YORK COUNTY, S.C. — Election Day is less than a month away, and as people prepare to cast ballots, poll workers want people to know the process behind counting votes is fair.
The preparation work is well underway in York County, South Carolina. Machines are being prepared, and the process is open to the public to check out; just show your ID at the elections office on South Congress Street in York and sign in to do so.
“We’re in the process of prepping some of the ballot markets. These white devices here are the ballot marking devices," said Alan Helms, director of York County Voter Registration and Elections.
Helms is aware some are concerned about voter fraud, but committing these acts is much harder than you may think.
“[Voting machines] are extremely secure, and they’re extremely accurate, it uses all the modern security mechanisms for software and hardware to prevent tampering," he said.
Security measures aren't just limited to the ballot counting machines either; all poll workers undergo security training as well. There are also multiple checks in place to catch errors, and cameras are watching every step of the way.
Helms says processes are built into the system to make sure Election Day goes as smoothly as possible.
“It’s not a one-day process. It’s many days, many weeks, many nights," Helms said.
Early voting starts on October 24th. More information is available online.
Contact Indira Eskieva at ieskieva@wcnc.com and follow her on Facebook, Twitter and Instagram.
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