Letter from the League of Women Voters on elections

Editor’s Note: This letter was republished as Opinion.

Please note that the views of this letter do not reflect those of T.he New Political

The election process can seem confusing when we only show up to vote once or twice a year, but our Board of Elections (BOE) staff work hard year round to keep our elections safe and secure. We’ve seen this process in action as a poll worker and League of Women Voters observer at BOE meetings, and we'd like to illuminate some of the processes so our community understands how our elections work.

Before elections even begin, our voting machines and tabulators, which are never connected to the internet, go through a series of bipartisan testing for accuracy and security. The voting equipment is secured in locked locations with tamper-proof seals that can only be accessed by both a Republican and Democratic election official present. During this time, our local BOE completes rigorous security upgrades for both cyber-security and physical security. Poll workers, who must work in bipartisan groups, are also trained about Ohio's voting rules and procedures.

As election season rolls around, the BOE staff educates voters about voting rules and procedures to minimize votes that are rejected due to voter error. The ballot drop box is always monitored both electronically and checked regularly in person, with any handling of ballots or voting equipment done by a bipartisan team of election officials.  

On Election Day, all precincts are staffed by bipartisan teams of trained poll workers. Throughout the day, the BOE staff continually reconciles voting lists to ensure no votes were counted twice, and every Ohio ballot is also recorded in hard-copy on paper, regardless of how you vote.

After each election, the county conducts post-election audits — which are open to the public — to ensure the accuracy of the count. If a close election requires a recount, it is counted by hand with representatives of both parties.

Know that our elections are secure thanks to Ohio’s regulations and the hard work of our BOE staff. Every vote is important and every vote counts, so make sure you have a plan to vote in this election.