Just weeks after its release, Ada County’s innovative online elections accountability tool has drawn , nationwide interest, with a popular technology publication saying that it will provide election deniers “exactly what they’ve been asking for”.
The application,  , Ballot Verifier, does offer users free and immediate access to every vote put in Ada County since 2022, the Ada County Clerk’s Office said in April.
It replaces difficult — and often expensive — people records requests, according to a state media release. By allowing voters to see scanned pictures of each ballot cast, the tool makes it possible to check whether the ballots are being tabulated properly.
( The images do not contain voters ‘ personal information, the Idaho Capital Sun , reported. )
Wired, a national technology and politics journal, on Tuesday celebrated the device as the level of vote transparency.
According to Adam Friedman, the creator of the business that created the application in partnership with Ada County, a lack of transparency is a major cause of mistrust of political procedures.
Individuals not being able to see much, and people perceiving election as a black field experience, he said, which contributes to many conspiracy theories, divisiveness, dangerous language, and mistrust around elections in America. A “black field turned into a glass package” is actually the goal of the ballot verifier.
The May 21 primary election will be the tool’s second significant check. According to the Capital Sun, state secretary Trent Tripple predicted that the election’s results will be available in Ballot Verifier in four to six weeks.
___
© 2024 The Idaho Statesman
Distributed by , Tribune Content Agency, LLC.
