LUZERNE COUNTY, Pa. — Nearly 1,000 voting machines and tabulators were checked, tested, and programmed in Wilkes-Barre on Tuesday. The logic and accuracy testing is a weeks-long, state-mandated process to ensure everything is up and running for election day.
"We have numerous checks and balances on every step and stage of this process," said Luzerne County Election Director Emily Cook.
All of it is open to the public in Luzerne County.
"You want to help them to trust what's going on, and transparency is part of that equation," Luzerne County Board of Elections Chair Denise Williams.
On Tuesday, 14 members of Dominion Voting System, the makers of the machines, were on-site, in addition to a number of poll workers, to get things rolling. One of the newest members of the Luzerne County election board, Albert Schlosser, says he was involved in a contested election himself. He stopped in to make sure everything was running as it should.
"There's a lot that goes on. I don't think people realize how much is involved here. But boy, there's a lot of things that have to be in place to make sure the system works right," said Schlosser.
To further that transparency, Luzerne County is also live-streaming its mail-in ballot storage room, as the discussions over ballot drop boxes have been a point of contention in the county.
"You can wake up in the middle of the night- and I know I have, and I had whatever random thought, and you can see there's nothing going on here. We're open. We're being as transparent as we possibly can," said Cook.
But the main message ahead of election day in Luzerne County is simple.
"Just vote. That's the main thing. I look at it that so many people sacrificed. The people with flags flying on their graves, they did so much, and I think we forget that. They ensure that we had a great system and democracy," Schlosser.
Election day is Tuesday, November 5th, polls open at 7 a.m.