Skidaway Island Democrats

9 hours ago

From the League of Women Voters of Georgia:
How Georgia Votes: Testing the Machines

Before a Single Vote Is Cast

Before any election device is used by voters, it is tested ahead of each election. Poll pads, ballot marking devices, printers, and scanners are all tested by elections staff. These tests occur in the few weeks before each and every election and are open to the public to watch. Some counties provide links so voters can watch from anywhere. Public notice is given in advance of testing, and that testing runs until complete.

Note: "Ballot marking devices" is the official name of voting machines. The scanners accept and secure the printout of the ballot. The scanner tabulates your vote and keeps track of the total number of ballots counted by the specific scanner.

What Is Logic and Accuracy Testing?

Logic & Accuracy testing allows the public to observe the testing of election equipment by election officials prior to its deployment into precincts. Logic & Accuracy testing ensures that all components of election systems operate in the manner in which their programming intends. Logic & Accuracy testing ensures that the touchscreen properly displays the ballot, that the optical scanners can read the ballot properly as the voter intended, and that the results will be tabulated and reported accurately in the same manner.

How Is Testing Done?

Right now, your county elections office is awaiting what’s called the “project” to be sent from the Secretary of State. The project will include various ballot styles according to districts and races within that county’s jurisdiction. Every county will have multiple ballot styles. A polling precinct may have multiple ballot styles. Voters within city limits may have a different ballot than county voters. In primaries, Democrats will have a different ballot than Republicans. Your neighbors may be in a different state house district than you, so their ballot will have a different combination of races. The “combo code” (combination of races) on their ballot will be different than yours. The “project” contains all of those ballot styles and coding, which quickly and accurately tabulates any vote for any candidate or choice on any ballot within the project.

Simply put, a logic test determines that the machine works properly. A properly working ballot marking device should print a ballot containing choices that the voter selected on the screen. A properly working scanner should tabulate one vote for each candidate or choice indicated on that printed ballot. Testing the accuracy of the equipment ensures each component comes up with the same result.

What Is the Process for Checking the Ballot Marking Devices and Printers?

Officials manually print ballots containing votes for candidates from the ballot marking devices, ensuring that each race and candidate receives votes across the multiple “test” ballots created. Election staff will utilize both voter cards from the poll pads and manual activation. Manual activation brings a specific ballot style up on a ballot marking device without the use of a voter card. This process is utilized as a backup procedure in case poll pads go down during polling hours. The ballots printed during this process are clearly labeled TEST in large letters so that they can be distinguished from official ballots when records are consolidated after the polls close.

The Final Link: How Are Scanners/Tabulators Tested?
The ballots generated from the ballot marking devices are run through the scanners. A test deck of hand-marked ballots used in mail-in and provisional voting is also tested. Election staff will attempt to “trick” the scanner by running ballots that may have overvotes (too many votes on one race) or even a ballot from a different precinct. The scanner should not accept ballots that have any kind of issue, so this testing is imperative. Election staff will compare the results from the printed ballots to the tabulated results tape printed from the scanner. The staff member then takes the memory card from that scanner and uploads the tabulated results to the Election Management System. All three checks should match perfectly. If they do not, election staff know there is a problem somewhere, and they will have to diagnose and fix that problem before deploying the machine for voting or take the machine completely out of use.

What Happens to Ensure That Nothing Changes Between Testing and the Election?

Once a piece of equipment has passed L&A, all compartments on the unit itself are sealed. Each seal has a unique serial number etched into it. These seals and unit serial numbers are carefully recorded on a form called a recap sheet, which is kept secure by election staff and poll workers. This information is not open to the public until after the election has concluded to protect the sanctity and security of the election while it is underway. When each piece of equipment is opened and set up for use, poll workers compare all of the unit serial numbers and seal numbers to the information recorded in Logic & Accuracy testing to ensure that nothing has been tampered with. None of the equipment is ever connected to the Internet.

Whenever these machines are in use during early voting and on Election Day, they stay in the open, within sight of a trained election worker. When early voting closes for the night, the equipment is secured inside the polling place until voting resumes on the next day of early voting. Seals are checked every day at opening and closing. Poll workers are also required to check that the seals are present and intact at least once each hour while the polls are open.

None of this is hidden. The testing is public, the seals are logged, and whenever the equipment is in use, it stays in plain sight of an election worker and is secured when it is not. If you want to see it for yourself, your county elections office can tell you when L&A testing is scheduled, and you can view the process firsthand. ... See MoreSee Less