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Summit County election workers prepare to count ballots

The EE&S DS450 sorts ballots into three piles so clerks know which ones were counted, which ones to verify and which ones may have been unreadable. The Summit County Clerk's Office has a backup machine in case it hits a snag on election night.
Connor Thomas
/
KPCW
The EE&S DS450 sorts ballots into three piles so clerks know which ones were counted, which ones to verify and which ones may have been unreadable. The Summit County Clerk's Office has a backup machine in case it hits a snag on election night.

Yearly testing of election equipment at the Summit County Clerk's Office went off without a hitch.

The county clerk’s office completed its legally required “logic and accuracy” testing Oct. 11, where it demonstrates to voters its election machines are in good working order.

Tollgate Canyon resident Sarah Cylvick was one of four people who showed up to watch. She witnessed Summit County’s clerks count ballots for the first time in 2022, and since then, she’s felt a sense of civic duty to witness the democratic process.

“I don't come here thinking I'm going to catch something,” she said. “I'm just very curious how the process works, and I find it very interesting.”

Leadership from both major political parties witnessed the test too: Summit County Democratic Party Chair Rory Swenson and Republican Party Snyderville Basin Regional Chair Jay Deuser.

Deuser used to work in computer science and said the test was better than expected.

“They considered the write-in votes, and the different types of ballots and voting,” he said afterward. “So I didn't see a problem with any of the questions I asked.”

The clerks prepared over 1,000 dummy ballots. Some were filled in correctly; others had too many votes or no votes.

KPCW read the tabulator’s election results and found it matched the numbers the clerk’s office says it expected.

The entire ballot-counting process happens deep within the county courthouse on Coalville’s Main Street, in a windowless room with no cell service.

A friendly reminder greets election workers in the county clerk's office.
Connor Thomas
/
KPCW
A friendly reminder greets election workers in the county clerk's office.

None of the election machines inside are connected to the internet. And two people with authorized keycards must both swipe in to enter.

Besides the ballot counter, there’s a desktop to print election results, a backup ballot counter and a voting machine. All passed logic and accuracy testing.

The voting machine is for when a ballot is unreadable—maybe because of something like a coffee stain.

In that case, two clerks will make a new ballot. One reads the damaged one, and the other uses the voting machine to manually input the voter’s choices. Then they switch places and check each other’s work.

The new ballot is counted and the old one sequestered, so it may be checked later for accuracy.

The entire process is recorded on camera and open to members of the public.

Mail-in ballots go out Oct. 15. The general election is Nov. 5.