Youngkin tours the Loudoun County Elections Office

On Tuesday, Sept. 20, National Voter Registration Day, Virginia Gov. Glenn Youngkin (R) visited the Loudoun County Elections Office in Leesburg at 750 Miller Drive SE.

While touring the office with Deputy Director Richard M. “Ricky” Keech, it was reaffirmed that if voters overvote, they will not be counted. The elections officers will close and seal the machines during the early voting period every evening. This also will be done before the machines are restarted and the number of votes is reaffirmed every day. Over votes are not counted, and the machines have no internet connection.

In a press gaggle after his visit at the County election office, Youngkin said, “The Virginia election process is safe and secure, and we continue to make it work even more so.”

Said Youngkin, “I think it’s really important for us to illuminate the process that our election teams go through in advance of early voting starting on Friday [Sept. 23], and the testing of all these machines that count the actual paper ballots is something that I wanted to see. To see the precision and the scrutiny that each one of these machines gets is really important.

“I applaud the Loudoun County elections board. I applaud the team and the work that they are doing in order to reaffirm and establish confidence in our election process.”

Youngkin said that the Department of Elections has done an extraordinary job in supporting “what are extremely capable teams at the local level … I want to make sure everybody understands that in Virginia everyone has to have, by law, a paper ballot.” He said the accuracy of counting the ballots is what is being tested now, and it’s certified.

“It’s a very important process that we must get right. We have an accurate election process; it is dependable. I am encouraged by the fact that we are working further to improve it. All processes can be improved.”

Youngkin said there were three laws that have passed this year on a bipartisan basis. “One excluded outside money from coming in and being used to run the process and otherwise used as Zuckerbucks. That is no longer allowed.”

The term refers to approximately $350 million in donations and money from Mark Zuckerburg to election officials in battleground counties throughout the country.

Another law that was passed is that the voter rolls are updated weekly “for anyone who passes away in the Commonwealth of Virginia. Also, absentee ballots are assigned back to the precincts,” he said.

“The Virginia election process is safe and secure, and we continue to make it work even more so.”