Burke Board of Elections Director Kenny Rhyne (left) and Elections Specialist III Trent Price inspect the DS200 ballot recorder in secure red cages at the Elections office.
In a locked and monitored room adjacent to the Burke County Board of Elections headquarters in Morganton reside over 40 bright red metal cages, each with security locks and identification tags, that contain ballot-scanning machines, portable voting booths, blank ballots, and other supplies needed for Election Day.
On Monday, the cages will be deployed under supervision to all of Burke County’s 31 polling stations in preparation for Tuesday’s general election.
The rollout is part of a carefully orchestrated and heavily monitored voter tabulation process that, through a structured chain of custody process, ensures that all votes are properly recorded, preserved, backed up, and otherwise included in the Nov. 5 election.
Kenny Rhyne, director of Burke’s Board of Elections, and Trent Price, its elections specialist III, broke away from the lines of early voters on Thursday to talk about the process and security.
Unlocking the door to the storage room, Rhyne and Price commented on the heavy turnout for early voting. They predicted that more than half of Burke County’s 60,827 registered voters would cast ballots before the close of early voting today.
The large turnout before Nov. 5 means reduced crowds on Election Day and less stress on precinct volunteers. Which is a good thing in light of the fact that Rhyne could be a dozen people short of the 150 volunteers who usually assist the effort.
At the heart of the operation is the ES&S DS200 ballot-scanning device used across the country. After selecting candidates on paper ballots, voters insert their ballots into the DS200, which pulls the ballot through a motorized feed, records the vote (name individual names), and deposits it into a locked ballot box. The votes are recorded on a paper tape and on a data flash drive.
When polls close, precinct election judges print out a paper tape of results, remove the flash drive, and place both in secure envelopes. After locking the DS200 with a security tag, the judges return the tabulated results to the Board of Elections office. Paper ballots stay with the DS200 until it is returned, under supervision, to the Board of Elections hours later.
The separation of paper ballots, paper tape, and flash drives is part of a chain of custody strategy that enables Rhyne and his staff to preserve all votes in case of an emergency, such as a traffic accident.
The results are sent to North Carolina’s Board of Elections office, which posts results on its Election Results Dashboard website.
The departure and arrival of the red cages and related equipment are recorded on signatured documents supervised by Rhyne.
Two days after the election, a random audit of votes is conducted at the Elections office. On hand will be at least two representatives from each party, an election judge, and department staff. Results from the flash drive, paper tape, and the physical ballots are examined for any over voting, under voting and other discrepancies.
Only one of Burke County’s voting precincts suffered flood damage during Hurricane Helene, Precinct #62, Upper Creek, Smyrna Baptist Church on Brown Mountain Beach Road. FEMA has erected a 60-by-20-foot tent, with a floor, generator, porta-potties and other necessities for residents to cast ballots.
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