Bruce Newby’s mission is to maintain the integrity of voting in Wyandotte County.
“It is our job to make sure that elections are secure and fair and honest," said Newby, Wyandotte County’s Election Commissioner since 2006.
That mission is more pressing than ever this election cycle after hacks of political groups at the hands of foreign governments and fears that November’s election process could be vulnerable.
Newby said Wyandotte County voters don’t need to worry.
"It's literally impossible for anybody to hack in," said Newby, referring to the touchscreen ballot system used by Wyandotte County. "Because the voting machines are stand-alone - they're never connected to the Internet - you can't hack them."
Since the machines work in a closed network, anyone wishing to tamper with votes would need to do it in person, according to Newby. The protections in place couldn’t be cracked in a day, which leaves the “inside job” threat the only one available to anyone with nefarious intentions.
Ten workers comprise Newby’s election staff. Newby said they have worked with him for years and have undergone background checks, yet only two have access to the voting machines’ media cards that record votes.
“They have access but it’s supervised by me,” said Newby, who explains the double key system used on the machine. "The touch screen has two doors, one you open to turn the thing on, the other one is where the memory card is and it’s locked and it’s locked with a different key."
If voters are uncomfortable with the touchscreens, Newby said they can opt for a paper ballot.
“Kind of like the grocery store when they ask you ‘paper or plastic?’ Well in our case it’s paper or touch screen.”
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Brian Abel can be reached at brian.abel@kshb.com.
