Election Security Dominates Town Hall Meeting

The citizens who turned out for the Oconee County Board of Commissioners Town Hall meeting last Tuesday had a few questions for members of the Commission.

They wanted to know about the widening of Experiment Station Road, about plans for the new Watkinsville Library, about the planned detour route for construction of the multi-grade intersection of the Oconee Connector and SR 316, and about plans for broadband improvements in the county.

But the citizens had a lot of questions for Oconee County Director of Elections and Registration Fran Leathers and Secretary of State Voter Education Coordinator Sarah Cornett.

Those present wanted to know if the new equipment will be connected to Internet, what would happen if the ballot printer ran out of ink or if the power goes out, and what the state has learned from use of the equipment experimentally last November.

Cornett said the new voting equipment will not be connected to the Internet, that provisions have been made to make sure the printers have ink, that power backup is provided for the equipment, and that problems last fall were small ones easily addressed.

Watkinsville City Council Member Dan Matthews, one of those asking questions, summed up his view during the questioning.

“I don’t have a huge amount of confidence,” Matthews said.

For more on the story, which includes questions and answers about the voting equipment and a video of the Town Hall meeting with a demonstration of the voting equipment, please go to Oconee County Observations.