NJ Election Officials Say There's Low Risk of Machine Tampering

Remember all of the concerns raised a few years ago about Russia meddling in the presidential election?

As New Jersey voters head to the polls on Tuesday, they’re being assured their votes will be safe and secure.

Bob Giles, the director of the New Jersey Division of Elections, said to make sure there isn’t any kind of monkey business before or on Election Day, “we’ve developed partnerships with our New Jersey Office of Homeland Security, the U.S. Department of Homeland Security, the FBI, working on protecting everyone’s voter registration [and] the voting machines.”

In September, the Division of Elections held a tabletop training exercise with all counties where a plan was developed to make sure the election could take place just in case there were any problems.

Giles stressed that everyone needs to understand that the voting machines are not connected to the internet, "so a cyber-attack on the voting machines wouldn’t happen."

"You’d have to physically attack each individual machine cause they’re not networked," he said.

He said if someone sees anything strange or threatening on Election Day, they should notify their poll workers, who will contact their county election office.

He said once the election is finished on Tuesday, votes will be tabulated from each machine using a results cartridge.

The machines are then locked and impounded for 17 days in case of a recount request.

His message to voters is simple: "The most important thing is to get out and vote. We’re here protecting your vote, protecting your right to vote.”