Minnesota Secretary of State Steve Simon knows ensuring the public that the balloting system is fair an accurate is part of his jobs.
But, as Minnesotans head to the polls for Tuesday's primary election, he also believes most voters don't need to be convinced.
"I think people know in their gut, they know in their heart, that it is an honest and ethical system," Simon told Vineeta Sawkar on the WCCO Morning News, pointing to figures that show the state among the leaders in voter turnout.
"That just wouldn't happen unless people had a good gut feeling about the system," he said.
In the 2020, 2018, and 2016 elections, Minnesota voter turnout has not dipped below 64 percent.
Two years ago, Minnesota led the nation with nearly 80 percent of registered voters casting a ballot.
There are about 30,000 people serving as election judges for the primary, which is what it usually takes.
Tabulation begins when the polls close, with that work done at the local level.
"Our officer never touches a ballot," Simon pointed out. "A lot of work, a lot of preparation, a lot of training goes into this. The folks that are processing this are really attuned to the details. They've been working on this for months. It's showtime."
Simon and others in his office welcome any questions or concerns about the balloting process.
Those questions can be answered during mandatory public inspections pf voting machines, which are done with two weeks of all elections and are open to everyone.
"You can come in and watch, and they try to trick the machines," he said. "They try to over-vote, they try to put stray marks on the ballot, circle when you're supposed to darken the oval."