With ongoing concerns nationally about the vulnerability of voting systems to hacking, Centre County officials this week sought to reassure residents about local balloting.
The Centre County Board of Elections said in a statement this week that, ‘we have the utmost confidence in our voting systems. Our voting systems are secure and your vote will be properly counted.’
A recent Pew Research poll found that a majority of Americans had at least some concerns that election systems are vulnerable to hacking. That’s not an issue in Centre County, which uses paper ballots and voting machines that cannot connect to the internet.
The election board’s statement added that ‘there is nothing to suggest our machines have ever been tampered with,’ and that each machine follows a rigorous and documented chain of custody.
Prior to each election, machines are programmed, tested and then sealed, while backup machines also are prepared in the case of a malfunction, according to the board.
Every polling location, meanwhile, has an emergency plan to follow if there is a suspected machine malfunction.
‘We will continue to maintain the strictest security standards for our elections making sure every vote is accurately counted,’ the election board statement said. ‘These steps are only a few of the security efforts Centre County is constantly taking to protect th efundamental basis of our democracy – free, fair, and accurate elections.’
For questions about voting in Centre County contact the County Elections Office at (814) 355-6703 or visit www.centrecountyvotes.com.
