Provided by FAN (Faith Action Network)

The security of your ballot and the process it goes through to be accurately counted are spelled out on the Washington Secretary of State website (sos.wa.gov). The following offers a summary of the process.

In Washington we vote on paper ballots. Paper allows our local elections officials to audit the results of an election after the votes are counted.  They are a durable, tamper-evident hard copy of a voter’s choices. When your ballot arrives at the elections office, the barcode on the outer envelope is scanned. This updates your voter record in VoteWA and your ballot status now says “Received”. This system prevents anyone from casting more than one ballot.

When you vote, you sign an oath swearing your eligibility to vote. Your signature is compared to the signature in your voter registration file to confirm your identity and eligibility. Once your signature is verified, your ballot status will update to “Accepted”. Your ballot will then be opened and separated from the signature envelope. At this point your ballot is anonymous and grouped with other ballots to be scanned. Ballots are sealed in secure containers throughout the election and a minimum of two staff are present whenever your ballot is handled.

Ballots are scanned throughout the 18-day voting period as they are processed and accepted. Tabulation—counting the votes on the ballots—begins after 8 p.m. on Election Day. Since many ballots are already scanned, it only takes the computer a few seconds to total up the votes, which is why you start seeing preliminary election results so soon after 8 p.m. Throughout the election ballot scanners and voting systems are physically secured in locked rooms. Elections staff sign in and out each time the room is opened, and always in groups of two or more.

We are fortunate in Washington to have such a complete and competent system in place. This in conjunction with the dedicated staff who oversee elections, means we can have total confidence in the results of our elections.