Douglas County tests vote-counting machines ahead of Election Day

OMAHA, Neb. (KMTV) — The Douglas County Election Commission is putting its vote-counting machines through final testing ahead of Election Day.

The process, known as "logic and accuracy testing," has been part of the commission's election preparations for years. However, this is the first time observers from each political party have been allowed to view the testing following the passage of a law in 2025.

Only authorized election personnel are allowed inside the room during the testing, while other observers are required to watch from a distance.

As part of the process, election office employees randomly mark ballots, including Election Commissioner Danielle Jensen. Those ballots are then run through a vote-counting machine, and the results are compared with a manual tally to make sure the machine counted them accurately.

Jensen said allowing observers to see that process can help build confidence in the security and accuracy of the election system.

"By us showing them that we are matching exactly not only with a manual vote, but one that we pre-determined, that should give them confidence that the machines we use are operating properly and their vote is being counted securely, fairly, and accurately," Jensen said.

One of the commission's machines successfully completed the testing Tuesday. All nine machines will undergo the same testing before Election Day on November 3.

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