Last week, we watched the Barton County election officer and deputy election officer test the electronic voting equipment. It was a pretty straightforward test.

Whether you vote on a screen or on a paper ballot, the results go into a tabulator, and it counts them. There’s no internet involved; it’s just a machine counting the circles where the voter made marks.

I’ve never heard complaints of shenanigans at the polls in Barton County. I have a vague memory of one time, decades ago, when the handling of a few ballots was botched due to human error. Back then, the ballots were numbered, but the number was snipped off before counting to ensure the votes were secret. For some reason, though, there was one race in one precinct where the scissors also cut into the space where the candidates’ names were printed. A few ballots — fewer than 200, I think — were damaged, and the intent of the voters wasn’t clear. To remedy this, another election day was held for the people who had voted in that precinct. They all had to vote again. It did not change the outcome of the election.

The Secretary of State oversaw that second election. It did not matter that the number of botched ballots was small. What mattered was the right of every single person who cast a ballot to enjoy that right and be counted.

The system we use now is probably more accurate than hand-counting and even less likely to fall prey to intentional deceit.

With that said, we’re making one final plea for local citizens to take advantage of their right to vote. Participating in our government is a priceless right that many have fought for. According to USA.gov:

• The 15th Amendment gave African American men the right to vote in 1870. But many weren’t able to exercise this right — some states used literacy tests and other barriers to make it harder to vote.
• The 19th Amendment, ratified in 1920, gave American women the right to vote.
• The 24th Amendment, ratified in 1964, eliminated poll taxes. The tax had been used in some states to keep African Americans from voting in federal elections.
• The 26th Amendment, ratified in 1971, lowered the voting age for all elections to 18.

The Aug. 4 election will affect whose names appear on the ballot in the Nov. 3 election. And this year, the Aug. 4 election will also determine whether or not we amend the Kansas constitution. There’s no second chance to vote on that in November. We hope our readers have studied the issue and are ready to cast their votes, if they haven’t done so already.

As we celebrate the 250th birthday of the U.S.A., why not show your patriotism by taking time to vote?

Susan Thacker is managing editor of the Great Bend Tribune. Email comments to sthacker@gbtribune.com.