731-642-0411
henry.commission@tn.gov
Henry County uses several vendors to support different parts of the voting and election process. These vendors provide services for the voter database, electronic poll books, voting machines, programming, tabulation, and election equipment maintenance. Each part of the process serves a different purpose, but all of them work together to help ensure that elections are accurate, secure, and properly documented.
Henry County’s current voter database vendor is Embry Consulting, located in Friendship, Tennessee. Embry Consulting is a business management consulting firm that provides voter database services for a large number of Tennessee counties. Henry County’s current voter database system is called Voter Central. Whether a person registers to vote in person, by mail, or online, that voter’s registration information is entered into and maintained in Voter Central. Hard copy voter registration forms are also kept on file. Voter Central is used throughout the registration and voting process. It records that a person voted and, when applicable, the party ballot selected in a primary election. However, it does not record who a person votes for.
Henry County’s current poll book vendor is VOTEC Corporation, located in San Diego, California. VOTEC is one of several companies that manufacture and sell electronic poll books. Poll books replaced the paper signature lists that were previously used at precincts. On Election Day, each precinct has two poll books available for checking in voters. Henry County currently has 26 poll books and one management system. All poll books are password protected, and no Social Security numbers are loaded onto the poll books. The information contained in a poll book is considered public record.
Poll books are used to check voters in at their assigned precinct on Election Day. Although the poll books have internet capability, Henry County currently does not use internet access on Election Day. The two poll book computers at each precinct communicate only with each other. The Administrator of Elections programs the poll books for Election Day use. Each laptop is programmed to check in voters for a specific precinct, but it contains information for every registered voter in Henry County. When a voter checks in, the poll book generates a label that identifies the voter, the voter’s district information, and the voter’s party choice in a primary election, if applicable.
At the end of Election Day, each poll book is returned to the Election Commission office. The poll books are then connected to the management system, and all poll book voting information is transferred into that system. A check and balance process is completed before the information is transferred into the main voter database in Voter Central. All poll books are stored at the Election Commission office, and maintenance checks are performed regularly to ensure they remain in working order.
Henry County’s voting machine vendor is MicroVote Corporation, located in Indianapolis, Indiana. MicroVote is one of several companies that manufacture and sell voting machines. Henry County currently uses DRE voting machines. DRE stands for Direct Recording Electronic. These machines allow voters to electronically record their votes. On Election Day, each precinct has a minimum of two voting machines. The number of machines required at each precinct is determined by law based on the number of registered voters in that precinct. Henry County currently has 58 DRE voting machines and one tabulation and programming computer.
MicroVote Infinity voting machines are never connected to the internet and do not have the ability to connect to the internet. The tabulation and programming computers used to program the machines and tabulate results are also never connected to the internet. Any networking capability, including wireless access, is securely disabled. Each computer has been hardened with more than 300 special security settings, including unique and complex credentials for authentication. Computer activity is internally monitored and regularly audited. The MicroVote voting system has been tested and certified by the federal government for security and accuracy.
Before an election, ballot names, offices, and spellings are reviewed and approved through the state inspection process. Once approved, ballot materials are prepared in the Election Commission office. That information is then sent to MicroVote for ballot creation. MicroVote programmers come to the Election Commission office and program each individual voting machine. After programming, each machine is verified and tested by machine technicians. These technicians include one member from each political party appointed by the Election Commission, as required by Tennessee law.
After programming, a zero tape is run for each voting machine to show that no votes are on the machine before voting begins. Zero tapes are run after programming, after verification and public testing, and again before the machines are started on Election Day. After testing, a seal is applied to each machine. The locked and sealed voting machines are then stored in a secure facility until they are needed for the election.
On Election Day, voting machines are set up, zero tapes are run, and the election is started by 7:00 a.m. by the officers and machine operators assigned to each specific precinct. Throughout the day, the number of votes recorded on each voting machine is checked and documented on machine check sheets assigned to each machine. This process provides a check and balance throughout the day. At the close of voting, the number of votes cast on each machine is verified to make sure it matches the number of voting applications at each precinct.
After voting ends, the votes from each machine are tallied onto a unique tally card assigned to that machine. A paper copy of the tally results for each machine is also printed at that time. The tally cards and printed tally records are signed and sealed in security envelopes. They are then returned to the Election Commission office along with all voting machines and other election equipment.
In recent years, there have been legislative discussions in Tennessee regarding paper trails and voting equipment. In 2018, proposed state legislation would have required each precinct using a DRE system to have the ability to create a voter-verifiable paper audit trail, also known as a VVPAT, for each ballot cast. VVPAT stands for voter-verifiable paper audit trail. That legislation did not pass. MicroVote has created a device that can attach to existing machines and create a VVPAT, and that device has been undergoing federal testing.
In 2019, another state legislative proposal would have required each county election commission to use precinct-based optical scanners. Optical scanners are devices that scan paper ballots after voters mark them. If passed, this legislation would have required many counties to purchase new voting machines with optical scanners or add optical scanner equipment to existing systems where possible. This bill also did not pass.
Although these proposals did not become law, they reflect the growing demand for a paper trail in elections. Henry County recognizes that election laws and equipment requirements may continue to change in the future. Because of this, the county has already begun preparing for future needs, including addressing space concerns. No matter which direction the law takes, additional space would have been a challenge in the existing Election Commission office, making a new office an important step in planning for the future.
