LEBANON, N.H. (WCAX) – As voters in New Hampshire hit the polls Tuesday to cast their primary votes for local and statewide offices, one polling place in our region was getting a little extra scrutiny.
Ward 2 in Lebanon, New Hampshire, had a special guest this primary day– an official from the Secretary of State’s Office to ensure the election goes smoothly.
“Doing my civic duty,” said Mary Desjardins, a Lebanon Democrat.
The experts say primaries can be difficult for some voters because oftentimes, the candidates vying for their party’s nomination disagree very little on the issues.
“Sometimes I have a hard time distinguishing the candidates and sometimes it comes down to the fact that I know some of the candidates are local to the Upper Valley,” Desjardins said.
But one thing this Lebanon voter does not have to worry about is whether her vote will be counted.
“We’ve been randomly selected for audit by the Secretary of State’s Office,” said Crystallee Newton, the Lebanon Ward 2 moderator.
There are 10 polling locations across the Granite State getting audited this election. They were selected at random.
A law signed earlier this year by Gov. Chris Sununu mandates the action. It comes after an election in Windham, New Hampshire, made national headlines after an audit of a 2020 legislative race found roughly 400 votes were miscounted. That error was eventually attributed to folded ballots.
“They are going to make sure that the machines are working appropriately and the numbers that we get are accurate. And just making sure everything is transparent, an open and fair election,” Newton said.
Ultimately, officials say it’s about letting the voter know that their vote counts and letting the public know the results are accurate.