Many people make the assumption that hand counting ballots could work in small counties, but would not work in larger counties. Seems logical, doesn’t it, that the more voters, the more ballots, and the bigger the job of counting them all (in a day).

It is a myth that the size of the county matters. Yes, a larger county has more polling places (or precincts), but it is the size of the polling place that matters — not the size of the county.

Our research has found that the average polling place in the United States has 600-800 voters. The average turnout is 60%. So an average polling place will have 360 to 480 ballots cast.

Check back for this Mythbuster video where we will explain how many ballots can be counted per hour, and a useful tool for determining the number of counters needed to count in a specific time period (such as all ballots counted in 8 hours).

We are currently recording and editing this video. It will be available soon. In the meantime, check out these other resources about hand count costs.