ALPENA — Tonight, Alpena Township will hold a public accuracy test on its vote tallying system, and the public is invited to witness the trial run.

The test will begin at 5:30 p.m. at the Alpena Township Hall, 4385 U.S.-23 N.

The tabulators and the vote-counting process for all of the precincts will be tested in preparation for the upcoming presidential primary election on Feb. 27.

The public accuracy test is conducted to demonstrate that the computer programming, used to record and count the votes, meets the requirements of the law.

Alpena Township Clerk Michele Palevich explained the process that is used for the five tabulators, plus the ones used for early voting and absentee ballot counting.

“We test different ballots in them,” Palevich said. “We put some in that are filled out accurately, some with mistakes, some blank. We put them in forwards, backwards, sideways, and upside down just to be sure they are being read properly and the count is accurate.”

Palevich said 77 ballots will be run through each of the five tabulators used on election day, but the ones used for early voting and to count absentee ballots will have five sets of 77 ballots scanned. She said there are three different ballots during the presidential primary and it is imperative that the equipment can identify and tally each of them.

The pre-election test for the tabulator must be conducted no later than five days before the election. In addition, a notice of the test must be published in a newspaper or journal of general circulation at least 48 hours prior to the conduct of the test.

Palevich said the test is conducted so election workers and clerks know the machines are accurate before election day and to avoid any confusion and accusations of inaccurate counts after the ballots are cast.

Palevich said showing the people the machine’s accuracy is transparent and important in today’s political climate. However, she said, rarely does the public attend the tests to see for themselves that what happens behind the scenes and the local elections are not tampered with or inaccurate.

“I think it could erase some of the election concerns people have, but I have been having these for five years now and there has only been one person who has ever shown up,” she said