July 30, 2024 – Washington Co., WI – What Makes Me Think I’m Qualified to be Washington County Clerk? This is my favorite question because the short answer is, “That glorious law-of-the-land called The Constitution of the United States.”
We the People are more than qualified to run for these elected positions. I took that for granted until a few years ago when I volunteered to be an election worker at my local municipality. I became familiar (and concerned) with the overall election process and the vulnerabilities associated with it.
Since then, I have become a firm believer in Thomas Jefferson’s notion that “the government you elect is the government you deserve”, which is why I’m running for Washington County Clerk. I believe there is no greater issue than election integrity, and we deserve better when it comes to transparent, honest elections. The County Clerk position is key to safeguarding the election process, and I would make it my greatest priority.
Now for the longer answer…
I graduated from Michigan Tech University back in the 90’s with a Bachelor’s degree in Metallurgical Engineering & Materials Science. Since then, I’ve worked in the private sector investigating/ troubleshooting quality issues with products & processes. I understand the importance of team building, brainstorming, continuous improvement/training and customer service.
My professional background/ fresh perspective is the reason I have been able to identify very real vulnerabilities with the Washington County election process. I also believe my technical writing experience is the reason I am able to communicate these vulnerabilities in reports like, “The Way I See It…” and “Here We Go Again”. (If you haven’t read them yet, please do so.)
Here’s an example of fresh perspective…
Many election workers believe they already conduct “hand counts” on election night. Although that is a true statement, most (if not all) are simply balancing the total number of ballots (unfolded/in person plus folded/absentee totals) against the log books (how many people voted in person/absentee). This election night “hand counting” practice contributes little (if anything) to election integrity. Here’s why:
The high-tech electronic voting machines used in our county produce digital images of ballots to determine the election results. They are not simple tabulators. They are complex devices that rely on programming prior to each election and pre-logic/accuracy assessments to verify they’re “reading” the images correctly. Furthermore, these machines are capable of printing ballots to mimic human voting via the American Disabilities Act (ADA) compliance feature and its dedicated ink cartridge.
What needs to be communicated is the importance of choosing at least one race on the ballot (immediately after polls close) in order to verify that the machine-generated results actually match the original ballots.
In other words, rather than focusing on the total number of ballots and comparing that to the log book totals; we need to focus on comparing the number of votes cast for each candidate with the number of votes cast for each candidate as-printed on the machine-generated tapes (i.e., election results).
Here’s more fresh perspective…
Hand counts/ audits that take place any time after election night do not necessarily indicate all is well with election integrity. Again, this is due to the high tech nature of the equipment, including its capability to produce ballots that mimic human voting.
I participated in the Washington County recount of the Senate/Governor race of 2022, which took place nearly one month after the election. As documented in “The Way I See It…” it is my opinion many of the ballots I examined/ hand counted actually resembled machine-generated ballots that could be observed during the public test. I also believe there were observations that may have indicated potentially insufficient logic/accuracy assessments.
There are many aspects to election integrity including voter rolls, potential non-US citizen voters, same day registration, drop boxes, and potentially unlawful issues with redesigned absentee ballot envelopes.
There is no candidate more eager to develop/implement a comprehensive election integrity plan that addresses each aspect. In fact, my genuine passion to safeguard our most sacred right to vote is ultimately what makes me most qualified…
I hope you’ll turn out on August 13, and put me to the test!
Sue True
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