(a) If the election board receives an insufficient number of official ballots or official election materials, it shall provide and the voters may use unmarked substitute ballots or other election materials to indicate the intent of the voter.
(b) The election board shall certify the facts which prevented the use of the official ballots and materials and shall include the certificate in the election returns to the director. The initial failure to certify to the facts or include the certificate required does not invalidate any ballots.
(c) On disclosure that unofficial ballots have been used without the certification required under (b) of this section, the director shall notify the chairperson of the election board by telephone or electronic transmission of the failure to certify the ballots properly.
(d) The director may accept a certificate made by electronic transmission and count the ballots if the certificate is proper and actually received by the director within 10 days after the date that the chairperson of the election board was notified under (c) of this section.