El Paso County Clerk and Recorder conducts public test to ensure accuracy of voting equipment

EL PASO COUNTY, Colo. (KRDO) -- The El Paso County Clerk and Recorder's Office reports it has conducted a public Logic and Accuracy (L&A) test on all ballot counting equipment that will be used for the 2022 General Election.

The Clerk and Recorder's Office said the est is inclusive of the Central Count Optical Scanners, and Voter Service and Polling Center ADA accessible ballot-marking devices.  Each component was tested to verify that it is fully functional and free from mechanical problems and properly tabulates votes.

“The purpose of the public Logic and Accuracy test is to determine that the voting system is properly programmed, and the election is correctly defined on the voting system. The L&A test is an integral process that verifies ballots are counted correctly, confirms the efficacy of the results, and instills voters with confidence in our elections,” said Chuck Broerman, Clerk and Recorder.  “We along with other Colorado Counties continue to pass this test with flying colors, now having performed over a thousand L&A tests of the election management system throughout the state. Voters should understand the importance of these safeguards for our representative democracy. Successful completion of this test ensures the results accurately reflect the intent of El Paso County voters.”

The Clerk and Recorder's Office said members of the bipartisan Testing Board administered and confirmed 8,450 voted test ballots were cast on each voting unit to ensure that it recorded votes accurately. These test ballots are counted by each voting unit and cumulated results are verified. This confirms complete accuracy throughout the entire voting and counting process, according to the Clerk and Recorder's Office. In addition, the appointed Testing Board manually filled out and had tabulated 50 random ballots each, and then compared their hand counts to the tabulated results. The L&A Certification for Voting Equipment was signed by the Testing Board and notarized.  The Certification will remain with the L&A test ballots for 25 months. All test results are cleared; the voting units are locked, sealed, and secured ready to be used in the election.

To learn more about the L&A test, refer to the Colorado Secretary of State Election Rule 11.3.2.