Section 9-208. Provisions for recanvass of vote in every election district in the state; procedure in case of discrepancy

1. Within  fifteen  days
  after  each  general, special or primary election, and within seven days
  after every village election conducted by  the  board  of  elections  at
  which  voting machines are used, the board of elections, or a bipartisan
  committee of or appointed by said board,  shall  in  each  county  using
  voting  machines, make a record of the number on the seal and the number
  on the protective counter, of each voting machine used in each  election
  district  in  such  general, special or primary election, shall open the
  counter compartment of each of such machine, and, without unlocking such
  machine against voting, shall recanvass the vote cast thereon or, if the
  machine is provided with a device  for  printing  or  photographing  the
  counters,  such  board  or  committee  shall  recanvass  such printed or
  photographic record or, if the machine  is  provided  with  a  removable
  electronic  or  computerized  device which records the vote cast on such
  machine and from  which  a  printed  copy  of  such  vote  may  be  made
  mechanically  or  electronically  and  also  a  device  for  printing or
  photographing such vote directly from the voting machine, such board  or
  committee  shall recanvass the vote by comparing the vote on the printed
  copy of the canvass made from such removable device with the printed  or
  photographed  copy  of the canvass made directly from the voting machine
  at the close of the polls.  No  person  who  was  a  candidate  at  such
  election  shall  be  appointed to membership on the committee.  The said
  board or committee shall during such  time,  make  a  recanvass  of  any
  absentee  and military, special federal, special presidential, emergency
  and write-in ballots which were canvassed at polling places on  election
  night  and  delivered  to  the  board  of elections by the person filing
  returns. Before making such canvass the board of elections, with respect
  to each election district  to  be  recanvassed,  shall  give  notice  in
  writing to the voting machine custodian thereof, to the state and county
  chairman  of  each  party or independent body which shall have nominated
  candidates for the said general or  special  election  or  nominated  or
  elected  candidates  at the said primary election and to each individual
  candidate whose name appears on said machine,  of  the  time  and  place
  where  such  canvass is to be made; and the state and county chairman of
  each such party or independent body and each such  individual  candidate
  may  send  a  representative  to  be  present  at such recanvass.   Each
  candidate whose name appears on said  machine,  or  his  representative,
  shall  have  the right personally to examine and make a copy of the vote
  recorded on such machine and ballots.
    2. If upon such recanvass, it shall be found that the original canvass
  of the returns has been incorrectly made from any machine or machines or
  upon the result of any absentee and military, special  federal,  special
  presidential,  emergency  or  alleged  write-in  ballot,  a statement in
  writing shall be prepared giving in detail  for  each  such  machine  or
  total  of  such  ballots or alleged write-in ballots cast, the result of
  the recanvass, and such statement shall  be  witnessed  by  the  persons
  required  to  be present and shall be filed with the board of elections.
  Such recanvass of votes made pursuant hereto shall  thereupon  supersede
  the returns filed by the inspectors of election of the election district
  in which the canvass was made.
    3.  If upon such recanvass, it shall be found that a discrepancy still
  remains unaccounted for,  the  board  of  elections,  or  the  committee
  thereof,  with  the  assistance  of  the custodian of the machine, shall
  unlock the voting and  counting  mechanism  of  the  machine  and  shall
  proceed  thoroughly  to  examine  and  test the machine to determine and
  reveal the true cause or causes, if  any,  of  the  discrepancy  in  the
  returns  from  such machine. Before testing, the counters shall be reset

  at zero and each counter shall be operated at least one  hundred  times.
  After  the  completion of such examination and test, the custodian shall
  then and there prepare a statement  in  writing  giving  in  detail  the
  result  thereof,  and  such  statement shall be witnessed by the persons
  required to be present and shall be filed in the office of the board  of
  elections.