Ann Torpy, county clerk, demonstrates how the MicroVote voting machine works during a demonstration of the equipment at the Kosciusko County Senior Center.

KOSCIUSKO COUNTY — Just how secure are the votes in Kosciusko County? Are the votes vulnerable?

Indiana League of Women Voters has a long history of protecting Hoosier votes. Recently they created a white paper report calling for counties to secure elections with verifiable ballots. The report says the issue is threats to secure, verifiable elections such as aging technology, old equipment, potential hacking of voting machines and registration databases, inability to verify electronic votes and lack of money allocated to replace voting machines.

Their report says Indiana received an F on baseline standards for election security from the Center for American Progress in its 2018 report. There are two major types of machines used in the state: direct record electronic and optical scan. Kosciusko County uses a direct record electronic system.

Shown is the MicroVote equipment used during each election. Three programmed key cards — start card, vote card and tally card, a tally reader and the actual voting machine is all that is utilized during elections. No equipment, outside that which goes with the machine, can be connected.

Ann Torpy, Kosciusko Clerk of Circuit and Superior Courts, who oversees the elections along with a two-member board, stated the voting machines used in the county are secure and never connected to the internet. “We did do an internal update to all voting machines in 2017,” Torpy stated. “We have checks and balances when it comes to verification of votes cast in each election, that is why our evening processes have slowed down. We have been doing this since 2014.”

Torpy addressed the pros and cons of the verified print out. “I don’t see cons to having that added audit trail layer. All voting systems used within the state are certified by not only the state, but the federal government. They go through testing and certification before they can be used.

“I feel they (the league of women voters) over exaggerated some points,” Torpy stated after reviewing the white paper.

The county utilizes MicroVote Infinity, which is never connected to the internet nor can it. “We can’t make any changes to the equipment or program,” she stated.

Norma Stiegel, who recently moved to the county, takes a look at how the county’s voting machine works during a recent demonstration.

Here’s how MicroVote works. The machines are verified after programming by machine technicians and a test of the tabulation equipment is performed prior to each election. A “zero” tape is run for each machine showing no votes are on the machines. These tapes are run after programming, after verification/public test and before the machines are started on election day. The tapes are then reviewed, signed and sealed.

At the close of voting, the number of votes cast on each machine is verified to match the number of applications for voting in each precinct. The votes for each machine are tallied onto a “tally card” for each machine. A paper copy of the tally results are also printed. The tally remains on the machine until programmed for the next election. All tally cards, along with the paper tally record are signed and sealed in security envelopes and returned to election headquarters along with voting equipment.

Tally cards are processed at election headquarters and after each card is read, the number of votes transferred into the software is confirmed by looking at the paper tally ape, confirming the number of votes. Additionally, the MicroVote has an internal proprietary audit system and a paper audit of each vote record can be printed after the election.

Kathy Curtis takes a look at the voting machine and ballot during a demonstration.