What Are CVRs?

In our modern world, where technology seems to intrude into most every aspect of our lives and is even required in some, terminology becomes increasingly important. Therefore, clear understanding of those terms is equally important.

CVRs, or “Cast Vote Records” is one of those terms. Why is this important? It’s important because CVRs are your receipt. Receipt for what? For one of the most important and supposedly protected transactions an American takes part in, YOUR VOTE! Cast Vote Records are the itemized receipt that shows precisely the number of transactions (ballots), the items purchased (votes cast), and the columned running total for each race.

Imagine shopping at the grocery store and receiving a receipt with nothing but the total of the transaction printed on it. Would you have any questions? Or would you simply accept that the clerk and the till recorded and properly accounted for each and every item you purchased? Would your questions be different if you purchased 10 items or 300? I imagine so. Yet, that is what you receive after participating in one of the most sacred rights in America, elections. A receipt with only the total on it, that is, the election results.

How can this be? Well, in Montana, the Secretary Of State has declared that you, the customers, are not deserving of an itemized receipt. True, in spite of the fact that a law exists that demands you receive one. MCA 13-17-103 (L) reads: "allows auditors to access and monitor any software program while it is running on the system to determine whether the software is running properly;” Properly understood, this law requires that the records produced by the voting machines while they are calculating the totals, be produced, preserved and presented to the customers, the voters. Just like your supermarket till tracks your grocery purchases. Therefore these are in practice one of the most important election records produced in an election, along with the voted ballots. A CVR is the digital record of what the machine did while it was processing your votes, just like the grocery receipt from your supermarket.

As testified by ES&S’s Chris Walashin at the 2023 Montana legislature, “ES&S machines automatically produce CVRs” when asked what ES&S-produced records should be preserved for a proper audit, Chris named many records, CVR’s being one of the primaries.

In addition, 52 U.S. Code Chapter 207 - FEDERAL ELECTION RECORDS 01 thru 06 with 20702 defines “Theft, destruction, concealment, mutilation, or alteration of records or papers;” with penalties.

You are encourage to contact your secretary of state and politely demand your receipt at: State Capitol, Room 260 ~ PO Box 202801, Helena, Montana 59620-2801 or 406-444- 2034 before this, what many are calling the most significant election in U.S. history, becomes un-auditable history.