Post-Election Audits | WA Secretary of State

In Washington, each county conducts a post-election audit after every election.

There are two types of post-election audit conducted in Washington:

Random Batch Audit

A random check of ballot counting equipment, commonly known as a random batch audit, compares a hand count of ballots to the voting system count in selected batches or precincts. This check occurs within 48 hours of election day. (RCW 29A.60.170)

Random Ballot Audit

A random ballot audit, also known as a risk-limiting audit (RLA), uses statistics to confirm election outcomes. This check helps verify that the apparent winner of an election actually won.

Ballots are randomly selected for review, then compared to the voting system record until enough have been sampled to confirm that the correct winner was found. If the winner won by a lot of votes, the sample needed to confirm the outcome may be quite small; if the race was close, the audit will examine more ballots.

The risk limit for statewide ballot comparison risk-limiting audits (RLAs) is 5%.

The risk limit for county-level ballot comparison RLAs is 5%.