MOBILE COUNTY, Ala. (WKRG) -- We're two weeks away from the presidential election. Today, officials with Mobile County Probate Court are testing their voting machines to make sure everything is ready and secure.
No matter the size of the election-from a special election for a state house seat to a big general election, county officials test each of their machines before delivering them to the field.
Later this morning, employees will run tests on each of the nearly 200 machines for the county.
They put sample ballots through the machine and make sure what the machine reads matches what they have on file. If the machines read the ballots properly then they are good to go. It's a lot of work but it is standard protocol for Election Day.
This year, Mobile County has unique challenges. For the first time, there will be two congressional races so not everyone will get the same ballot-it just depends on where you live. That may add to the turnout that is primarily driven by the presidential election. Public tests like this are done to increase confidence in the election process. After the tests the machines are locked and then sent to different polling sites around Mobile County.