JACKSONVILLE, Fla — Despite public trust in the government is nearing a historic low since Pew Research began polling in 1958, majority of voters in 2020 believed their local elections are run well.
About a year after those elections, the Capitol riots, which happened on January 6th, 2021 is listed as a tipping point by CNN and Pew Research as the moment Americans started lacking confidence in the election process.
Who is counting your ballot and how can you trust it? Let's verify.
QUESTION: Are there checks and balances in ballot counting to help me trust the process?
ANSWER: Yes!
SOURCES:
- Duval County Supervisor of Election Mike Hogan
- St. Johns County Supervisor of Election Vicky Oakes
So who is counting your ballot?
“It’s not who," Hogan said. "These tabulators are counting those ballots.”
Machines are in charge of counting ballots and those machines have numerous checks and balances to ensure they are accurate.
“We have a pre-audit. We make sure this particular equipment is functioning properly," Hogan said.
Then when election day ends and ballots are counted, they do a post-audit. Hogan says results are not final until after that post-audit.
He explains they’ll sample one race at random, then choose multiple precincts to hand count to compare their numbers to the machine’s numbers.
The public is invited to watch.
Other than the pre and post audits, there are multiple other checks and balances in between. This is true for all counties, including St. Johns.
“I have 100% confidence in our system and our processes. Voters can, too," Oakes said.
If you want to watch the election process in person, you can! Oakes says any time the canvassing board meets at the Supervisor of Elections office, it is open to the public. That goes for all counties.