We have the paper trail, I think they have to keep them for two years or something. But IIRC nobody is allowed to look at them, not even for a recount. If the margin is within half a percentage point the ballots go through tabulating machines a second time. If it is within some even smaller fraction of a percentage point the second time I think actual people will look at ballots… but only the ballots that the machines thought were invalid. I don’t think real people are allowed to second-guess a tabulating machine that records a vote one way or another.
And the machine, when you use it, does not tell you how it is recording your votes. It doesn’t print a copy for inspection. It just increments a number showing how many ballots were processed, and I think there’s like a green light or a check mark or something.
~Max