The Sedgwick County Election Office has extensive security protocols and procedures in place. From physical and process security, to limited access, chain of custody and user role security, we have comprehensive systems in place to conduct secure elections.
All voting equipment utilized has been certified by the Election Assistance Commission and the Kansas Secretary of State. Equipment is exhaustively tested. We conduct a public test of equipment prior to and after each election. Additionally, we conduct a post-election audit prior to the meeting of the Board of County Canvassers to verify the accuracy of the results produced by the tabulation equipment.
All ballots in Sedgwick County are voter verifiable paper ballots. Whether a voter chooses to mark a ballot on our touch screen ballot marking device or fills in the ovals on a full-sized ballot, the voter has the opportunity to verify selections prior to placing in the optical scanner. The ballot marking devices and optical scanners are not networked or connected to the internet.
Polling places are run by sworn Election Workers of all political affiliations. These Election Workers are directed by a Supervising Judge who maintains authority over the activities at the polling site. All Election Workers attend mandatory training including hands-on practice prior to Election Day. Opening and closing reports printed by each optical scanner verify no ballots have been scanned prior to polls opening and provide the number of ballots scanned throughout the day at closing. All Election Workers review and sign these reports, which are kept with official election documents.
Election results from each polling place are hand carried on encrypted data sticks, secured in a numbered and sealed pouch, and delivered to the Election Office for tabulation and inclusion in results totals.
Advance ballot applications require a valid, government issued ID. Applications are reviewed and signatures verified prior to acceptance and processing. Advance by mail ballot drop boxes are opened only during active elections. Ballots are collected daily by a bipartisan team of Election Workers, accounted for on chain of custody logs, and returned to the Election Office for processing. Ballot drop boxes in Sedgwick County are subject to video surveillance; all drop boxes are visible by video camera.
