Va. election offices invite voters to take a close-up look at the election process
Loudoun County's elections office hosted an open house Wednesday, one of several localities inviting voters behind the scenes to learn more about the election process and combat disinformation about ballot security and election integrity as Virginia prepares for high stakes state and local elections in November.
Colleen Regan, a Loudoun County voter and former election worker of five years, said she was impressed with the presentations at the event, calling it 'an ideal example of being transparent about how our voting system works.'
Americans have waded through a flood of disinformation about the election process and political candidates for the past five years, a trend that ramped up with then-presidential candidate Donald Trump's repeated false claims that he, not Joe Biden, won the 2020 presidential election.
Election officials nationwide also encountered attacks, threats and harassment about election security, including in Buckingham County, Virginia, where in 2023 the county's registrar and election staff resigned due to relentless, and baseless, allegations of voter fraud.
'There are some people who are so entrenched in their belief systems that they cannot be swayed even by getting behind the scenes,' said Alicia Slook, a Democrat and an election officer in Loudoun County, whose goal is to educate voters and increase transparency about how the election process works.
'Openness and transparency is what it's all about,' said state Del. Geary Higgins, R-Loudoun, 'So when people can go in and look at the system and kick the tires and see how it works, then it removes, potentially, some of the misunderstandings or things that somebody might have questions about. It's good to open the doors and let folks come in and see how the whole thing works.'
Virginians will elect the next governor, lieutenant governor, attorney general, House of Delegates members and local officers in November, many of whom will first face primaries. Early voting for primary elections begins May 2.
Loudoun County Office of Elections' Wednesday open house was the first part of a two-day event giving the public a bird's eye view of the many processes that unfold during an election cycle, the security of Virginia's election technology and what happens after an election.
Loudoun's open house also included details on how the office prepares and trains election officers and uses technology to help people to vote, and how the office reports election results.
'We want to show our community through transparency, what actually goes on during an election and all of the details that go into putting on an election,' said Samatha Alfaro, communication manager for the Loudoun County Office of Elections.
Slook said the average voter doesn't see the time spent testing equipment and the measures employed to ensure security, which makes the extra effort to host the open house worth it.
'The office doesn't have to do this. This is more work for them, but they are doing it because they know there's nothing to see here, and they want that to be clear to the public,' Slook said. 'This is your process. Come in and have a look at it.'
Regan, the former election worker who participated in Loudoun's open house, said the office did well in breaking down the complexities of elections operations into 'bite sized pieces.' She encouraged other voters to take advantage of similar opportunities across the commonwealth to help increase their knowledge and confidence of the election process.
Democratic state Dels. David Reid and Sen. Kannan Srinivasan, all from Loudoun, and other leaders attended Wednesday's open house. The two state lawmakers all serve on their respective election committees in the General Assembly.
Although this is the first time the county is hosting an open house for voters, this is not the first time it has hosted guests.
Gov. Glenn Youngkin visited Loudoun's elections office for logic and accuracy testing two years ago, which shed light on the security of the office's election technology.
Prince William's elections office hosted its first open house last year, an event so popular that the office ran out of available visitor slots, elections director Eric Olsen said.
Open houses are a great way to give the public more information about the electoral process, Olsen said, instead of them getting their information through 15-second video clips on social media.
'I think we have an obligation to provide those opportunities for people. I think it's a little bit of a recognition of where we are as a society and how we learn about things, and needing to do more beyond the information that's just kind of provided to us through our phones or through an algorithm that looks at what we always look at,' Olsen added.
Reassuring voters about the security, accuracy and fairness of the process was also a timely response to voter fraud allegations against the county registrar, lobbied by Attorney General Jason Miyares' Election Integrity Unity in 2024.
In a lawsuit, Miyares' office claimed former county registrar Michele White was tampering with votes, WVTF reported. However the case was dropped because a key witness against White said the evidence used to show White's alleged malfeasance was flawed and her actions were in line regular vote maintenance.
White is suing the attorney general's office.
Last week, the Prince William elections office won its first award from the Election Assistance Commission's (EAC) Annual Clearinghouse for innovative practices in election administration for posting the results tapes online. The tapes provide the overall election results, which contain vote tallies for every candidate in every race, and votes on ballot initiatives.
Olsen said the award represents the office's commitment to transparency and 'providing an excellent voting experience for PWC voters.'
He told Mercury that his office is planning a second open house after the event's success last year.
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