Franklin County Only Place in Washington to Use Controversial Voting Software System

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Franklin County is the only county in Washington state using an election software system by a company being questioned in some parts of the U.S.

The county uses Dominion Voting System's Democracy Suite to scan in ballots that arrive by mail and to record the votes.

The system also flags any ballots with faulty markings that election officials must look at by hand.

The official results from the Nov. 3 general election are due to be certified Tuesday, Nov. 24.

Dominion is one of the largest suppliers of voting technology in the country but has come under scrutiny in election challenges by President Donald Trump in his race against Joe Biden.

While the voting equipment is certified in several states including Washington, the system failed certification in Texas.

Detractors have leveled a host of accusations nationally at the Dominion system, including claims that votes for Trump were switched, that the software glitched and that the company has ties to the Democratic Party.

Dominion refuted the allegations, and many government officials, including those with the federal Department of Homeland Security and the U.S. Election Assistance Commission have said there is no evidence of fraud.

And in Franklin County, Auditor Matt Beaton, a Republican, said they've had no troubles with the software, and they plan to continue using the system.

Unlike in other states, Franklin County doesn't use a Dominion in-person voting system because all ballots are hand-marked by voters and delivered by mail or into drop boxes.

Also, the Dominion system is not connected to the internet in Franklin County, so there is no risk of a cyber attack.

"It's not like anyone can get into it," Beaton said. "If you're not in the room, you're not going into the system."

The county also retains all the ballots, so if there are any concerns, they can check the results.

And when the system finds a ballot with a problem, a county employee contacts the voter to resolve it.

Washington state



Washington state also has signed off on Dominion, according to the Washington Secretary of State's Office.

Before it can be certified for use in the state, the U.S. Election Assistance Commission needed to review it, said Kylee Zabel with the Secretary of State's Office.

For the independent federal agency to sign off on a voting system, it needs to be tested in an approved lab to make sure that it meets guidelines.

In addition, the state has its own independent Election System Certification Board that reviews the voting systems, and offers its recommendations.

Dominion's voting systems were approved by both entities.

Also, state and counties double checked all of their voting machines before the November election.

"Additionally, post-election audits are conducted to ensure the system correctly recorded the votes cast, and, in very close elections, mandatory recounts are conducted," Zabel said.

Beaton did not immediately recall how long Franklin County has been using a Dominion brand system.

The county previously used a Sequoia Voting System, which was caught up in the last challenged presidential election when Florida had problems with ballot counting in 2000.

That company was purchased by Dominion in 2010.

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