Post-election audits help keep votes secure

WEBER COUNTY, Utah  — One of the best ways our elections stay secure is through a robust auditing process.

While there are several different kinds of audits one of the most important is the post-election audit. In this auditing process, several comparisons are done to make sure the ballots and results match.

Weber County Clerk Ricky Hatch said it begins right after the election.

“We pull the physical ballot and compare it to the image that’s on the screen. And then we compare that to what’s called the cast vote record, which is the digital kind of machine-readable version of that. And verify, that all three of those match,” Hatch said. 

In a few days, the county clerks will meet with the Lt. Gov.’s office for another audit. This adds another level of security by involving outside eyes to take a look.

“They don’t tell us which ballots we need to audit until 15 minutes before that meeting. So, they can’t give us a list and then we go and fix it and make sure it works. It’s [the audit] live,” he said.

Hatch said one of the most important aspects of these audits is that they’re fully public.

“We do these audits in full view of the public,” said Hatch. “A key component of auditing is independence and having to do it in front of the public [it] helps maintain that level of Independence.”

To learn more about when these audits will take place contact your county clerk.

Related reading: Large crowds and long lines keep Weber County poll workers busy