Spokane County election passes state audit
SPOKANE COUNTY, November 18, 2022 – County officials Friday announced successful completion of a state-required audit of the 2022 general election. The audit “helps verify that the apparent winner of an election actually won,” according to the Secretary of State’s website.
Spokane County voters returned nearly 225,000 ballots for the November 8 midterm election.
“We’re grateful for the observers of both parties who took time to review the process,” Spokane County Auditor Vicky Dalton said. “Local voters can be confident that the 2022 election was fairly conducted and accurately recorded.”
The risk-limiting audit was completed by election workers at the Spokane Elections Center, 1033 Gardner Ave., under the supervision of Elections Manager Mike McLaughlin. The three hour, 17-minute process was watched by nine volunteer observers from both political parties, as well as Dalton.
To test the accuracy of county ballot scanners, audit teams compared 129 ballots to the race for Legislative District #3, State Representative Position 2. That race and sample size was randomly selected by the state Secretary of State’s office based on statistical sampling procedures. Individual ballots for the audit were selected using a random number generator.
Ballots were then retrieved from sealed boxes of counted ballots and submitted to two teams of auditors for review. The audit teams compared the votes one by one to confirm that the scanners recorded the ballots exactly as the voter intended.
The audit is routinely required by the state before the county canvassing board can certify any election. Certification this year is scheduled to be completed on November 29. For unofficial election results, visit www.spokanecounty.org/elections.
Media Contact
Vicky Dalton, Spokane County Auditor
Office: (509) 477-2262 Cell: (509) 688-5114 or by email at [email protected]
Mike McLaughlin, Elections Manager
Office: (509) 477-6390 or email at [email protected]
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