Elections are the bedrock of our democracy and something we at the Secretary of State’s Office take very seriously.
As we noted on this blog, there was an election on November 3rd in many of our State’s counties. In talking to elections officials around this special election, I came away with the impression that despite measures to allow for observation of the process by bystanders, officials are still combating the perception that our elections are susceptible to corruption.
In light of this, I took the opportunity to head over to the elections offices in both Clackamas and Washington Counties in order to take a behind the scenes tour of the elections process.
My first trip was to Clackamas County Elections, where I was welcomed by County Clerk Sherry Hall. Below is a slide-show that will take you from ‘your’ ballot being picked up at an official drop-off location, to the ballot being scanned and stored for tabulation.
The Ballot Box is Opened
The first thing that one notices about this process is the level of detail that goes into making sure that votes are counted accurately and securely. At nearly every turn, ballots were organized and accounted for in a way that ensured there was no room for error. When the ballots do encounter the human element, the counting boards, every precaution is taken to ensure that corruption cannot take place. Each board is comprised of one Republican, one Democrat and one Non-Affiliated or Independent voter.
What I saw in my time with elections officials was a group of highly skilled men and women who are extremely dedicated to ensuring that our greatest democratic legacy, the election, is conducted with the utmost sense of duty and respect for the public. From the ballot box to the scanner, our ballots are in great hands.
Logan Egbert is a contributor to the Secretary of State’s Blog
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