No. The County tests the accuracy of our voting system software and equipment three separate times each election:
- Before voting begins, pre-marked test ballots are run through the ballot scanners to make sure they total the votes accurately.
- During the election canvass period, the paper ballots from at least one percent of the precincts and one percent of the mail ballots are randomly selected and hand counted to audit the accuracy of the ballot scanners.
- After the election results are certified, the pre-marked test ballots are run through the ballot scanners again to make sure they still total the votes accurately.
All three of these activities are observable by any member of the public.
Additionally, the County’s voting system is not connected to the Internet, to the County’s wide area network, or any other network (air-gapped). There is no capability to remotely access or activate these systems. The equipment and software are air-gapped within the Registrar of Voters office in secured rooms. All counting of ballots and tallying of results is done in these secure rooms.
Vendor and county officials follow strict physical security and chain-of-custody requirements for all voting technology software, firmware, and hardware, all of which meet or exceed federal guidance including that of the U.S. Department of Justice, the Cybersecurity and Infrastructure Security Agency, and the Election Assistance Commission.