When election day rolls around, one of the most important duties is ensuring that no false votes have been cast and that every valid vote is counted.
To help preserve the integrity of the upcoming election, the Carter County Election Commission will make the voting machines available for public inspection on Tuesday, August 2, at 9 a.m. The inspection will take place at the Carter County Election Commission office, located at 116 Holston Ave.
Under state law, each county’s Election Commission are required to make all voting machines available for inspection by candidates in the election, the county executive committees of the political parties, members of the media, and the general public in order to verify that the machines are in working order, are properly set up, and no votes have been cast on them in advance of the election, Carter County Administrator of Elections Tracy Harris said.
“Everyone is welcome to inspect the machines,” Harris said.
Following the inspection on Tuesday, machines will be re-sealed with numbered tags by election officials. The numbers for each tag are registered to the machine number so when the voting machine is opened on election day, election officials can match those numbers to ensure the machine has not been reopened.
On Wednesday morning, precinct officers for each of the county’s 22 precincts will pick up the machines, signs, and other equipment for their precinct.
Harris said the Election Commission Office will close at Noon on Wednesday, August 3, so that she and her staff can complete preparations for the election on Thursday, August 4.
“We go to the precincts and help the officers set up,” Harris said, adding she and her staff help place signage and measure out the 100 foot boundaries at each precinct.
The election machines will remain sealed and secured until just before the polls open on Thursday morning at 8 a.m.
“They will lock them up overnight at the precinct location to make sure they are secure,” Harris said.
Prior to opening the polls to voters, the election officer at each precinct will inspect the numbered seals to detect if the machine has been tampered with. If no tampering is evident the machines will then be set up and the officer will print off a “zero tape” to show no votes have been cast on the machine before the polls open, Harris said.
For more information on the upcoming August 4 election, voting machine inspection on August 2 or to find out voter registration status, contact the Carter County Election Commission at 423-542-1822 or stop by their office at 116 Holston Ave.
Voters can also access information about the election and voter registration status — including what precinct they vote at and what districts they are categorized in for local, state and federal elections — online through the state election commission by visiting www.govotetn.com.