Here & Now

Local Clerks Test Machines to Bolster Confidence in Election

Frederica Freyberg:

Earlier this week, clerks around the state began the process of publicly testing the voting machines for each municipality. In West Bend, the city clerk brought each of the tabulators into the council chambers and conducted tests to show the machines were properly counting ballots or rejecting ballots that were improperly marked. After the tests, the machines are cleared to ensure they start counting at zero on Election Day. A handful of first-time election inspectors and poll workers were on hand to see how the machines work and ask questions before Tuesday’s primary. West Bend uses Dominion voting machines, which were central to a number of unfounded conspiracy theories spread by supporters of Donald Trump after he lost the 2020 election. City clerk Lizbet Santana says hopefully conducting tests like these helps eliminate questions and conspiracy theories.

Lizbet Santana:

There’s rumors, theories and, I mean, people don’t know. They’re not informed. They’re not educated in some areas. And again, for the city of West Bend, I do training sessions with them. Any questions that they have, I want to make sure they are aware of how things work.