Why are our elections safe? The procedure is explained by the local registrar

Roanoke, Virginia – The measures put in place to keep the 2024 election secure were heavily emphasized because election security was a prominent concern around the 2020 election.

Early voting has grown in popularity in recent years, and more than 1.4 million Virginians have already cast ballots for this year’s election.

This implies that some ballots are filled out up to 46 days before to election day, and many people are curious about what happens to their ballot during that time.

Lindsey Williams, the general registrar for Radford City, explained, “You fill out your ballot, complete it, and insert it into one of our voting machine tabulators just like you would on election day at the precinct.” “Then it remains in that tabulator until the night of the election.”

On election night, the machines are closed until 7 p.m.

Making sure that no one votes twice is another priority for electoral boards and registrars.

Although it is a rare problem, there is a procedure in place to resolve it if it does occur.

“We allow people to cast a provisional ballot if they insist on doing so,” Williams added. “After the election, we conduct some research and inform our electoral board that the ballot will not be counted because the individual has already cast their ballot.”

Each voter must show a legitimate form of identification that corresponds to the details of a local voter who is registered to vote in order to avoid that situation in the first place.

In situations where a voter casts a ballot in person but also wants an absentee ballot, this enables election authorities to maintain track of who has previously cast a ballot.

According to Williams, “we would see that the person has received an absentee ballot.” “We would then inform them that in order to cast a ballot on election day, they must turn in that absentee ballot.”

Voters can check the progress of their absentee ballots on the Virginia Department of Elections website if they request one and decide to mail it back.

Every neighborhood has a ballot drop box available for individuals who choose to return their absentee ballots in person. These boxes are secured and monitored by CCTV around-the-clock.

In Virginia, Saturday, November 2, is the last day to cast an early ballot.