Mark Earley

My View

With all the talk about rigged elections, it is worth discussing the security we have in place in Leon County. We lead the nation in the security of our elections process.

Let’s start with who can vote. We have the best-in-class voter registration and electronic pollbook systems to track who is eligible to vote and who has voted – in real time. This system is highly secure and capable of operating either in a secure online environment or offline if needed. It is backed up by paper to ensure we know who is registered to vote, can verify each and every voter as they come to vote, and can keep track of who has voted – for any voter in Florida.

Our state of the art voting system operates completely offline. Each tabulator is fully encrypted and will always employ a paper ballot for every voter. Access to our machines requires a special hardware token and paired access password which is changed frequently.

All access panels have unique seals, and opening any entry point or physical barrier writes an entry to system audit logs. All data is stored redundantly and encrypted. These safeguards insure data integrity and results that are easily verified.

Once a ballot is cast, it is protected by a stringent set of security protocols incorporating electronic monitoring and detection intrusion, and unique physical seals, all operating within a strict chain of custody environment. Our systems are protected by multiple layers of physical security and are monitored continuously by video surveillance.

Here in Leon County, we developed the first automated, independent ballot audit system. This system performs a 100-percent vote tabulation audit, well above the 2-percent threshold required by statute. Many jurisdictions across Florida and the nation are adopting this system, begun right here in Leon County, to protect and verify the accuracy of their elections.

To plan, secure and monitor the entire voting process, we designed a state of the art election management software suite. Using it we plan, track and audit every aspect of our logistics chain – from initial resource allocation, through inventory management, voting and audit system testing, equipment usage and repair history, chain of custody management, and post election records retention. This system is also being adopted across Florida and North America to help elections officials monitor and secure their elections, just like we pioneered here in Leon County.

But the best defense of your vote is our experienced and dedicated staff. We have been deeply involved in the design and deployment of the systems we use every day. We employ some of the most advanced training methods in the elections industry, and our level of expertise allows us to avoid most problems before they arise.

By combining a highly trained staff with innovation and leadership, your vote is protected and guaranteed to be accurately counted. We go to these lengths for one reason: to keep your elections the most secure and accurate in the nation. That’s what we do.

Mark Earley is Leon County’s voting systems manager and a candidate for Leon County Supervisor of Elections.