(Atlantic, Iowa) – Cass County Auditor Kathy Somers reports the successful completion of public testing of election equipment took place on October 28, leading up to the November 4 City-School Election. The test confirmed all election equipment in Cass County is working properly and is ready for the upcoming election.

During the test, vote tabulators undergo a logic and accuracy test, which the public is invited to attend. Election officials test voting tabulators using sample ballots to ensure the tabulators are recording votes properly by feeding in correctly marked ballots and ballots that may be marked incorrectly. This includes ballots with any undervote, where a race is left blank, and ballots with an overvote, where a voter has marked too many candidates for a race.

Pre-election testing takes place before each election in all 99 counties and is mandated by Iowa law. To ensure transparency in the election process, the public is invited to attend and watch the testing, and members of Iowa’s recognized political parties are also invited.

Public pre-election equipment testing is just one of many safeguards in place to protect the integrity of Iowa elections. Other layers of Iowa’s election integrity include paper ballots, cybersecurity measures, post-election audits, voter ID, and bipartisan teams of poll workers.