Johnson County Election Board members go over the results of the public test of voting machines on March 20 at Johnson County Courthouse in Franklin.
Daily Journal File Photo
The public is invited to see an audit of Johnson County’s primary election results on Monday.
The Johnson County Election Board is taking part in a post-election audit performed by the Voting System Technical Oversight Program, a Ball State University program where technicians test all of the election equipment used for an added layer of safety and security and to verify the results. The Indiana Secretary of State’s Office has also given the county a designation for the audit.
The post-election audit will take place at 11 a.m. Monday in the basement of the Johnson County Courthouse, 5 E. Jefferson St., Franklin. It is open to the public, with residents being able to observe the audit.
During the audit, VSTOP technicians will look at machines and results from different precincts across the county. County election officials will pick the precincts to be audited; once a precinct gets to the percentage where everything is matching what it is supposed to be, then they’ll move on to another precinct, Johnson County Clerk Trena McLaughlin previously said.
No paper ballots will be analyzed as part of the audit, she said.
VSTOP technicians say completing a post-election audit is the “gold standard” to externally affirm the accuracy and legitimacy of the county’s election outcomes. It gives county election administrators another piece of integrity evidence to share with voters, according to a VSTOP handout.
Watching the audit also gives voters a way to become more engaged in the election process and can increase voter confidence, the handout says.
This is the first time Johnson County has ever taken part in VSTOP.
