DAVENPORT- There's a new way to verify election results in Iowa. Scott County is joining a statewide post-election audit.
This is old-school auditing with an up-to-date purpose. Iowa wants to verify that every vote counts, and every vote is counted correctly.
"This is just a great way to show in a transparency manner that the voting equipment works," said Scott County Auditor Roxanna Moritz, on Thursday, November 8. "They can have faith in the system, and they can trust that their vote really does matter."
The bipartisan panel is looking at a precinct from Pleasant Valley and comparing votes in the governor's race.
"We're checking the machine, really, against the paper ballot," said Mark Sokolik. "The three of us will examine each ballot."
In Iowa, a record 61% of registered voters participated in the election. In Scott County, voting topped 54%.
While Democrat Fred Hubbell carried Scott County, Governor Kim Reynolds dominated this precinct.
"That total should come out the same," Sokolik continued.
After about an hour, all 375 votes matched the original tally. The audit is a success.
"We want to make sure that the electorate feels comfortable in knowing that they can have integrity in the voting system," Moritz concluded.
The audit is part of Iowa's Election Integrity Act. It should wrap up statewide next week.