Arizona counties invest millions in new facilities to reassure voters of election security, transparency
Flagstaff, Arizona — Laura Huenneke, secretary of the Coconino County Democratic Party in Arizona, remembers what used to pass for an election day problem.
“A rattlesnake came into the facility one day and they had to shut down counting and evacuate people,” Huenneke told CBS News. “No election official today would tell you that they’re worried about rattlesnakes as their major disruption to voting or to counting.”
These days, in the battleground state of Arizona, where election denialism has been rampant, rattlesnakes are the good old days for Huenneke and her Republican counterpart William Culbertson, chair of the Coconino County Republican Committee. Together, they monitor vote counting in the county, which includes the city of Flagstaff.
ballot boxes in Pinal County are equipped with GPS tracking devices, something Lewis says can reassure the public all election equipment is protected.
“I am able to track every one of these cages with a GPS unit on it within five feet of movement,” Lewis said.
It’s a sign of how local officials are trying to temper election skeptics, like those who falsely believe tabulation machines are connected to the internet.
Lewis explains that its tabulation system is a “closed gateway” in which everything that gets tabulated in its election facility goes into a “black box” that is located in the same room as the ballots. That box is not connected to anything outside the room, Lewis emphasizes.
That also applies to Coconino County.
“The tabulators are not connected to the internet,” Musta said.
It’s an investment that elections officials say is starting to pay off with voters.
“I think more people are coming around, so it’s getting better,” Culbertson said. “I still see a few skeptics.”
It’s a standard that Musta is ready to meet.
“There’s nothing to hide,” Musta said. “There’s never been anything to hide.”
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Source: cbsnews.com