PERRY COUNTY, Ky. (WYMT) – Days after the Nov. 5 election, a hand count was conducted for the first time in Eastern Kentucky.

Counties in the Commonwealth were assigned a precinct and machine to select for an audit. The audit took place in the Buckhorn neighborhood of Perry County.

Once those two factors were determined, the county election board chose a Republican and a Democrat to recount the ballots.

Perry County Clerk Wayne Napier said the audit worked well this year.

“I’m kind of glad they’re doing this because it explains to the public that everything is the way it’s supposed to be,” Napier said.

Napier said the audit numbers perfectly matched the votes initially counted on election night. Napier said using paper ballots made the audit easier.

“It all works so well because it has barcodes on it and it’s so easy to follow if you have to,” Napier said.

Sheila Lindsay has been working in elections for four years. She said paper voting made some people feel more secure when voting.

“When I first started working on elections, it was touchscreen, and then it came back,” Lindsay said. “A high percentage of people will ask you at check-in, ‘Is this a paper ballot?’ I want a paper ballot.

Once people vote on a paper ballot, it is placed in the scanner, which has been secured. Lindsay said she is confident in the security of the ballot this year.

“I sleep well at night because I know we did everything right where I worked,” Lindsay said.

With the election over, the technology used to conduct voting is locked down. Napier said a security camera films the room 24 hours a day.

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