MIAMI (WSVN) - Miami-Dade County is doing a test run of its voting equipment.
Officials are making sure they are ready to go for the Florida primary elections.
Each step of the voting and tabulation process is tested.
This is one of several measures taken to ensure Election Day runs smoothly in Miami-Dade.
“What we do is insert the ballots that have a predetermined outcome,” said Suzy Trutie, deputy supervisor of elections in Miami-Dade. “We transmit the results. We tabulate them, and then we reconcile what has been inserted into each of the voting machines to ensure that all of the votes have been captured accurately, and this will tell us that the machines are working properly prior to them being deployed.”
To make sure every vote counts, the Miami-Dade Elections Department has been testing the equipment accuracy all day Wednesday.
“Each step of the voting process is being tested here today, from opening the machines, from transmitting the results to tabulating the results, as well as inserting ballots that had a predetermined outcome,” said Trutie.
Once the ballots are tabulated in the machines, the results are verified by a quality assurance team to make sure they match, so they know the machines are working before election day.
Voting departments across the country were scrutinized after the 2020 election, when former president Donald Trump made unsubstantiated claims that the election had been rigged.
He emphasized that vote by mail methods, which were popular during the pandemic, were not properly counted.
In Florida, Gov. Ron DeSantis created an office of election crimes and security to review fraud allegations.
The deputy supervisor of Miami-Dade Elections said, many of the changes were already implemented in the county, like being able to drop off vote by mail ballots in person.
“Now, when you are requesting a vote by mail ballot, you must give additional personal information. For example, you must give the last four digits of your social security or you must give your drivers license number,” said Trutie.
Early voting will be held from Aug. 8 to 21.
The Florida Primary will be held on Aug. 23.
The general election is Nov. 8.
A sample ballot for the upcoming primary election can be found here.
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