Wake County elections officials show how your vote is counted
RALEIGH, N.C. (WTVD) -- Early voting starts Wednesday, but before you head to the polls, the Wake County Board of Elections wants you to take three minutes and learn exactly how your vote is counted.
In the short video titled, Making Your Vote Count in Wake County, the Wake County BOE hopes to promote transparency and answer any questions voters may have about the process.
Gary Sims, Director of the Wake County BOE, said it's been years of phone calls and emails to his office- voters questioning, doubting, even criticizing how they think it all works.
"People, a lot of times will ask us questions or not feel comfortable about the elections process," Sims said. "We realized that a lot of time it's just that people don't understand how much work goes in behind the scenes to make sure their vote's going to count."
This year, amid a tense political climate and the resources to do it, the BOE decided to film every move made.
Throughout the May primary, the county's staff videographer walked voters through the preparation of voting equipment, Election Day protocol, how votes are tallied and then finally verified.
You can see how equipment and tallied ballots are securely stored in a warehouse that's kept under 24/7 surveillance. You learn how more than 2,000 poll workers are trained and sworn to uphold election laws and rights. You also get an overview of how the tallied paper ballots are handled by bi-partisan judges.
"I don't want people to just say, 'Well, trust me. I'm here. I'm with the government. I'm here to help,'" Sims said. "I want people to see it for themselves."
