Grant County to test ballot counting system in run-up to August primary

EPHRATA — As voters across Grant County prepare to cast ballots in the Aug. 3 primary election, the Grant County Auditor’s Office is going to test the county’s vote-counting system in early July.

According to Grant County Auditor Michele Jaderlund, county election officials are going to conduct an official “logic and accuracy test” on Thursday, beginning at 1 p.m.

The test will involve “counting” a stack of sample ballots that will include write-in votes, unfilled ballots and ballots that have been improperly marked to test the accuracy of the county’s vote counting machinery and software. The test will be certified by the Washington Secretary of State’s Office, which oversees the state’s elections.

“Logic and accuracy tests are done for every election,” Jaderlund wrote in an email to the Columbia Basin Herald. “A representative from the Office of the Secretary of State will be here in person for the testing.”

Jaderlund said the ballots used in the test are specially created for the test, and not drawn from any previous election. However, the test is otherwise conducted in exactly the same way real ballot counting is done following an actual election.

Because the Grant County Courthouse is scheduled to remain closed to the public as a result of the COVID-19 pandemic, the public is invited to watch the test online on Grant County’s website, www.grantcountywa.gov and by clicking on the “live feed” button.