GREENSBORO, N.C. — It's 61 days until Election Day in North Carolina and, behind-the-scenes, Jay Lerman is already hard at work.
“This is where we make sure all the machines are working properly that they're accurately reading the ballots," said Lerman, the Voting Systems Manager of Forsyth County’s Board of Elections.
In the basement of Forsyth County's municipal building, a vast array of voting machines are waiting to be tested.
“It could take up to two weeks because we have, we test every machine before it goes out into the field. We have 108 precincts. We have 18 early voting sites. So, we have to test all those machines in addition to a couple of different training machines. So, we're testing a lot of equipment. It's gonna take a while," said Lerman.
For very election, polling machines in Forsyth County are meticulously prepped and examined by workers,
“We've got a bipartisan team working on this, so it's always being observed by both parties. We've got cameras in here. The door is sealed by a security combination. For all the machines, part of this process is putting on the chain of custody seals -- everything's locked," said Lerman.
With misinformation rampant, the Board of Elections in Forsyth County has actively invited the public to stop on by and view the process,
“We've had a couple of people that have questioned these machines and whether they actually do connect to the internet, and we've had them come down here and observe this process and they all leave very feeling very satisfied in the security of it. So, I welcome anybody to come down here and check it out," said Lerman.
It’s long, often boring work by their standards, but poll workers are confident that their thorough vetting will result in the one thing voters are looking for…
"Be confident that your vote is secure and, and it will count accurately," proclaimed Lerman.
If you're interested in volunteering as a poll worker, go to the website of your respective county's Board of Elections to sign up.