Fair or fixed: North Carolina County election officials assure voting is safe and accurate
In a time where questions about the security of elections are alarmingly and sometimes aggressively increasing, local and state officials want to assure citizens that their vote is safe and accurate.
“North Carolina has a lot of checks and balances on the county and state level,” said Andrew Richards, director of the Davidson County Board of Elections. “There are a lot of eyes looking at everything, it’s not just one person. We have bi-partisan boards, our meetings are open to the public...There are also bi-partisan observers at the polls the entire time to watch the process.”
Early elections began in North Carolina on Oct. 20 and runs through Nov. 5. The General Election will be held on Nov. 8.
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Since the 2022 elections, a group of national organizations have been questioning the validity and security of the election process, even going as far as to train local grassroot coalitions to “canvass” for election-fraud and challenge election officials.
Earlier this year in Surry County, the head of the local GOP, members of NC Audit Force and Douglas Frank, a national “election fraud” spokesman, showed up at the board of elections and demanded to scan voting machines for hidden modems making them vulnerable to tampering, according to an article posted by ProPublica.
The North Carolina Board of Elections emphasizes by state law voting machines are not connected to the internet or contain any modem or modem chip. All 100 counties use paper ballots that produce a physical record which can be audited or recounted.
“We haven’t had any complaints, but we have had a few questions,” said Richards. “We’ve had a few people ask about the wires underneath the voting machines and I tell them that it’s the power cord, it is not connected to the internet.”
Also, before every election, county boards of elections conduct logic and accuracy tests on every voting machine that will be used in the election to ensure proper coding of ballots and counting of votes for every contest on the ballot.
North Carolina residents voting by absentee ballot by mail must deliver their completed ballot to an election official at an early voting site in their county. In Davidson County anyone turning in an absentee ballot must sign a form verifying they delivered and untampered ballot and their relationship to the voter.
Absentee ballots are kept secure and delivered to the county board of elections on Nov. 8 for tabulation.
After every election and before results are certified, the state and county Boards of Elections conduct multiple checks designed to detect irregularities, such as equipment tampering, ballot stuffing, and voting machine or tabulation errors.
According to the North Carolina Board of Elections, North Carolina is one of a few states with a dedicated Investigations Division, which investigates reports of fraud and other irregularities and refers cases to prosecutors when warranted by evidence.
Recently, the North Carolina Board of Elections warned about a mailer from private political groups with inaccurate information about their voting record, some wrongly stating the resident didn’t vote in the last election. The mailer includes the state board of elections website and phone number, although they are not responsible for sending out the flyer.
Voters can check their official voter record online which includes their voting history, the date when each ballot was cast and the voting method, such as in-person on election day, early voting or absentee ballot. North Carolina Voter search can be found here.
State and federal laws also prohibit intimidation or interference with voters or election officials, including hindering access to the polls. This year the state board of election has partnered with the North Carolina Sheriffs’ Association and the North Carolina Association of Chiefs of Police to ensure the enforcement of election laws and the maintenance of order at the polls.
“The State Board of Elections is committed to ensuring all voters can cast their ballot safely, securely, and free from interference of any kind,” said State Board Executive Director Karen Brinson Bell. “We also must ensure that trained election workers can carry out their duties free from harassment, intimidation, and interference.”
As election day nears, elected officials have been trying to be as transparent as possible and reassure the public that voting is safe and accurate.
“It has been something that has been a challenge for the past few years,” said Richards “But we want people to know that everything we do from our board meetings, to certifying ballots and uploading the results are open to the public. There are a lot of people observing the process and it is bipartisan and fair all the way through.”
This article originally appeared on The Dispatch: Davidson County elections officials claim voting is safe and accurate
