Photos provided by County of Berks from Tuesday, November, 3 depict the process as more than 62,200 mail in ballots were processed for counting. No media was allowed in the areas where pre-canvass activities took place, however the County continues to provide media updates regularly. Election results are being updated as they become available here.
Berks Pre-Canvass swearing-in: County employees are sworn in before starting the morning shift.
Berks Pre-Canvass swearing-in 2: Another shot of county employees being sworn in.
An overall shot of the workers in the ballroom shortly after 8 a.m.
Another shot of ballroom
Berks Pre-Canvass ballots: The mail-in ballots were brought to the DoubleTree hotel this morning about 6:30 a.m. They were brought over in the carts seen in the photo, wrapped up. This picture is of one of the envelope slicers and several carts of ballots.
The ballots were first handled by workers in “Pod A.” In Pod A, workers sent the envelopes through the envelope slicer to open the outer envelope. The ballots were then sent to Pod B (see photo later) where workers took the secrecy envelope out of the outer envelopes. The unopened secrecy envelopes were then sent back to Pod A to go through the slicer machines again for the second cut.
Workers in Pod A open the outer envelope of ballots with the envelope slicer.
Workers in Pod B received the opened outer envelope. They removed the secrecy envelope from the outer envelope and designated and set aside any “naked” ballots.
Unfolding ballots: Workers unfold and flatten ballots.
Workers in Pod C remove the ballots from the secrecy envelopes and unfold and flatten them so they are ready to be scanned.
The ballots are moved from the ballroom to the scanning room, where ballots are scanned.
Photojournalist Susan L. Angstadt toured polling locations yesterday to capture images of voters, poll workers, and Election Day happenings across Berks County as voters turned out in force. Seen here are the Bern Township Building, Christ Lutheran Church in Reading, Exeter Community Library, St. John’s Lutheran Church Parish in Birdsboro, Wilson Southern Junior High, and Wilson School District Operations Center.
