People across the country are gearing up for the Primary Elections in August, and even more so, the General Election this November. Locally, employees of the Elections department, which falls under the Auditor’s Office, are testing equipment, preparing voter guides and ballots, getting ready for those big days.

“The first step in each election is to prepare the voters’ pamphlet and ballot,” Camolyn Armstrong, Certified Elections Administrator, explained. “The equipment must be tested, including verifying races and measures on each ballot style [there can be up to twenty during an odd-year election]. The voters’ pamphlets and ballots are then printed, and all eligible voters are sent a ballot at least 18 days before the election.”

To become a Certified Elections Administrator Armstrong went through a training and certification process; attending Elections 101 (a multiple-day orientation training), passing the Secretary of State Election Administrator Certification Exam (a 22-page exam testing knowledge of election law and ability to apply the Revised Code of Washington, the Washington Administrative Code, and the Washington State Constitution). “Prior to the exam, Election Administrators must complete 40 hours of election education and have two years of continuous service in an election’s office,” Armstrong explained. “A Certified Elections Administrator must serve continuously as an election administrator and accumulate 40 hours of continuing education every two years to maintain their certification.”

After islanders return their ballots, received or postmarked by 8 p.m. on Election Day, the counting process begins. Each of those ballots is added to a batch and tracked using a daily reconciliation sheet. According to Armstrong, each signature is verified by trained election staff. If the signature is missing or does not match the voter registration record, the voter is contacted. Next, a team of experienced, temporary election staff review the ballots for potential scanning errors and voter intent. This team opens the outer return envelope and removes the ballot from the envelope and security sleeve. “At this point, the ballot cannot be traced back to the voter,” Armstrong emphasized.

Ballots are then scanned using scanners that are unconnected to any form of network or internet. At 8 p.m. on Election Night, ballots that have already been scanned are tabulated and unofficial results are reported.

“Ballots will continue to be processed, signatures verified, and votes tabulated until the election results are officially certified. Ballots are sealed in secure containers throughout the election and a minimum of two staff must be present whenever a ballot is handled,” Armstrong said.

Those interested in watching, San Juan County live streams the entire process on YouTube channel.

“We live stream and record all ballot processing, the pre-audit logic and accuracy test, the post-election random batch audit, and the canvassing board meetings,” Armstrong noted.

The equipment is conducted frequently. San Juan County uses HART Verity v2.7 election equipment to build, scan, and tabulate ballots, according to Armstrong, saying “We complete a pre-election audit before ballots are mailed called the Logic and Accuracy Test. Right after Election Day we perform a post-election Random Batch Audit.”

She explained that prior to every election, San Juan County tests the voting system to ensure the machines are correctly set up and accurately counting votes. During the Logic and Accuracy test, election officials produce a test deck, or a set of ballots with pre-determined votes for each candidate and measure, including one or more overvoted ballot for each contest. The test deck is processed through the tabulation equipment, and a comparison is made between the test deck results and the tabulated results. This ensures that the voting system is reporting the same answer as the test ballots with the known outcome. Recently, Logic and Accuracy testing was done July 9 in preparation for the Aug. 6 Primary Election.

Immediately after Election Day, a Random Batch Audit is conducted. Election officials randomly select six batches of ballots and complete a manual hand count. One office or measure on the ballot is selected and the hand count results are compared to the machine count results.

Each election cycle has a detailed schedule with strict deadlines that must be followed.

“Please note that the General Election starts at the beginning of the year because open offices must be set for candidate filing week,” Armstrong said.

Elections staff also keeps track of junior taxing district’s commissioners and directors. They assist the districts with the elections process including appointments and submitting a resolution to put a measure on the ballot. “We communicate with measure sponsors and pro/con committees,” Armstrong explained.

When asked why some district levies pass by a simple majority while others don’t pass unless it is over 60%, Armstrong explained that levy and bond requirements are unique to each district’s law as specified in the Revised Code of Washington.

Washington State also regulates the Voter’s Guide. Washington is one of 13 states that distributes a guide. Of those, nearly all have pro and con arguments included, though Maine does not. Three states, Montana, Nebraska and Michigan do not provide information on the authors of the pros and cons. Washington does provide information regarding the authors, however, only minor grammatical errors are corrected. Fact-checking and other proofing is not done. At the bottom of the page of the Voter’s Guide is printed “The San Juan County Auditor is not responsible for the content of statements or arguments (WAC 434-381-180).”

There has been discussions across the country about voter fraud. When Armstrong was asked what kind of security measures are in place, she said “When you vote, you sign an oath swearing your eligibility to vote. When your ballot is received, your signature on the ballot declaration is compared to your signature in your voter registration file to confirm your identity and eligibility.” The ballot, Armstrong continued, may only be counted if a signature is present and matches what is on file. “If a signature is missing or challenged, the ballot is held, while the voter is mailed a signature cure form,” she noted.

Furthermore, the voter registration database, VoteWA, is updated daily with address changes, deaths, and other cancellations. According to Armstrong, these updates come from Social Security Administration death notifications, obituaries, Department of Licensing reports, Department of Corrections reports, the Electronic Registration Information Center, a national resource that helps to keep voter rolls valid and guard against double-voting, and finally directly from voters, either online or in person.

As a result, Armstrong is confident in the system, saying “I trust the all the security measures and processes put in place by the State of Washington and San Juan County. San Juan County Elections works hard to make sure your vote is safe and secure before, during, and after all elections. Our processes are fair and transparent.”

For anyone wanting to participate, observers during elections are always welcome after attending an in-depth observer training. Want to be part of the San Juan County Elections team? “We always accept applications for new members of the A-Team, or “Angels of Democracy” – the superb, temporary staff that process ballots,” Armstrong said. “The Washington Secretary of State offers excellent resources for Washington state voters. I love my job and talking about elections! Please visit me in person or call.”