Flathead County voters can cast a ballot with confidence

Whether voting by mail or at the polls, it’s vital that local residents are confident in Flathead County’s ballot-counting process.

That’s why we went behind the scenes earlier this year to learn more about how a ballot becomes a vote. Ahead of the primary election, Daily Inter Lake reporters Hannah Shields and Hailey Smalley spent days observing test tabulations and talking with administrators about the process.

That reporting revealed an operation founded on organization, proficiency and compliance, with myriad safeguards in place to keep the tally accurate and secure.

The airtight process begins with trained volunteers and staff.

Every ballot has a unique tear-off stub number assigned to a voter, which is used to track the ballot and ensure no one ends up with multiple ballots.

Once a ballot is returned, staff verify that the signature on the envelope matches what is recorded in the voter’s account. For the general election, a birth-year requirement was struck down as unconstitutional, which has resulted in far fewer ballot rejections compared with the primary, Flathead County Elections Administrator Paula Buff said last week.

Once the affirmation envelope has been verified, the system blocks staff from scanning another ballot linked to that voter. It’s incredibly rare for that protective measure to fail, Buff assured.

Secrecy sleeves containing the ballot mean the tabulation process is entirely anonymous.

“We have no idea whose ballot it is at that point,” Buff explained.

Flathead County owns tabulators made by state-certified election equipment company Election Systems & Software. The machines, which are not connected to the internet, not only increase efficiency but also reduce the chance of human error.

“If we were to hand count in Flathead County, it would easily take us two solid weeks,” Buff said. A delay of that magnitude would be unacceptable in Montana, and likely do more to raise unnecessary suspicions than instill confidence.

Once the tabulation machine has finished its job, the data is transferred via encrypted drives to a secure computer, also not connected to the internet, that is used to send results to the Secretary of State’s Office.

The multi-step process consumes about 40 USB drives every election.

“We blow through an awful lot of memory sticks,” Buff said. “The reason for that is because none of these things are connected to the internet, and none of them can be.”

The county election department is transparent about its methods and how technology is used and actually invites people to observe the process during pre-election tests.

In a time when politicians frequently raise the specter of “rigged” elections without evidence, there is ample proof that the Flathead County Elections Department is meeting compliance standards and fulfilling a mission that is a critical part of democracy. 

In fact, an Aug. 31 assessment from the Secretary of State’s Office shows that statewide, security requirements are rated at 100% for multiple points of scrutiny, including access and tamper-proof seals, chain of custody, ballot reconciliation and network connection.

It’s too late to mail in a ballot, but there are drop-off boxes around the valley, and polling places will be buzzing on Tuesday, Nov. 3. Cast your vote with confidence, knowing the tabulation process is secure and verified.