Counting should only commence when the last ballot is cast. Ballots should be adjudicated in real time, with the voter present. Yes, this might violate voter anonymity, but it is better than violating voter intent.

Can it be more obvious? When the results are not what the DS wants them to be, “oh, wait a minute, we found these ballots,” or “darn, there was something wrong with these ballots, I guess now we have to fix them and count them.”