Other rules were not communicated to the ballot counters.

"We can't have people jumping on the horse and riding off in all directions just counting," he said, referring to the need for a single standard for all ballot counters.

And the news media horde waited in the parking lot, mobbing departing ballot counters as if they were celebrities.

This chapter covers acceptance testing for optical scan ballot counters, touch screen voting stations, and end-to-end voting.

But around here, we seem to be as tired of electioneering as those ballot counters are of counting votes.

Tonight some ballot counters, who had been working for 36 hours straight, asked to be able to stop counting disputed Soweto ballots and go home to get some sleep.

If the race stays this close, it may be a long night on Tuesday for the ballot counters, not to say the candidates.

Used in less than 10 percent of voting jurisdictions, these A.T.M. systems minimize the potential for human error, on the part of either the voter or the ballot counter.

Other officials have included Official Critics, a Laureate Committee, President, Vice-President, and ballot counters.

But after hearing arguments from both sides, the board sent 50 ballot counters home.