Seattle
AI Assisted Icon
Published on January 17, 2025
Pierce County Prepares for Election Integrity with Pre-Election Audit on Jan. 22 Ahead of Special ElectionSource: Google Street View

Pierce County voters have a date with democracy on Feb. 11 as the special election looms, but first, the Pierce County Elections will ensure that its ballot counting and processing equipment is up to the task. A pre-election audit, known formally as a Logic and Accuracy Test, is scheduled for Jan. 22 at 10:30 a.m. This necessary verification ritual serves as a safeguard, meant to affirm that the machinery of democracy ticks without error or bias. The test will be held at the Pierce County Elections Center, an open event for any member of the public interested in election integrity, according to Pierce County's website.

During the audit, elections staff will run a series of sample votes for each candidate, along with some purposefully overvoted ballots, through the tabulation equipment to guarantee, that votes are tallied correctly. After the so-called ‘test deck’ is processed, it'll be checked against the results spit out by the equipment to confirm accuracy. Additionally, those requiring the use of the County’s Accessible Voting Unit can witness its audit earlier that day at 9 a.m., the same venue inviting scrutiny from the public.

Turning to the details of the Special Election, all ballots for the race will be mailed by Jan. 24, with ballot drop boxes slated to open the same day. The final hour for casting votes is pinned at 8 p.m. on the election day itself, Feb. 11. This round of civic engagement is not just for Pierce County residents, though. The special election also encompasses voters in Thurston County for elements pertaining to the Yelm Community Schools, an arrangement spawned by an inter-local agreement as Thurston County upgrades its own ballot processing facility.