Be confident in our voting process

To the editor:

Are dead people voting? Are illegals voting? Are unregistered people voting? Is there fraud and widespread voting machine issues that affect true results in our elections?

No. 

Today more than ever before there are plenty of safeguards in place to ensure not only does your vote count, but the chances of any illegal voting or fraud is very minimal. 

Why? Today's technological advances and election boards across the country know what to look for. Voting rolls are purged and updated on a regular basis, including tracking obituaries, who is moving in and out of voting districts and who is verified as a registered voter. 

Safeguards to fair and safe elections include a local election board, trained poll workers from each party, recounts, paper backups and state and federal agencies that monitor elections. 

One last important safeguard is the provisional ballot that a voter in question would fill out so that election boards can go back and make sure this ballot can be included or it is found to be invalid.

Some of the confusion and doubts that spur the claims of fraud and lack of trust in the results can be easily explained. For example, mail in ballots have been in the system for decades. Some states have had 100% mail in since 2000. Some states have different dates for early voting and when vote counts are done.

The 2020 election was a good test to measure how well the safeguards in place protected everyone's vote. With so many challenges in certain states, so many recounts and court decisions that did verify the results, we can be assured that going to the voting booth this November will provide us the opportunity to cast our vote for whom we want and our vote will be safely included along with any other legally registered voter.

Confidently,

Randy Geesaman

Portland