General election ballots have been sent to Lewis County’s 54,275 registered voters. The ballots must be postmarked and returned by mail or deposited in
an official drop box by 8:00 p.m. on Election Day, Tuesday, November 8.
Lewis County Elections Supervisor Terry Jouper said the security of your vote in this year’s election is paramount. Ballot drop boxes use an exterior key
lock with double deadbolt locks on the inside. Each drop box has a numbered security seal to complete the chain of custody for ballots.
From the time a ballot is mailed or placed in a drop box to the moment it is received at the election office, “Every step has security measures,” Lewis
County Chief Deputy Auditor Tom Stanton said.
To ensure balloting is transparent, secure and accurate, two elections workers always pick up ballots at drop boxes. The ballots are stored in sealed
storage bags until they are ready to be processed at the county elections office.
Signatures on every ballot envelope are scanned and recorded digitally. Elections workers trained by the Washington State Patrol compare those
signatures to voter registration records to make sure they are valid — and that no one votes twice. Secrecy envelopes containing marked ballots are
opened separately from the outer signature envelopes, eliminating the possibility that a ballot can be linked to a specific voter.
Citizens can ensure that their ballot has been received by the Lewis County elections office and accepted for tabulation by checking online at
For Lewis County election information, visit the county election center, https://elections.lewiscountywa.gov/
Photo: Ballots are secured in a locked cage inside the Lewis County Elections' offices.
Original source can be found here.
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