Rigged elections are a myth

To the Editor:

I appreciate hearing from election workers about their first-hand experience at the polls and counting our votes.

Both my mother and my father volunteered as election workers. One of my closest friends regularly works her county’s elections, as well.

I know every effort is made by election staff and volunteers to ensure that every vote is counted properly and accurately.

My friend told me of the special handling given to provisional ballots or any ballot that needs attention in her county. There is a team of three election staffers that handle these ballots. One reads the results of the votes, the second enters the information in the commuter tally and the third person observes to make certain that information read off the ballot is correctly entered onto the computer.

Former President Trump’s concern that someone can fill out and submit 1,000 mailin ballots is unfounded. The envelope — but not the ballot –—is marked. And that envelope must be returned with the matching signature on file for that registered voter.

Once the envelope and signature on the mail-in ballot is matched, the envelope can be opened, and the ballot can be removed for the vote count. The secrecy of the ballot is preserved because only the envelope has the identifying mark to prove it is from a registered voter.

If my husband and I mixed up our mailin ballots, and I sent my ballot in his envelope with my signature, it would be set aside because I signed on an envelope that did not come with my mail-in ballot.

Rigged elections are a myth. Americans can sleep soundly. Our election process is safe.

Elena Linehan

Sonora