In Waynesboro Virginia‚ a small-town election has become the center of a bigger debate. Two Republican officials Curtis Lilly and Scott Mares dont want to okay the Nov 5 election results unless they count votes by hand. They think the machines that count votes might be changed without anyone knowing.
These officials went to court earlier this month They say the way votes are counted now goes against Virginiaʼs rules. They think the machines that count votes should be where everyone can see them. Mares said in a statement‚ “We cant make sure the machines count right because weʼre not allowed to count the paper ballots ourselves“
The Virginia government people who take care of elections didnʼt want to talk about the case because its still going on. This fight is part of a bigger thing happening all over America. Some people who donʼt trust elections want to count votes by hand‚ even though studies show that counting by hand makes more mistakes and takes longer.
In Virginia‚ people vote on paper‚ then machines count those papers. A few months back‚ the states leader Glenn Youngkin said the counting machines must be checked before every election and cant be connected to the internet. He also wanted to change voter lists every day‚ but the US government said thatʼs not okay.
Youngkin said‚ “The way Virginia keeps elections safe works well: This isnʼt about which party you like its about making sure things are fair for everyone in Virginia“