How tellers count a ballot election
Count each office on the ballot as if it were a separate ballot. A ballot that marks nothing for an office is blank for that office and is set aside. Blanks are not votes, so they don't raise the number needed to win.
Every other ballot from someone entitled to vote is a vote cast. If the tellers can credit it, it goes to the candidate. If they can't, it's an illegal vote: still counted in the votes cast, but credited to no one. That covers unreadable ballots, votes for ineligible or made-up people, too many marks for an office, and filled-in ballots folded together.
If the tellers can't tell what a ballot means and it could change the result, the chair puts it to the assembly. Record the assembly's ruling under the report and the count is redone.
The number necessary for election is a majority: more than half of the votes cast. When several seats share one section, each ballot with any vote there is one vote cast, and each winner needs a majority of those ballots. If an office isn't filled, the assembly takes another ballot for it with every name still on it.
Example: an annual meeting with a president and three directors
For president, 99 ballots come back. Two are blank and are set aside, leaving 97 votes cast, so 49 are needed. Ruth Miller has 51, Sam Wilson 24 and Grace Strong 14. Seven ballots name Pat Friend, who isn't a member, and one is two ballots folded together. Those 8 are illegal votes: in the 97, credited to nobody. Ruth Miller is elected.
For the board, 94 ballots mark at least one director, so 48 are needed. Ana Lopez (70), Ben Okafor (55), Chris Hall (49) and Dee Park (49) all reach 48, but there are three seats and Hall and Park tie for the third. Lopez and Okafor are elected, and the third seat goes to another ballot. Open this example.
Reading the report to the meeting
The tellers' chair reads the report but doesn't say who won. The presiding officer reads it again and declares the result, office by office. The full report, illegal votes included, goes into the minutes. The "For the chair" lines under the report give the declaration for each office.
Your bylaws come first
This tool follows Robert's Rules when your bylaws are silent. If they say a plurality elects, set the vote needed to plurality. If a question needs two thirds, set that question to two thirds. Pick the rule your bylaws give before you count.
Questions tellers ask
What goes in a tellers' report?
For each office: the number of votes cast, the number necessary for election, what each candidate received from most to fewest, and any illegal votes with the reason. The tellers' chair reads it without saying who won. The presiding officer reads it again and declares the result, and the whole report goes into the minutes.
Do blank ballots count as votes cast?
No. A blank ballot, or one that only says "abstain", is set aside and does not count toward the votes cast, so it does not raise the number needed to win. A ballot left blank for one office still counts for the offices it does mark.
What is an illegal vote under Robert's Rules?
A vote from someone entitled to vote that can't be credited to anyone: an unreadable ballot, a vote for an ineligible or made-up person, too many marks for an office, or two filled-in ballots folded together (one illegal vote per set). Illegal votes count in the votes cast but go to no candidate.
How many votes are needed to win an election under Robert's Rules?
A majority of the votes cast: more than half, not counting blanks. With 97 votes cast, 49 are needed. "Half plus one" gives the wrong number when the total is odd. Your bylaws can set another rule, such as a plurality or two thirds, and they come first.
What happens if no one gets a majority?
No one is elected, and the assembly votes again. Under Robert's Rules nobody is dropped from the next ballot unless they withdraw, and you keep voting until someone has a majority. A plurality only elects if your bylaws say so.
How do you count votes when electing several board members on one ballot?
Each ballot with at least one vote in that section is one vote cast, however many names it marks. A candidate needs a majority of those ballots. If more people reach a majority than there are seats, the highest win; a tie for the last seat elects neither and they stay on the next ballot.
What if a ballot votes for too many candidates?
That section is one illegal vote, because the tellers can't tell whom the voter preferred. The rest of the ballot still counts. Voting for fewer than the number of seats is fine; each name marked is credited.
Can two tellers count separately and compare?
Yes. Add a second count on the same phone, or have the other teller send their totals with a link. The comparison shows every line where the two counts differ, so you only recheck those ballots. The printed report says whether the counts agree.
Rules from Robert's Rules of Order Newly Revised, 12th edition: 44:1 to 44:3 and 44:9 (majority, two thirds, blanks and abstentions) as explained in the official RONR FAQ; 45:32, 45:36 and 46:33 as quoted on the official RONR Q&A forum. Also Jim Slaughter's tellers' report form and his 12th edition worked tellers' report (45:37), the National Association of Parliamentarians handout Preparing a tellers' report, and the League of Women Voters simplified parliamentary procedure. Not affiliated with Robert's Rules Association. Your bylaws and the assembly have the final word.