Florida, Georgia voters concerned about election security

Elections officials confident voting machines are accurate

BRUNSWICK, Ga. – With the election less than 12 days away, voters are expressing concerns that their ballots won't count, or perhaps their vote switched to a different candidate.

Some people in Texas have taken to social media, citing problems there. Election officials said it was human error and not problems with the machines changing votes.

Elections supervisors in Georgia and Florida said it is a secure process. Votes will count as cast, and they don't need to worry.

Mike Hogan, Duval County’s supervisor of elections said the optical scanners used to count the paper ballots voters are casting early or on Nov. 8 have been checked and will be checked again for accuracy.

"We test every single one before they go out to the precincts, and then state law requires we do a test in front of the public. It's called the LNA test," Hogan said.

A total of five tests are conducted to make sure that your vote is accurately counted and hasn't been tampered with. But he said his office is getting calls from people wanting to verify their vote.

"It's not an answer they like to hear," Hogan said. "They wanted to know if their vote counted specifically. If I can tell them that, I know how they voted. Voting is privacy. It's all about privacy."

In Georgia, where 20 percent of voters have cast ballots, they use touch screen voting machines rather than paper ballots -- which raises even greater concerns of election security.

But if there's a problem, officials said there is a way to verify the machine count.

"There is a paper trail," said Glynn County Supervisor of Elections Tina Edwards."It's just not a paper receipt that they can take with them. We do have a paper report for every machine that we print out at the end of the day."

One voter who cast her ballot Thursday is confident it will count.

"When I cast my vote, I think it going to count and nobody is going to rig it," Lucretia Fice said.

Georgia election officials also they still have confidence in the state's voting machines, even after Bryan County voter complained that a touch-screen machine incorrectly showed his presidential selection. The voter said he touched the screen to vote for Democrat Clinton, but instead it selected Republican Trump, twice. On his third try, the voter said he was able to select Clinton.

A spokesman for Secretary of State Brian Kemp says the county improperly tested the machine. The unit won't be used again this year but ballots on it will be counted.

 


About the Author

Jim Piggott is the reporter to count on when it comes to city government and how it will affect the community.

Recommended Videos