Contract Extension Ratification Vote: What is Unofficial and Contested?

With the recent ridiculous pro-CTA mismanagement Contract extension we were coerced into approve recently, there have been two common questions about the results:

What does "un-official" mean?

What are "Challenge" votes?

I found an explanation from Brother Eric Brown to be very helpful. He is a Laborer and a ATU Local 241 General Office Steward that shared information on the 241/308 Fight Back Facebook group:

Good Evening:

The results are in for the ratification votes for the 4% hourly rate increase, which takes effect July 1st, 2024, once approved.

An unofficial count is the count of votes at a projected ratio until all other votes are counted, namely, Challenged Votes.

There are 606 systemwide Challenged Votes, so this count is declared unofficial until all 606 Challenge Votes are counted!

A Challenged Voter is an active or non active member of the company whose name is not on the membership eligibility roster for numerous reasons. A thorough investigation is conducted to see if that voter meets the criteria for voting eligibility.

There is a form that will need to be filled out; It asks for the member's name, badge, work location, and the reason for submitting a Challenge Vote.

[Examples of Challenge Voters]

Retirees and new hires are usually the abundance of Challenged Voters, but for the most part, it consists of members voting at other locations rather than their assigned ones. Sometimes, even active members who had several years with the company may not be listed on the roster.

Thanks and have a prosperous evening!

Special thanks to the brother for sharing the explanation. What do you think about his explanation and the vote?

 

Update: Below are the final (official) results.