FLAGSTAFF — Members of the Tri-Diversity Councils, which included the Coconino Hispanic Advisory Council (CHAC) and the Indigenous Peoples Advisory Council, visited the Coconino County Election Center in Flagstaff to gain information on ballot security for the Tuesday, Nov. 5, 2024 General Election.

A team of election officials answered a wide variety of election-related questions during the nearly two-hour tour.

Participants were able test the system using KNOWiNK PollPads for registration validation and then submit via traditional ink-marked paper ballot or ExpressVote Marking Devices to submit sample votes. None of the electronic equipment is connected to the internet.

Members then visited a large warehouse storage room which contained all the sets of voting equipment that will be securely sent to 30 polling centers and 15 voting centers throughout the county. More than 400 poll workers have been hired by the county, with each center having between 5 and 15 workers depending on the size of the area served by the center.

Submitted votes are then escorted by county law enforcement officials from each voting location back to Flagstaff, where every vote is tabulated and counted used the Elections Systems and Software (ES&S) closed network system.

On election night, observers appointed by their political party can view from a corridor the tubulation of ballots from behind a large glass window. Early, Provisional and Conditional ballots are also counted on election night, with all signatures verified.

A Frequently Ask Question (FAQ) on the County’s election process can be found at https://www.coconino.az.gov/3098/Elections-FAQ

Coconino County has two separate departments that work together to administer elections.  The County Recorder and the Elections Department are each responsible for overseeing specific areas of the election process. For more information, visit https://www.coconino.az.gov/195/Elections