The election commission held a brief meeting Friday morning to certify the primary election, including for tightly contested race for Hamilton County mayor. Weston Wamp won the Republican primary and now faces Democratic primary elect Matt Adams in the Aug. 4 general election.
“We tested each and every machine before Election Day to ensure that the test ballots were producing an accurate result, then we set them to zero and sealed the machines,” said Auditor Christian Bennett.
“We observed the machines coming back in on election night to ensure the seals we put on the machines were the same seals. We turned on the machines and there were no broken seals. The day after election, we selected a sample of various precincts and compared the counts of the actual votes per the machines to the number of ballot stubs, ballot applications and signatures in the poll books. Based on that, that's how we got to a draft unmodified opinion.”
Many community members attended the meeting; some said they had concerns with voter integrity. One said two men in separate vehicles drove up, asked where they could go to pick up ballots and were allegedly instructed by an official to drive around to the back to the loading docks.
She asked the commission why anyone in private vehicles, at 7 p.m. on election night, would be coming to pick up ballots. Mr. Walden said they were temporary employees coming to unload the precinct vehicles when they brought supplies back. He said he and several people from the group present were able to watch the whole process. He said the process was also videotaped.