Election officials in Virginia won't certify results, here's why

Two members of the Waynesboro County Board of Elections have filed a lawsuit against state elections officials, claiming that they cannot certify the results of the November election unless Virginia changes its electoral policy.

 

Curtis G. Lilley II and Scott Mares, Chairman and Vice-Chairman of the Waynesboro Board of Elections respectively, say that ballot machines violate the Virginia Constitution because they count votes “secretly.”

 

“I’m sworn to uphold the constitution of the state, and it says that ballots cannot be counted in secret,” said Lilly. “And yet, when you put your ballot in the machine, it goes in this black box, and you have no idea what that machine’s doing.”

 

That’s why, Lilly says, he cannot certify the election results unless the state allows them to hand-count each and every ballot. He says hand-counting, as opposed to the use of ballot machines, will assure voters that their vote has been certified the way they cast it.