Election workers reassure security of votes

The marked paper ballots are locked in a cabinet and then locked in a room. The machines used in early voting are sealed each night and that red seal is not to be broken until the next morning when early voting resumes.

As more people take advantage of early voting this year, local poll watchers say they are hearing from some voters who worry about the security of their votes.

“I know there is some concerns … from voters about the security of early voting and absentee voting,” said Charlie Lester, head of the legal committee for the Georgia chapter of Election Protection.

Election workers are trying to reassure Georgians that their votes are safe.

“We follow all required laws because the integrity of the election is critical,” said Sharon Dunn, director of elections in Cobb County.

State law specifies the security measures for both early and advance voting.

Paper ballots must be locked in a cabinet in a locked room. For the first time this election, sequestered election workers can begin tabulating paper absentee ballots election day morning.

As for the machines, Georgia law says they must be sealed and locked each night and the numbers on the seal and the count on the machine recorded and verified the next day when voting resumes.

In DeKalb, for example, the door has an alarm that goes to the police department and surveillance cameras. Only four people have access.

“They [elections offices] have a process,” Lester said. “If they follow it, it seems to me it would work.”

Danielle Cunningham, a 38-year-old fitness trainer from Lithonia, still isn’t comfortable.

“There too much time to tamper,” Cunningham said. “It’s scary, really scary.”

Election officials hope the details about how the ballots are protected will calm the fears of voters such as Cunningham.

They are counting on a large number of Georgians voting early to help prevent long lines at the polls on Nov. 4.

Absentee voting has long been a part of elections but this year its allowed without an excuse and can be done in person, a process called “early voting” that started in most counties on Monday.

So far, it appears to be a popular option.

Last week DeKalb had 25 voting machines operating at the county’s elections office. They have averaged 2,000 voters a day with 2,500 voting on Wednesday. By the end of the day Friday, more than 10,700 had voted early.

Fulton County has mailed almost 11,000 absentee ballots and more than 5,400 voted early the first three days of the week.

Cobb County has already received more than 7,800 mailed absentee ballots and by Friday evening almost 5,800 had voted in person.