Brunswick County Board of Elections testing voting machines this week

September 13, 2022

WWAY News,

There are several things to be aware of before going to the polls this month (Photo: WWAY)

BOLIVIA, NC (WWAY) — The Brunswick County Board of Elections is scheduled to begin logic and accuracy (L&A) testing on Thursday in preparation for the November 8th General Election.

Officials say this testing is a series of steps intended to ensure that ballots, scanners, and any other components of the voting system are properly configured and in good working order.

“Before every election we test the voting equipment to ensure it is election-ready,” Director of the Brunswick County Board of Elections Sara LaVere said. “To promote transparency, the process of scanning ballots and sealing equipment is open to the public and will be live streamed.”

You can view the live steam on September 15th HERE.

During the testing, ballots of each style are coded for a mock election and marked in a pre-determined pattern. They are then run through the tabulator and the results compared to the expected result. The tests check the voting system’s ability to read each ballot style and the accuracy of the tabulator when counting votes. A bipartisan team oversees the preparation of the machines and ballots and conducts the tests.

After testing, the bipartisan team and election staff will reset the equipment to ensure no L&A test information remains on the system heading into the elections, according to a press release. The equipment will be sealed by the bipartisan team with a security tag which is logged for chain of custody.

The testing is open to the public. There is limited space available for members of the public in the testing office.

In addition to this Thursday, testing will also be conducted on the following dates: