Arizona officials conduct tabulation tests before election
PHOENIX (NBC, KYMA/KECY) - Maricopa County officials conducted a Logic and Accuracy Test for the tabulation equipment that will be used by voters in Arizona for November's general election.
Testing took place Tuesday and is intended to ensure that ballot-counting machines are programmed correctly and will accurately count votes.
Maricopa County Elections staff placed ballots on the machines, which were monitored by representatives from political parties and the Secretary of State's office.
Jenifer Liewer, the Deputy Elections Director for Maricopa County Elections noted that there are anti-hacking security measures in place that have been vetted by the Department of Homeland Security.
"So there's not the ability for somebody to hack into it. And there's a lot of misinformation out there about our ballot tabulation center, but it is a very secure environment, both from a standpoint of outsiders, but also insider threats. We have our CPUs for our computers are in locked cases. We have port blockers, but we also have cameras. People can watch 24 hours a day, seven days a week to see what's going on. We have political observers in the room any time there are live ballots. And so everything is done under the watchful eye. And it is -- it would be highly unusual that somebody would be able to hack the system."
Jennifer Liewer, Deputy Elections Director, Maricopa County Elections
Additional security measures are also underway to reassure the community after safety concerns were raised during protests in past elections.
"There is so much attention to elections these days, and Maricopa County has really sort of been the center of a lot of exposure. We want people to know that we do have a safe and fair election. So, we have done a lot to create information for people. We are, if you will, upping our game with our live stream of the logic and accuracy testing, because we want people to have a better understanding. I think for many, many years people would vote and either do so at a vote center or send it in and then not think twice about it. But now we have a community and a nation that is very interested in voting and we want to provide them accurate information."
Jennifer Liewer, Deputy Elections Director, Maricopa County Elections
