THURSTON COUNTY, Wash. — A lot has changed since Mary Hall managed her first presidential election in 1996.
Hall was Pierce County’s elections manager at the time.
“We were a sleepy industry,” said Hall, “People would ask me, ‘What do you do the rest of the year?’”
Hall, who now serves as the Thurston County auditor, heads up elections for the county.
Hall manages four elections a year and said security has become a big part of the process.
In July Thurston County opened a new voting center, an office space with a safe room, and bullet-resistant windows, both recommendations from the Department of Homeland Security and the F.B.I.
"They were actually involved in the design of this building to the little details of how high up in the ceiling you put the data lines and things like that to ensure that nobody could reach it, if they went through the ceiling tiles,” said Hall.
Thurston County obtained state funding for vehicle barriers placed outside the county’s ballot processing center.
For three years, the Washington state Office of the Secretary of State has offered funding to help counties improve election security. This year, they provided approximately $2 million.
“County election officials and employees around the state work hard to ensure our election systems are fair and secure,” Secretary of State Steve Hobbs said. “This additional funding will go a long way to bolster security efforts.”
These counties have used the funding for security upgrades, according to a Secretary of State spokesperson:
• Adams County – IT infrastructure upgrades, glass partition for ballot processing center
• Asotin – IT support
• Benton – cameras and access controls for new elections division and voting center location, .gov transition
• Cowlitz – IT infrastructure upgrades
• Grays Harbor – replacing ballot drop boxes
• Kitsap – ballot processing center expansion and improvements
• Klickitat – creating designated space for processing and tabulation
• Mason – ballot processing and tabulation room updates, drop box replacements
• Pend Oreille – secure doors, access controls
• Pierce – IT support
• San Juan – IT upgrades
• Skagit – new elections and ballot processing space
• Snohomish – door sensors for ballot drop boxes, securing physical entry points, ballot drop boxes, hi-vis vests
• Stevens - setup and equip new ballot processing center in Colville
• Thurston – physical security improvements to new center