This information was reviewed in March 2017.
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This information was reviewed in March 2017.
The District of Columbia's audit legislation was signed into law as part of the Omnibus Election Reform Amendment Act of 2009 and became effective in 2010. Audits are binding on official results and can lead to a full recount.
The audit is to be conducted publicly in such a way "that members of the public are able to verify that votes are correctly classified and tallied." See D.C. Code Ann. §1-1001.09(f). Results of the audit are to be made publicly available before the election is certified. In addition to the results, the Board of Elections must also identify and explain any discrepancies and describe what investigations or actions are underway based on the discrepancies. See D.C. Code Ann. §1-1001.09(j).
Precinct-count optical scanners with ballot marking devices to provide accessibility. For details visit the District Of Columbia page on The Verifier.
D.C.'s audit law contains a three-stage escalation protocol:
Stage One: If a discrepancy is identified that is either greater than .25% or 20% of the margin of victory, whichever is less, a second audit of the same precincts is conducted.
Stage Two: If the second count confirms the discrepancy, an additional precinct in each ward in which the contest appears on the ballot will also be conducted. An additional 5% of centrally tabulated ballots is also audited.
Stage Three: If the expanded audit continues to find discrepancies (again, either greater than .25% or 20% of the margin of victory, whichever is less), then all ballots for the contest in question are to be manually recounted. See D.C. Code Ann. §1-1001.09(h).
5% of centrally tabulated ballots, which includes absentee and early voted ballots, are to be audited. The law also specifies that special (that is, provisional) ballots are included in the audit. See D.C. Code Ann. §1-1001.09(c)(1)(B).
 The Board may, in its discretion, audit additional precincts, voter-verifiable records or contests. See D.C. Code Ann. §1-1001.09a(c)(c) and 3 DCMR 812.10.
D.C. Code Ann. §1-1001.09(b) specifies that audits shall take place after " each primary, general, and special election."
A minimum of three contests are audited, and these must include at least one district-wide and at least two ward-wide contests. However, the specific contests are randomly selected. See D.C. Code Ann. §1-1001.09(c)(2). In addition to the randomly selected three contests, the "Board shall select at least one additional contest" to be audited. See D.C. Code Ann. §1-1001.09(c)(2)&(3). See also 3 DCMR 812.10.
At least 5% of precincts using voting machines are randomly selected for the audit, as well as an additional 5% of votes counted centrally. See D.C. Code Ann. §1-1001.09(c)(1).
See D.C. Code Ann. §1-1001.09(g).
Oversight and Conduct of Audit: The Board of Election and Ethics both oversees and conducts the audit. The date of the audit must be announced (not commenced) no later than three business days after the initial canvass, and at least 24 hours before the audit begins. See D.C. Code Ann. §1-1001.09(e). Not only is the audit completed before certification, but the results must be made available for public review before certification as well. See D.C. Code Ann. §1-1001.09(j).
