Take Video of Poll Tapes on Election Night

A Simple Yet Important Election Protection Action Almost Anyone Can Do

What Are Poll Tapes and Why Are They Important?

Poll tapes are the original record of the total votes counted at a polling place. They show how many votes each candidate received in that location. These records, also called results tapes, look like cash register receipts.

Black poll worker hanging a poll tape on a wooden door. The poll tape is a long strip of paper that looks like a cash register receipt. — Photo credit: Sue Dorfman

Poll workers print out the tapes after polls close on election night and — in many states — are required to post them publicly. Workers will often hang them inside a window, facing out, or on the outside of the building.

That’s where you come in!

It’s crucial that we capture the numbers on these public records to verify the vote counts announced later. This is an essential check on our computerized voting systems.

All you need is a smart phone!

Using the Actual Vote app, you’ll scan the tape with your video camera and upload it to the servers of our partner organization, America Counts. From there it can be tabulated and analyzed.

The idea is to check the accuracy of official vote totals.

Phone held upright by light-skinned person's left hand, with screen showing a poll tape being video-recorded. Poll tape can be seen behind phone and appears to be hanging on a wall.

Casually dressed brown-skinned woman showing "thumbs up" sign, standing in front of government building. Poll tapes provide a method of citizen oversight of elections.

Double-checking vote totals in this way can help increase voter confidence. The evidence you’ve collected can help document the accuracy of an election, fending off partisan attacks on our democracy.