Oct. 20 – Voters from across the country will head to the polls to cast their ballots in about two weeks.
As Election Day approaches, officials are preparing voting machines and fine-tuning procedures to ensure accuracy.
In a tense political climate, Snyder County Elections Director Devin Rhoads said he will be an open book for voters looking for details about election procedures.
“We are open and transparent,” Rhoads said. “If I have someone who questions the system, doesn’t believe in it, or is concerned about conspiracy theories, and he wants me to hold his hand and show him everything that’s going on, I will do that .”
Voting machines in Pennsylvania are assessed using logic and accuracy tests. All equipment is subjected to this stress test before the elections to ensure that it functions properly. According to the Pennsylvania Department of State, all counties in the Commonwealth are required by law to conduct testing before elections.
Logic and accuracy tests are performed using a “test deck” – sample ballots with different configurations of layouts and votes. Ballots in the card game are specifically designed to trigger warnings or fail. For example, having no votes or too many votes in a competition.
By running the test deck through voting machines, officials ensure that the equipment accurately counts votes and identifies errors.
Testing ensures the machines are working properly and provides definitive proof of the ballots, preventing errors such as missing candidates.
“Logic and accuracy testing, combined with post-election audits of ballots, provide consistent evidence that voting machines are doing what they are supposed to do,” said Mark Lindeman, director of policy and strategy at Verified Voting, a ballot tracking group. voting technology in the US said: “The systems and processes are good, and they are getting better.”
In Pennsylvania, county officials have up to 15 days before the election to confirm that logic and accuracy tests have been completed.
Northumberland County Board of Elections Chief Clerk Lindsay Phillips said testing across Northumberland County was completed this week.
Once tested, the voting machines are reset and secured in locked areas until Election Day, Phillips said.
Ensure accuracy
When ballots are returned to the Northumberland County elections office on Election Day, they will be time-stamped and scanned into the state system, Phillips said.
The ballots are then sorted by district.
Phillips described her team’s counting process as an “assembly line.” One person opens the envelopes, the next removes the ballots and the last scans the ballots into the voting machine.
The ballots are then placed in the appropriate bin and sealed.
The process keeps all votes “truly anonymous,” Phillips said.
Northumberland County officials can check ballot numbers using data they access in the days leading up to the election, detailing the number of ballots each county bin should contain.
In terms of a paper trail, Phillips said each ballot has a unique barcode on the envelope.
