North Carolinians are getting a peek under the hood of their election machinery as the State Board of Elections gears up to ensure the October municipal elections are on the up and up. Starting with a random selection process on Wednesday, Oct. 8, precincts, early voting sites, and absentee ballots will be chosen for a thorough hand count. This effort seeks to validate the precision of machine-tabulated results, and it's all part of a wider state law mandate to audit elections.
According to the N.C. State Board of Elections, interested parties won't have to look far to catch a glimpse of the proceedings. The event's open to the public and can be accessed online via Webex, with password NCSBE, or by dialing in by phone. If you're old school or just keen for an outing, you can witness the spectacle in the flesh at the State Board of Elections office in Raleigh.
The selection process uses ten ten-sided dice to generate a seed number that starts the random number generator. This generator selects two groups of ballots in each county for the audit. To ensure transparency, the Board has shared the software, code, and method on its website for public review.
Before the dice roll, counties test their tabulators for accuracy and prepare for the election. The Board’s website provides details about election security measures and pre-election testing procedures. After the roll, the list of selected ballot groups will be posted online for public viewing.
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