Chicago election officials address voting machine security concerns ahead of Election Day
How secure are Chicago's voting machines?
The Chicago Board of Elections explains the security measures in place to protect voting equipment, including daily accuracy testing, restricted access and surveillance.
CHICAGO - With Election Day approaching, voting security is in the spotlight as the U.S. Department of Justice prepares to send election monitors to all 50 states.
In Chicago, the Board of Elections is responding to misinformation surrounding voting machines and concerns about the security of ballots.
Officials respond to voting machine claims
What we know:
Some social media users have claimed their votes were switched from Republican to Democrat, or vice versa, on electronic voting machines.
However, Chicago election officials say they have received no reports of this happening and say voting machines are not connected to the internet, eliminating the threat of remote hacking through an internet connection.
How Chicago protects its voting machines
Dig deeper:
Officials say safeguards for voting equipment include restricted access, locked storage, sealed containers and video surveillance.
Technical staff test each of the city's 1,200 machines daily for accuracy and also conduct diagnostics with the vendor, Liberty Vote.
Officials say they track who handles the equipment and where it goes.
"The access to voting equipment here is restricted," said Chicago Board of Elections representative Julie Metea. "It's stored in locked areas and sealed in containers with video surveillance. And we do document the movement and the control of the voting equipment so we know who accesses it, we know it's sealed, we know the location it's at through its entire life."
The board says audits required by federal and state election authorities provide another layer of oversight.
When and where to vote in Chicago
What you can do:
Election Day is Tuesday, Nov. 3, with polls open from 6 a.m. to 7 p.m.
Voters who are in line by 7 p.m. will still be allowed to cast their ballots.
For more information about voting locations and election procedures, visit chicagoelections.gov.
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The Source: The information in this report came from the Chicago Board of Elections, the U.S. Department of Justice and FOX Chicago reporting.