Iowa Secretary of State discusses election prep, orders audits

DES MOINES, Iowa (KTTC) – As Election Day nears, Iowa Secretary of State Paul Pate is discussing election preparations, new audit orders and urging residents to get out and vote.

Pate stated election planning takes months.

“Plenty of it’s making ready for the worst and hoping for one of the best,” Pate stated.

Pate stated a variety of prep entails planning for various eventualities, together with issues like pure disasters, fires or expertise points. Pate stated they pre-test all their tabulators and defend paper ballots, treating them like cash as a technique of defending the integrity of the election.

“We’d like to ensure the ballots are ready precisely, we take a variety of pleasure in that,” he stated. “The paper ballots are simply not left mendacity round. These are secured they usually need to be accounted for. If they’re spoiled or broken, then we’ve got to reply for that.”

For the primary time ever, Pate has ordered all 99 counties to conduct post-election audits for 2 races. On Thursday, the Iowa Secretary of State’s workplace will randomly draw one precinct in every county to be audited. In Iowa, voters will determine on a governor. State senator races and representatives are additionally on the poll.

“I’m including a second, statewide race,” Pate stated. “However we won’t be sharing what it’s till after the election so as to add a component of randomness to it. So, they’ll be doing two statewide races on a precinct that I’ll have chosen, together with what the second race is. That’s yet another strategy to guarantee that the tabulators and expertise is including up. And prior to now once we’ve executed these, they’ve added up 100 %.”

Pate stated greater than 340,000 ballots have been solid thus far, with greater than 13,000 folks voting on Saturday. He stated in comparison with different years, absentee voting hasn’t been as busy this 12 months. He stated he thinks that as a result of the campaigns haven’t been pushing absentee voting as a lot this 12 months.

“Iowans get out and vote,” he stated. “I count on a powerful turnout tomorrow.”

Pate stated it’s necessary to acknowledge the election judges who work the polls.

“These ballot staff are there as a result of they imagine within the system and democracy,” he stated. “Be Iowa good. Inform your pals and neighbors to get out and vote.”

For extra info on voting in Iowa, click on right here.

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