Election worker urges county to publish procedures to counter misinformation

Tom Pritchette, a judge of elections and a resident of the eastern part of the county, told council he has repeatedly encountered misinformation about how local elections are run and urged a county‑level public information effort explaining procedures.

"I'm concerned about the misinformation that's out there about elections," Pritchette said. He listed specific areas where the public lacks information: how voting machines and backup paper ballots are prepared, pre‑reports and post‑election reports, how mail‑in ballots are processed and when USB drive totals are reconciled with paper ballots.

Pritchette described current practices as opaque to many voters and said the public should be told whether paper ballots are checked against machine USB drive totals for every machine or just a subset, and how provisional ballots are processed and escalated to the election commission. He asked the county to explain quality‑control checks that address claims like hacking and to detail whether mail‑in ballots are treated differently for on‑demand voting.

Council members acknowledged the issues and the importance of public education. The transcript records Pritchette saying some of the checks are done for a subset of machines and that public knowledge of the process is limited. Council did not adopt a formal resolution on election communications at the meeting, but Pritchette’s comments flagged potential follow‑up actions for the administration and the election commission to consider.

Next steps: council and staff may coordinate with the election commission to consider public guidance or a demonstration of procedures to increase transparency and public confidence in county election operations.