KNOXVILLE, Tenn. — A viewer reached out to WBIR recently to ask what happens after voters fill out paper ballots and submit them. Election integrity has been a concern among some people leading up to the 2024 presidential election.
When most voters head to the polls, they will need to show a valid form of photo ID. Generally, voters can just show their driver's licenses to get a ballot. However, any photo ID issued by the Tennessee Department of Safety and Homeland Security, by the Tennessee government or by the federal government is acceptable. Voters can also use photo IDs if they are expired. However, college IDs are not accepted.
After showing their ID, voters will then be handed a paper ballot. Usually, poll workers also provide pens voters can use to fill in boxes for the candidates they want to vote for.
After filling out the ballots, voters feed their ballots into a scanning machine that counts the votes. The Tennessee Secretary of State's Office provides a list of the different machine manufacturers and systems used in each county. For example, it says as of 2024 Knox County uses Verify Scan systems made by the Hart company.
Regardless of the systems that Tennessee counties use, they must conduct a public machine test ahead of Election Day to make sure they are accurate. In Knox County, the commission effectively organizes a mock Election Day where volunteers hand-count ballots before feeding them into the scanning machines.
"What we need to test — we need to test the scanners' ability to properly process all that data and spit it back to use the correct results," said Chris Davis, Knox County's administrator of elections.
The results from the machines and volunteers are then compared during the mock election to make sure they align and are accurate.