As the May 20 special election approaches, members of the public have a chance to see how ballots are counted.

Staff of the Deschutes County Clerk’s Office will conduct a public certification test of the vote tally system on Tuesday, April 29 at 9 a.m. on the second floor of the county administration building in downtown Bend, 1300 NW Wall St.

The public can watch as pre-marked ballots will be scanned into the ballot tally system to make sure they are tabulated as expected.

“Deschutes County Elections ensures the security and integrity of the vote-by-mail process by conducting a thorough logic and accuracy test before and after every election. The ballot counting system is located in a secure, isolated room and is not connected to the internet,” the county stated in a press release.

Members of the public interested in attending are asked to RSVP by calling 541-388-6547.