County auditors around the state are warning voters of a social media post that falsely claims paper ballots marked by poll workers will be disqualified in the midterm elections.
Under Iowa law, an election official is required to initial each ballot issued to a voter.
Karla Weiss, the Winnebago County Auditor and president of the Iowa State Association of Counties, said the initials are an extra check on the process.
“When the poll worker hands the person a ballot to vote, they put their initials on that ballot first, and the reason for that is, let's say we accidentally hand you two ballots,” Weiss said. “That second ballot won't count because it doesn't have those initials.”
This step is part of a larger system of safeguards designed to protect the integrity of the vote.
Iowa uses paper ballots for all elections, which the Secretary of State's Office says can’t be hacked. The machines that count the votes, called tabulators, are not connected to the internet as an extra layer of security.
Before ballots are cast, election officials perform “logic and accuracy testing” on tabulators to confirm they correctly count votes and catch errors, like someone selecting too many candidates. These tests are conducted in public view, and political parties are invited to observe.
The tabulators also produce paper receipts of the vote totals to compare to the paper ballot totals. The Secretary of State's Office says this provides another way to verify accuracy.
Tabulators and absentee ballots submitted through the mail or in-person, are stored in a secure place until Election Day.
Along with requiring voter ID at the polls and on absentee ballot request forms, there are other safeguards to prevent someone from accidentally or intentionally casting a ballot more than once.
If an individual has requested an absentee ballot and tries to vote at a polling place on Election Day, Weiss said electronic poll books flag the issue for the poll workers during the check-in process.
“Let's say they lost [the ballot] or they never received it in the mail. They'll vote a provisional ballot,” Weiss said. “It's just a double check, so if that first ballot is in the office, the second ballot won't count.”
Poll workers also maintain a paper and electronic log of every voter checked into a polling place and given a ballot. They compare the total with the number of ballots tabulated by the voting machines to catch discrepancies.
After Election Day, the Secretary of State's Office randomly selects a precinct in all 99 counties for post-election audits. A bipartisan team hand-counts the ballots to verify the totals from the tabulators. The post-election audit “matched perfectly” in the 2020 general election, the Secretary of State's Office said.
Voter fraud, which is a matter of intent, is extremely rare in the U.S.
Still, many voters are concerned about election integrity and whether their vote will count. Gallup polling shows Americans are split on the issue with their lack of confidence averaging 45% since 2006.
“The big thing to remember is that the poll workers that work the elections on Election Day are your friends, your neighbors, your relatives, and they want the election to go as smooth as possible,” Weiss said. “That's the same for us in the office. We do our best to make sure that the election is smooth and fair and impartial.”
Alex Smith believes voter confidence could improve if people learned more about the process. Smith teaches an election administration course at the University of Iowa.
“We learn a lot about the different measures that are being taken at national, state and local levels to balance both access to the ballot, security of elections … and also transparency,” Smith said.
The students also tour election facilities and train to become precinct election officials in Johnson County. Smith said the experience leaves a strong impression.
“The number one comment that students had and that they seemed to agree on was, ‘After seeing all of that, I don't understand what all the concern is from the public about thinking that these elections are not being well run, and that they're not secure,’” Smith said. “The students were very impressed with the security elements and also the transparency.”
But educating voters can happen outside a university classroom. Election officials across the country are looking for new ways to engage the public and build trust.
Smith pointed to research showing guided tours of election facilities increased voter trust in Arizona. Another study found well-trained poll workers play an important role in voter perceptions.
Voter confidence in elections is an essential part of democracy, Smith said.
Early voting is underway in Iowa. Election Day is Nov. 3.
