How North Carolina officials work to ensure safety and security of voters and elections

Saturday, October 19, 2024

Early Wednesday morning, Trump secured enough Electoral College votes to set himself up for a second presidency, including by flipping the key swing states of Georgia, Wisconsin and Pennsylvania.

RALEIGH, N.C. (WTVD) -- In-person early voting for the 2024 General Election is officially underway in North Carolina.

North Carolina State Board of Elections said officials across the state work to ensure the safety and security of all voters and the election process.

There are several processes in place to secure the state's elections:

Paper ballots: Under state law, all counties use paper ballots. A paper trail can easily be audited or recounted. By federal law, ballot marking devices must be available at every polling place for any voter who wants to use one.

Voter Photo ID: All voters are asked to show a photo ID before voting.

Accurate Voter Rolls: NC has a program to ensure that only eligible and qualified voters are on the state's voter rolls and that such voters are not removed. NSBE is required to adopt a list maintenance program that is uniform and nondiscriminatory.

Bipartisan, trained officials: At every polling site, bipartisan officials from the community, overseen by State and County Boards, ensure election security. Election observers are also present to witness the voting process. Bipartisan State and County Boards of Elections oversee all aspects of election.

Voting Equipment Testing: Before every election, logic and accuracy tests are conducted on every voting machine that will be used in the election to ensure proper coding of ballots and counting of votes.

No Internet or modems: Voting machines may not be connected to the Internet under state law. No voting machine in NC contains a modem or modem chip.

Investigations Division: NC is one of the few states with an investigations division, which investigates reports of fraud and other irregularities. It also refers cases to prosecutors when warranted.

Post-Election Audits: The state and county boards of elections conduct audits designed to find irregularities, such as equipment tampering, ballot stuffing and voting machine errors.

In the face of election threats across the country, the Wake County Board of Elections is preparing for every possibility and working closely with local and federal law enforcement

In NC, all voting systems are certified by the State Board of Elections and must be approved by county officials before purchase. The voting systems are also certified, used, and audited in other states.

No election system or voting system in the state has been the target of a successful cyberattack. According to NCSBE, election officials consult with federal and state government partners on cyber and physical security, election planning, and incident response.

There are also ways for voters to help promote election security. This includes:

-- Check your ballot before casting it

-- Report any issues to a precinct official at the polling site

-- Volunteer to work in elections

-- Get information on elections from trusted sources, and verify information about elections before sharing it on social media

-- Advocate for additional state or federal funding for cybersecurity improvements and new voting systems