by Louise Reavis
On Thursday, August 1, 2024, about 25 Orange County residents attended a program entitled “Election Security and Transparency” sponsored by the LWV Mid-Hudson and the Orange County Board of Elections. It was hosted by the Albert Wisner Library in Warwick, NY.
After a brief introduction from League personnel stating the League’s mission and why this topic is so important in our current political climate of mis- and dis- information, two BOE representatives were introduced, Ada Kirkpatrick and Frank Sambets. Their presentation described the ways that the physical process of tallying votes is done in a manner specifically designed to be accurate and secure. For example, they explained how every step of the process is performed by trained election personnel from BOE, one Republican and one Democrat. This ensures that all actions taken are non-partisan and in compliance with New York state voting laws. In addition, they described how
representatives of political parties or candidates and organizations are allowed to observe and monitor election activities.
They described how on election night, after vote counts are collected from every machine and results reported to headquarters, ballots and equipment are then securely transported back to the BOE. They said all county boards of elections must conduct post-election audits to further verify results. The many safeguards utilized by the BOE were described in detail and, through personal anecdotes and incidents in which the security and accuracy of the final result was questioned, proved to be correct.
People in attendance asked many questions during the 2 hour presentation and some even took notes. All were answered, often with humor, and in great detail, and the BOE officials were able to dispel some of the more common myths about what really happens in our election process. The general consensus seemed to be satisfaction for having an opportunity to hear the process explained and be assured about the secure process.
The LWVMHR is grateful to Orange County BOE Commissioners Louise Vandemark and Courtney Canfield Greene for their assistance in putting this event together and to the Albert Wisner library in Warwick for requesting it.