Tuscaloosa Co. officials testing voting machines ahead of the general election

TUSCALOOSA CO., Ala. (WBRC) – With a statewide election less than a week away, Alabama counties must test their voting machines before voters head to the polls.

Tuscaloosa County uses three different machines on Election Day.

Electronic poll books help people check in, express voting machines help people with special needs vote, and other voters use regular ballot counting machines.

WBRC watched as officials tested some of these machines for accuracy before Election Day.

Tuscaloosa County District Court Judge Rob Robertson tested a randomly selected machine and gave him several test ballots.

Election officials wanted to force errors and ensure the machine would notice the problem.

Representatives of the Republican and Democratic parties were also present at the test run.

“We have prescribed tests that we have to go through. We have to make sure they get zero. We go through it again and again and make sure different scenarios are taken into account,” Judge Robertson said. “Sometimes there are errors in the ballots. How is that handled? If you were to hand over a blank ballot and push it through, it would reject it. Making sure all those things work the way they should and the county comes out.

Judge Robertson adds that the largest polling place in Alabama is in Tuscaloosa County.

That’s the Bobby Miller Activity Center where more than 10,000 people are registered to vote.

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