Wakulla County election officials tested the county's election equipment Monday afternoon ahead of the August primary election.WATCH FULL REPORT BELOW: Wakulla County tests voting machines ahead of August primary electionThe log ic and accuracy test confirms that the machines are accurately counting the votes on each ballot. Election officials curate test ballots with predetermined numbers, which they then compare to what the machine reads.Neighbors gathered at the Wakulla County Supervisor of Elections office to watch the machines be tested.Sue Damon has been attending the voting machine tests since 2004. She said the public tests give voters confidence when casting their ballots."It makes the public feel a lot more comfortable knowing that just plain citizens are coming in here and they're watching, and that everybody at the Supervisor of Elections office is taking the time to slow down and explain everything to us, so we can understand it, and it just gives us a lot more confidence in the voting process," Damon said.Under Florida law, the supervisor of elections must host a public test of the machines. The statute reads:"On any day not more than 25 days before the commencement of early voting as provided in s. 101.657, the supervisor of elections shall have the automatic tabulating equipment publicly tested to ascertain that the equipment will correctly count the votes cast for all offices and on all measures."Wakulla County Supervisor of Elections Joe Morgan said transparency is central to the purpose of the test."It boils down to transparency, and that's what a logic and accuracy test does. It gives you transparency over the entire election process, so people can be they know they can trust the system," Morgan said.Morgan also emphasized why opening the test to the public matters."Our job is to make sure that the public understands that we open these up to the public. We're actually required by law to open these up to the public. That's why it's called a public logic and accuracy test, so that you have the ability to come down and keep me in check, keep my staff in check, because there can be a bad apple anywhere, right? And so the goal is, if someone is a bad apple, we need to get rid of them. Period," Morgan said.Morgan said the office wants voters to feel confident in the process."We want our constituents to know that when they cast their ballot, they know that their ballot has been counted," Morgan said.The machines will now be sealed in a secure space until election day. Early voting runs Aug. 8 through Aug. 15, and the primary election is Aug. 18.This story was reported on-air by a journalist and has been converted to this platform with the assistance of AI. Our editorial team verifies all reporting on all platforms for fairness and accuracy.Want to see more local news? Visit the WTXL ABC 27 Website. Stay in touch with us anywhere, anytime.Like us on FacebookFollow us on Instagram and X. ...read more read less