Monday marked the beginning of Logic and Accuracy testing in preparation for the June 3 Statewide Direct Primary. Unlike May’s L&A testing process, which took less than a day to complete, L&A testing for June is expected to last about six to ten days.

We know that we’ve told you before what L&A testing is all about, but it’s a process that is vital to the transparency and accuracy of the whole election process. So we’re going to tell you about it again.

Designed to ensure that the hardware and software used in the election works correctly, L&A testing verifies that everything operates properly both as individual units and as a combined system.

How does this process work exactly ? L&A testing is split into two basic portions. The first portion of L&A tests the accuracy of the eSlate voting system that is used by voters at the two Universal Voting Centers (one at 40 Tower Road, San Mateo and the other at 555 County Center, 1st Floor, Redwood City) and at the polls on Election Day.

After the first portion of testing is complete, L&A then focuses on the BallotNow machines – machines that are used to tabulate paper ballots. These tests are conducted to make sure that the end results of the tabulation match what was actually voted. The Elections staff will mark “test” ballots with predetermined votes so that every candidate and contest is voted for at least once in varying vote combinations on the test ballots during this process. We even throw in some write-in votes, under-votes, and over-votes to truly reflect what may actually happen when voters make their choices on Election Day.

So what’s the big deal about L&A testing, and why is June’s testing so different from May’s process?

L&A testing for May’s election took less than a day to complete; we only tested all of two eSlate machines and a small set of ballots (only one contest is on the ballot). Because the May 6 Portola Valley Elementary School District Election is an all-mail election, eSlate machines will only be available at the two Universal Voting Centers.

June is a different story. For the June 3 Statewide Direct Primary Election, there will be 660 different ballot styles (220 individual ballot styles in three different languages). The L&A testing process will require more than 15 staff exclusively dedicated to the testing process.

Why so many ballot styles? Don’t forget – there are six political parties: the American Independent, Democratic, Green, Libertarian, Peace and Freedom, and Republican parties. Each of the six parties offers a different set of options for party voters. Voters who are registered as Decline to State voters also have the ability to vote either American Independent, Democratic, or Republican. With almost 450 voting precincts, about nine party styles per precinct, and three different languages (Chinese, English, and Spanish), the numbers seriously add up.

While the main purpose of L&A testing is to reconfirm the accuracy of the voting process, it also serves another function: to help the public have more confidence in the system.

Chief Elections Officer Warren Slocum stated, “Election processes must be open and transparent in order to instill public confidence. We encourage the participation of observers in the L&A process and we dedicate staff to answer questions that observers may have as they watch the process. We also publish an ‘Election Observer’s Guide’ to educate observers as to the steps involved in various election processes and that publication is also posted on our website, www.shapethefuture.org. The more transparency we can give our processes, the more confidence we hope that people will have in their democracy.”

If you’re tired of reading about L&A testing and want to see what all the fuss is about in person, give the Elections Office a call at (650) 312-5222; any member of the public is welcome to observe. Like we said, it is all about openness and transparency.