In Virginia there are two methods for conducting risk-limiting audits: ballot-polling audits and batch-comparison audits. In both cases, the audits are performed by Electoral Boards and General Registrars, through the use of Audit Review Boards, “under the supervision of the Department” of Elections. Both ballot-polling audits and batch-comparison audits are straightforward and independently verifiable by the public; however, they operate in different ways and provide similar but distinct conclusions about the outcome of an election.

Ballot-Polling RLA Method

Batch-Comparison Method

Sort-and-Stack Method

Hashmarking Method