Local Registrars Confident Virginia Election is Secure, Encourage Transparency

Virginia election directors were busy in the weeks before early voting, and are working to ensure the process remains secure.

Some elections officers have focused on voter engagement in an effort to counter distrust they believe stems from a lack of education about the process. In addition to the standard preparation, they are trying things such as detailed information on websites, walkthroughs and personally addressing community inquiries.

LOUDOUN COUNTY

Richard Keech is deputy director of elections for Loudoun County, where 224,862 votes were cast for president in the 2020 November election, according to state election results. Keech has worked in elections for 16 years and been in his current position since March 2011, he stated.

Two Loudoun voters previously took claims of election fraud to court, but the lawsuit was dismissed. The allegations were that the voting machines were not certified and not secure. There was no evidence to substantiate the claims, according to Keech.

A lack of voter knowledge about how elections operate has caused anxiety and fear in the general population, according to Keech.

“There comes a point where we have to tell our story,” Keech said. “We have to tell the truth. We have to be transparent. We have to be up front about what we’re doing to provide safe, secure and efficient elections.”

Loudoun officials worked to combat this dynamic and make voters feel confident. Election officials shared more behind the scenes videos, and hosted walk-throughs of their office for the public, according to Loudoun communications manager Samantha Shepherd.

Repeat election volunteers can get specialized training in courses such as technology, help desk training and advance precinct management, according to Keech.

“The lack of education around how elections occur is mind boggling to me,” Keech said. “There’s this vision that it’s all occurring on the internet and all these various actors are involved, and the reality is that it’s your friends and your neighbors [who volunteer].”

Citizens are encouraged to ask questions and look at their locality’s website for more information, Keech said.

CITY OF RICHMOND

Keith Balmer is the general registrar of the City of Richmond, where 111,159 votes were cast for president in the 2020 November election. Virginia has an election every year, so officials are experienced with the procedures, he said.

“The way we prepare for this election is really no different than any of the elections,” said Balmer, who has 14 years of experience in this field and three years serving as general registrar.

Preparation includes testing, hiring and training — and more testing.

“We test a lot of ballots,” Balmer said. “We are talking hundreds, and this election we’re talking thousands of test ballots to get tested into our machines.”

A test election is run with filled-out ballots to certify the machine is counting correctly, Balmer said. This process occurs for every election.

Any citizens concerned about the validity of the electoral process should volunteer, so they can get a front row seat of the process, Balmer said. Possible positions include pollbook officer, ballot officer and overseeing the voting equipment and booths.

“You get to see there’s so many checks and balances here in place, that you’re going to walk away convinced that there’s zero fraud going on around here,” Balmer said.

The city will need about 1,200 officers, or about 15 per precinct, according to Balmer. Staffing is important to help avoid long lines and ensure a smooth process, he said.

Getting poll workers has always been challenging because of the long 16 to 18-hour shifts, Balmer said. He pushed for a stipend increase for volunteers, from $120 to $200.

Election officials are focused on the process, not the results, Balmer said. The doubt cast toward election officials in recent years has been “deeply hurtful” and caused people to leave.

“​​​​Then there’s a lot of institutional knowledge that’s walking out of the door because people just don’t want to deal with that anymore,” Balmer said.

Balmer is currently the subject of an ongoing investigation into claims of financial misconduct and nepotism, according to a Richmond Times-Dispatch report.

YORK COUNTY

Walter Latham is the general registrar of York County, where 38,787 votes were cast for president in the 2020 November election.

Voters have questioned the electoral process since at least 2000, according to Latham. That election, between candidates George W. Bush and Al Gore, resulted in a Florida vote recount that ultimately went to the U.S. Supreme Court. Latham does think maybe it became “more intense after 2020.”

“It’s a public process, the elections belong to the people of the country,” Latham said. “They have a right to have questions and they have a right to have them answered.”

Candidate certification deadlines could be set earlier to allow for more time to proof, print and test ballots, he said. The state deadline for changes for third-party presidential candidates was Sept. 6, two weeks before early voting began.

Standard election preparation includes proofing ballots to ensure all candidate names are spelled correctly and in the correct order, per the Virginia Board of Elections, according to Latham. Then machines are programmed and tested for accuracy.

Election officer training is state mandated, with training held in person no more than 30 days before the election and no less than three, according to Latham.

Latham said they are “blessed” to have a good number of volunteers for Election Day, many who are returning to the role.

“We try to rely on the ones we have because we appreciate their knowledge and skill and dedication,” Latham said. “Because they work a long day for not a lot of money.”

By Anna West
Capital News Service

Capital News Service is a program of Virginia Commonwealth University’s Robertson School of Media and Culture. Students in the program provide state government coverage for a variety of media outlets in Virginia.