voter’s handwriting and their signature attesting they are the voter who requested it,” explained Fairfax County registrar Gary Scott.
Scott has 22 years experience helping to run Fairfax County elections, but never one where mail-in ballots were so popular.
“The outer envelope has a bar code which allows us to scan and identify the voter. Then, the “B” envelope will be separated from the outer envelope,” added Scott.
16 states, including Virginia and West Virginia, have laws mandating secrecy sleeves, according to the National Conference of State Legislatures.
Ballots without the sleeves are called “Naked Ballots.” They were the target of a September lawsuit in election battleground Pennsylvania. Democrats sued the Republican legislature trying to change a law it passed and allow Naked Ballots to be counted. The lawsuit failed and the requirement stands – just as in Virginia. More at WUSA 9
