Report from Ward 4 Ellsworth Maine,
I worked as an election clerk from 7:30 am to 12:30 pm EST.
The polls are open from 8:00 am to 8:00 pm. About sixty people were in line to vote at 8:00 and voting was steady to sometimes heavy during the 4 1/2 hours. We have paper ballots that are run throught the machine. The absentee ballots were triple the usual amount for a midterm election.
Just before the polls, the warden (person in charge of all workers), one Republican (me) and one Democratic opened the machine and confirmed there were no ballots anywhere in the maching (there were none). After the polls close, the warden and two election clerks remove all the ballots.
The warden and the election clerks then check the tally of ballots cast with the amount on the print out from the machine. Total ballots received by the ward are compared to ballots counted, spoiled ballots, and left over ballots.
All the ballots are placed in locked boxes and sent to the secretary of state in Augusta.
Good process—exactly the way it should be.