State to Audit Results of Aug. 14 Primary in Durham

Some ballots cast in Durham during the Aug. 14 primary will be counted for a second time.

On Thursday, Secretary of the State Denise Merrill joined Connecticut Voting Rights advocates in Hartford to randomly select the voting precincts which will have election results audited, which includes Precinct 2 at Korn School.

“Voters had their say on August 14th about who they want on the general election ballot,” said Secretary Merrill, Connecticut’s chief elections official.  “Now, it is our duty to audit the machine totals from the statewide primaries to ensure the accuracy of our optical scanners.  We are committed to making sure Connecticut voters have continued confidence that their votes were recorded accurately and that’s why these independent audits are so vital.”

State law requires that 10-percent of the polling precincts in the election using optical scan voting machines are subject to an audit, which must be completed by September 17.

As a result of last year's redistricting, a majority of Durham residents vote in Precint 2. A total of 496 ballots were cast in the precinct during the Aug. 14 primaries for U.S. Senate.

“Auditing election results isn’t just a good idea, it’s absolutely essential in order to guarantee the integrity of our elections,” said Secretary Merrill. “We don’t just take the machines’ word for it."