Dozens of Lehigh County residents crowded into the county voter registration office Thursday for a rare look behind the scenes.
Staff members gave a tour of the facility and demonstrated how ballots move through the system on election night. Visitors learned how mail-in ballots are opened, processed and counted, as well as how vote tabulation equipment works.
“It’s amazing how they keep track of everything, all the different types of ballots,” said Irv Keister of Lower Macungie Township. “This was really interesting to see.”
Mike Paston, the county’s chief of elections, said the event, the first of its kind in Lehigh County, was held so people who had questions about the security of the county’s election process could get answers directly from the people doing the work.
“I want them to come away with confidence in the transparency of our election. I want them to see what goes on when the ballots come in, the process, and all the people who are here making sure their votes are counted and the count is accurate,” Paston said.
The event’s organizers chose the date because mail-in ballots have not yet returned, so there were no actual ballots on site, for security reasons. Visitors were instead encouraged to fill out a mock sample ballot.
“There’s a lot of security. The process is protected, and we just want people to have confidence that when they mail their ballot or drop off their ballot it’s going to be counted and counted accurately, because it will,” Paston said.
Lower Macungie resident Barbara Mumbauer said she already had confidence in the election process, but thought the open house would be helpful for others who might have questions.
“I think it’s a good idea, to allay people’s misconceptions,” she said.
Election Day is Nov. 3. The last day to register to vote is Oct. 19, while any requests for mail-in ballots must be received by Oct. 27. Mail-in ballots must be received by 8 p.m. Election Day.