1. Before any election where a mechanical voting system is to be used, the county clerk shall prepare or cause to be prepared a computer program on cards, tape or other material suitable for use with the computer or counting device to be employed for counting the votes cast. The program must cause the computer or counting device to operate in the following manner:

(a) All lawful votes cast by each voter must be counted.

(b) All unlawful votes, including, but not limited to, overvotes or, in a primary election, votes cast for a candidate of a major political party other than the party, if any, of the registration of the voter must not be counted.

(c) If the election is:

(1) A primary election held in an even-numbered year; or

(2) A general election,

the total votes, other than absentee votes and votes in a mailing precinct, must be accumulated by precinct.

(d) The computer or counting device must halt or indicate by appropriate signal if a ballot is encountered which lacks a code identifying the precinct in which it was voted and, in a primary election, identifying the major political party of the voter.

2. The program must be prepared under the supervision of the accuracy certification board appointed pursuant to the provisions of NRS 293B.140.

3. The county clerk shall take such measures as he or she deems necessary to protect the program from being altered or damaged.

(Added to NRS by 1975, 1525; A 1979, 1304; 1985, 1101; 1987, 357; 1989, 229; 1993, 2199; 1995, 2632; 1997, 1608, 3470; 1999, 679)