The Starke County Election Board members discussed election security during their most recent meeting.
Starke County Democratic Chairman Lonnie Boley asked the board how they keep the local election secure during early in-person voting. Early in-person voting is conducted in the second floor conference room in the Starke County Courthouse beginning October 8 until November 1, Monday through Friday from 8 a.m. to 4 p.m. CT, Saturday, October 26 and Saturday, November 2 from 8 a.m. to 3 p.m. and Monday, November 4 from 8 a.m. to noon.
Clerk Bernadette Manuel explained that the conference room remains locked until both members of the absentee board, one Republican and one Democrat, unlock the room together. Any other doors to the room are locked from the inside so no entry is made into that room during early voting. There is an absentee ballot box but it is double locked and can only be opened by the two election board members who represent the Republican and Democratic parties.
A tally is done on the voting machines at the end of the day and then the machines are sealed and locked. The tallies must match the machines after they are unsealed for operation when early voting resumes the next day. The machines are unsealed by each member of the absentee board. Manuel said if the numbers do not match that machine is then sealed and an investigation is launched into the matter.
There are security cameras in place that monitor election equipment at all times.
Boley clarified that a member of both parties is able to verify numbers together and Manuel confirmed that is the case.
Early voting is available at the North Judson-Wayne Township Fire Department Thursday, October 24 and Friday, October 25 from noon to 6 p.m. and Saturday, October 26 from 9 a.m. to 2 p.m. and at the Koontz Lake Sewer District Building Thursday, October 31 and Friday, November 1 from noon to 6 p.m. CT and Saturday, November 2 from 9 a.m. to 2 p.m. Absentee board members from each political party transport election equipment each day from the courthouse to the early voting location and then return it to the courthouse at the end of each day so all equipment is locked and secure.
Additionally, Manuel said there are reports on everything that comes in and goes out with mail-in absentee ballots through the Statewide Voter Registration System and all is checked and verified.
