AP: Can a state count all its votes by hand? A North Dakota proposal aims to be the first to try

Backers of the proposed ballot measure are far from gathering enough signatures, but if the plan makes the June 2024 ballot and voters pass it, North Dakota would have to replace ballot scanners with hundreds of workers across the state who would carefully count and recount ballots.

What a cluster it would be to do hand counting of all votes. Doubt this would pass even if they get enough signatures to get it on the ballot. Gotta admire the confidence of the farmer who’s leading the effort that “They can find the people to do the job, because there are people that are willing to come in and do the hand counting.” Unemployment rate was 1.9% for the state this past October.

There’s also this tidbit at the end of the article:

Nearly 44% of voters participated by early voting or by mail in North Dakota’s November 2022 election.