Secretary of state emphasizes accurate, secure voting system ahead of Election Day

North Dakota's secretary of state emphasized Tuesday how the state's elections are accurate and secure during the North Dakota Association of Counties annual meeting in Bismarck.

Secretary of State Michael Howe pushed back on misconceptions some have about the state's voting system, reinforcing that none of the state's voting devices or tabulation machines are connected to the internet.

He also highlighted that the state uses paper ballots, has a voter ID law and statewide voter check-in system to ensure that each voter only votes once.

Howe said he's presented the same election presentation about 40 times across the state to give county officials and voters trusted information regarding the state's voting system.

Erika White, elections director for the Secretary of State's Office, said the software program the state receives from its voting machine manufacturer has also never touched the internet.

"It's really important that our entire system is isolated and not ever connected to the internet," White said.

She said once a voting machine is closed at the end of Election Day the thumb drive with results is locked in a bag and secured with a zip tie seal that has a serial code. The serial numbers are logged by inspectors and then uploaded to the Secretary of State's Office using a secure laptop and secure portal. The thumb drives are then taped so they will never be used again and stored with the rest of the election materials, White said. She added county auditors are also checking and verifying reports from their tabulation machines before any results are transmitted.

"The results that you are seeing on our results page at night have been verified forward and backward again," she said. "It's many, many processes to make sure that the things that the public is seeing is 100% accurate."

All of North Dakota's counties are required to conduct public tests of their voting machines and tabulators before Election Day. To find out when a county will hold its public election system test, contact the county auditor's office. 

One attendee of the presentation thanked Howe for traveling to Fessenden this spring with some voting machines and conducting an election integrity presentation for about 30 people because it seemed to ease their concerns.

County election resignations

Howe said in an interview following the presentation that the recent resignations of top election officials in two of the state's most populous counties should not impact the general election.

Cass County's election administrator resigned Oct. 16, citing "bad treatment," reported The Forum of Fargo-Moorhead. Burleigh County's election director resigned Oct. 15, citing health issues and the stress of the job, reported The Bismarck Tribune.

Howe said his office is in constant communication with election staff in both counties to ensure they have the resources and personnel to conduct a free and fair election. 

"With Cass and Burleigh, two of our biggest counties, it's not just those two individuals that are running those elections. They've got a ton of staff in both those counties that have worked elections before and will help pick up the slack," Howe said.

He added county and state elections officials are under "massive scrutiny" and sometimes "unfair criticism," but, in the end, they all want to do a good job and log accurate results.

"Elections can't happen without election help," Howe said.

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