A Freedom of Information Act (FOIA) request was sent to the Burke County Election Department in North Carolina on October 30, 2024. The request was made by us at Hickory Sun, a media organization dedicated to providing comprehensive and accurate news coverage on local governmental affairs.
In the interest of transparency and public accountability, we requested access to the pre-election test reports for the county's voting machines under the North Carolina Public Records Law, G.S. §132-1. Specifically, we asked for these records in a PDF format that includes specific fields such as the test date, machine manufacture, machine model number, and machine status indicating whether it passed or failed.
As a media organization, we believe that access to public records is essential for our work. We are committed to holding public institutions accountable and providing transparency to the public. Therefore, we have also requested a fee waiver as part of our professional responsibilities as members of the media.
We will continue to keep you updated as we gather and report news on this matter.