Election system sound

In response to allegations made during the presidential race by Republican Candidate Donald Trump, the Wyoming Secretary of State and County Clerks are reassuring voters that Wyoming’s voting system is secure.

Trump has repeatedly warned followers in the past several weeks that his opponent, Hillary Clinton, would steal the election by fraudulent measures thanks to a far-reaching conspiracy. During the most recent debate between the candidates, Trump said he could not commit to accepting the outcome of the election, causing some to raise questions about what will happen after voting ends Nov.8. In response, the Secretary of state for Wyoming issued a statement to voters to let them know the state’s voting system is sound.

“Recent comments that an election could be rigged gives Wyoming’s 23 county clerks and myself, as chief election official, the opportunity to assure citizens of the integrity of our voting process,” Ed Murray, Wyoming Secretary of State, said in a release. “Wyoming’s county clerks and I are able to state categorically that Wyoming’s will not be ‘rigged’ or ‘hacked.’”

According to Will Dinneen, Public Information and Communications Officer for the Secretary of State’s Office, there is no evidence that would suggest voter fraud had been a problem in Wyoming in the past. According to Dinneen, there have been several instances of convicted felons who do not have the right to vote casting ballots, but those cases are very few in number

According to the Secretary of State’s release, no Wyoming voting system is connected to internet. According to security experts, the only way to ensure that a computer is never hacked is to never connect it to a network, and control physical access to the hardware.

Because of security reasons, Dinneen said he was not able to discuss specifics about how the systems operate, but did confirm that none of them are ever accessible by internet. “They are standalone machines,” he said.

In addition, each polling location reconciles the number of votes cast against the number of people who checked into the polling location, and every ballot that is cast has a paper trail that can be verified without violating voter secrecy, the release said.

In addition, all voting tabulation machines are tested before being deployed for an election. After the machines are tested to verify they work correctly, the tabulators are sealed and locked up until Election Day.

At the county level, county clerks work with trained and experienced election judges and poll workers who ensure that things run smoothly and without obstructions or distractions for voters. Additionally, each county has a bipartisan canvassing board which works with the county clerk to verify election tabulations and certify election results.

Wyoming’s voter registration system also works with data system from the Wyoming departments of transportation, health, corrections and the Division of Criminal Investigation to ensure that those who register to vote are not barred from voting or attempting to register under a false name.

“Our office works hard alongside the county clerks and the county clerk in Carbon County, Gwen Bartlett, who is the president of the Association of the County Clerks of Wyoming, just to make sure that the accuracy of the vote is maintained at all times,” Dineen said.

“This isn’t just an election season thing, it’s a year-round process to make sure the vote is sacred.”

The election will be held Tuesday, Nov. 8, and voters can register in person at the polls. In order to vote in Wyoming, a person must be a U.S. Citizen, a resident of the state of Wyoming who is 18 years of age on Election Day and not have any felony convictions. Those wanting to register must be able to produce a driver’s license or state ID, Social Security Card, birth certificate or Passport.

Polls in Carbon County open at 7 a.m. and close at 7 p.m.