With the November electionsTuesday, both Carbon and Schuylkill counties want to reassure our residents that we have the utmost confidence that our voting systems are secure and that your vote will be properly counted.

A recent nationwide poll showed nearly 80 percent of Americans are at least somewhat concerned that the nation’s voting systems might be vulnerable to hackers. However, Schuylkill and Carbon counties voting machines do not — and cannot — connect to the internet in any way and there is nothing to suggest our machines have ever been tampered with. All of Schuylkill county’s 355 voting machines and Carbon county’s 145 machines are maintained by a strict, documented chain of custody from beginning to end. Before each election, the machines are programmed, tested and sealed, and backup machines are prepared. Each polling location is equipped with an emergency plan should there be any concerns raised. We will continue to maintain the strictest security standards for our elections to make sure every vote is accurately counted.

These steps are only a few of the security efforts our counties are constantly taking to protect the fundamental basis of our democracy — free, fair and accurate elections. If you have questions or would like to learn more about how our counties are working to protect your vote, or if you have any other questions about the upcoming election, please contact the Schuylkill County Election office at 570-628-1467 or Carbon County’s election office at 570-325-4801.

Schuylkill County Commissioners:

George F. Halcovage Jr.

Frank J. Staudenmeier

Gary J. Hess

Carbon County Commissioners:

Wayne Nothstein

Thomas J. Gerhard

William O’Gurek