(a) Upon receipt of a vote by mail ballot, the elections official shall compare the signature on the identification envelope with either of the following to determine whether the signatures compare:
(1) The signature appearing on the voter’s affidavit of registration or any previous affidavit of registration of the voter.
(2) The signature appearing on a form issued by an elections official that contains the voter’s signature, that is part of the voter’s registration record, and that the elections official has determined compares with the signature on the voter’s affidavit of registration or any previous affidavit of registration of the voter. The elections official may make this determination by reviewing a series of signatures appearing on official forms in the voter’s registration record that have been determined to compare, that demonstrates the progression of the voter’s signature, and makes evident that the signature on the identification envelope is that of the voter.
(b) In comparing signatures pursuant to subdivision (a), the elections official may use the duplicate file of affidavits of registered voters or facsimiles of voters’ signatures, provided that the method of preparing and displaying the facsimiles complies with the law.
(c) (1) If upon conducting the comparison of signatures pursuant to subdivision (a) the elections official determines that the signatures compare, he or she shall deposit the ballot, still in the identification envelope, in a ballot container in his or her office.
(2) If upon conducting the comparison of signatures pursuant to subdivision (a) the elections official determines that the signatures do not compare, the identification envelope shall not be opened and the ballot shall not be counted. The cause of the rejection shall be written on the face of the identification envelope.
(d) The variation of a signature caused by the substitution of initials for the first or middle name, or both, shall not be grounds for the elections official to determine that the signatures do not compare.
(e) A ballot shall not be removed from its identification envelope until the time for processing ballots. A ballot shall not be rejected for cause after the identification envelope has been opened.