Deputy Auditor Monica Sier worked with Auditor Tawny Heinemann this past Friday to ensure voters coming in to cast ballots early in the 2024 General Election were verified, turned in correctly, and that the process worked smoothly. A software glitch earlier in the day challenged many Auditor offices across the state to get voters in and out quickly, but Heinemann said that Moody County easily navigated the temporary problem. County residents registered to vote had been steadily filing into the second floor office to ensure their ballots are cast as Election Day approached.
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Our office worked closely with both our vendor and Microsoft to resolve the issue as swiftly as possible. Please rest assured that this temporary interruption in no way impacted the tally or processing of votes; ballots are securely stored and counted on Election Day,”
Secretary of State Monae Johnson
Carleen Wild
Election officials across the state and nation saw a steady stream of early and absentee voters this year. Locally, Moody County Auditor Tawny Heinemann confirmed a strong early turnout as well. By Friday, close to 900 county residents had either cast ballots in person at the County Courthouse or returned them by mail.
Statewide, early voting numbers reached 141,554 as of Friday.
A software issue with the voter check-in system Friday morning briefly caused delays at some polling locations. Heinemann said Moody County was largely unaffected, thanks to her team’s preparations for any technical issues. The Secretary of State’s office attributed the problem to a Microsoft service disruption with the check-in system, which they said was resolved by early afternoon.
“Our office worked closely with both our vendor and Microsoft to resolve the issue as swiftly as possible. Please rest assured that this temporary interruption in no way impacted the tally or processing of votes; ballots are securely stored and counted on Election Day,” said Secretary of State Monae Johnson.
Heinemann noted that once voter registration closed, she downloaded the current list of registered voters to minimize disruptions. While check-ins may have taken slightly longer, her office was able to properly process all early ballot requests.
Not all counties were as fortunate. Voters in Minnehaha County, in particular, experienced long lines and wait times. To ensure voters could still participate, county auditor offices were directed to implement alternative procedures.
“We monitored the situation as our top priority as we remain fully committed to maintaining the integrity and accessibility of the voting process,” Johnson added.
Johnson’s office also urged voters to “turn to verified and trusted sources of election information” ahead of Election Day, emphasizing the Secretary of State’s Office and county auditors as reliable sources.
A recent Associated Press-NORC Center for Public Affairs Research poll indicates that voters trust their local election offices more than national election results. The poll shows that about half of registered Republican voters have “a great deal” or “quite a bit” of trust in the accuracy of local vote counts, while around four in ten express the same confidence at the state level. However, only about a quarter of Republicans feel similarly confident in the national tally.
