CALDWELL, Idaho — This article originally appeared in the Idaho Press.
Before each election, Canyon County elections staff perform a publicly open “logic and accuracy” test.
They test ballot scanners to ensure that they count votes as they are marked. But at Canyon County’s logic and accuracy test for the Nov. 7 election, a member of the public suggested running photocopied ballots through the machine to see if it would still count the votes. Though elections staff did not think such ballots would be accepted, they were.
Canyon County commissioners and county staff discussed the incident and the procedures in place to keep elections secure at an elections update meeting Monday afternoon. Secretary of State Phil McGrane joined the meeting virtually and said his office has been assisting the county’s election team.
The Canyon County Elections office is planning to hold another logic and accuracy test at the elections office (1102 E. Chicago St., Caldwell) this Thursday, Nov. 2, at 6:30 p.m., which will be open to the public.
McGrane said there was a misconception that the ballots used by the voting equipment, Hart InterCivic, used unique identifiers, or numbers that tie them to each voter, and therefore, the scanner would not accept duplicate ballots. But there are only two counties in Idaho that use such identifiers, McGrane said, whereas others, like Canyon County and Ada County, have other safeguards in place to prevent voters from submitting more than one ballot.
When a voter finishes their selections on one of the county’s voting machines, and the machine prints their completed ballot, they are supposed to check it to ensure the selections printed are what they intended. Then, they take their ballot to the ballot scanner, where a poll worker should confirm with them that they have reviewed their answers prior to inserting the ballot into the scanner. At that point, the ballot is irretrievable, and if someone tried to insert a duplicate ballot, poll workers would notice, said Brandi Long, the county’s elections operations supervisor.
“If they allow someone to deposit two ballots, that should raise questions,” Long said.
Commissioner Brad Holton asked for clarification on how a voter would even produce a duplicated ballot.
“I’m trying to go through the logic of where this … are we chasing a problem that doesn’t physically exist?” Holton asked Long.
“Chairman, yes,” Long said. Even if a voter decided to leave the polling place with their ballot in hand rather than casting it in the scanner, and later returned to the polling place having photocopied the ballot, they still would have to get through several poll workers to approach the scanner and attempt to cast them.
“I just don’t see that it’s possible without (a poll worker) catching you, saying, ‘wait a minute, you were here earlier,’ or, ‘you didn’t check in,’” Long said. “That’s what we have the staff there for. They are watching and ensuring you are going through the entire process.”
Additionally, the ballot box goes through security measures at the beginning and end of the day, including ensuring that the number of ballots in the box corresponds to the number of voters that checked into the polling place that day.
Not using unique identifiers on a ballot has its pros and cons, as does using them, McGrane said.
“Specifically, Idaho’s Constitution, article six, section one, guarantees a secure ballot,” he said. “And when we start adding unique identifiers and numbers to a ballot, that causes me pause as to whether we would be able to trace back on the votes and how they are cast.”
Long said that the current system the county uses to print the ballots has the capability of printing ballots in batches, a great advantage in complying with the crunch of election preparation timelines. If the county were to decide to switch to using unique identifiers on ballots, they would have to use a different company for printing the ballots, she said.
McGrane said, “We do have a time gap following this election, and given some of the questions the logic and accuracy test has raised, I think it’s warranted for elections (staff) to have further conversations with Hart (InterCivic) as well as for you guys to get some more of your questions answered.”
EARLY VOTING UNDERWAY
Early voting has been underway at the Canyon County Elections Office (1102 E. Chicago Street, Caldwell) and the Hispanic Cultural Center (315 Stampede Dr., Nampa) since Oct. 23. Voting is open through Friday, Nov. 3, 8 a.m.-5 p.m. at both locations.
On Oct. 23, the ballot scanner at the Hispanic Cultural Center was not working, and the unit was replaced with a new scanner, Long said. On Oct. 25, there was no heat in the building due to the HVAC system not working. A staff person brought in space heaters to ensure the voting equipment is operable and voters are comfortable, Long said. The HVAC system is anticipated to be fixed by election day, she said.
VOTING NUMBERS, ANTICIPATING WAIT TIMES
As of Oct. 27, 861 people had voted early, with 72% voting at the elections office, according to a document provided at the meeting. And of the 5,093 absentee ballots sent to voters, 25% have been returned valid so far, the document said.
Though the county has 37 polling places this year, up from 13 for a similar election in 2021, county staff have been encouraging people to vote early in hopes of easing lines at polls, Long said.
Anyone who is still in line when polls close at 8 p.m. on election day has the right to remain in line and cast their vote, she said.
This article originally appeared in the Idaho Press, read more on IdahoPress.com.
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