Chicago Board of Elections explains how voting process is secure and transparent

CHICAGO (CBS) -- Early voting begins Thursday in Chicago, and Chicago election officials advise anyone who may be skeptical of the election process should come see it themselves at the Loop Supersite.

The final accuracy and logic tests were under way Monday at the Supersite, at 191 N. Clark St. The printers and computers there are never connected to the internet, and once a voting machine passes a series of tests, it is secured with a tamperproof seal.

"If those tags are ever broken, that machine is going to be taken off the floor," said Max Bever, director of public information for the Chicago Board of Elections.

Bever said since 2000, the office has also worked hard to maintain voters' trust.

"Unfortunately, there's many different myths and misconceptions out there," Bever said.

The Chicago Board of Elections is striving for transparency—from creating a public service announcement explaining how the process works to meeting with community groups, and even allowing CBS News Chicago's cameras in to watch the setup and testing.

"It is a safe process, it's a transparent process, and it's an extortionary difficult one to disrupt," Bever said.

So far this year, current Republican presidential nominee and former President Donald Trump has said more than 140 times that the elections system is rigged—despite dozens of audits and lawsuits that found no fraud when he lost his bid for reelection to President Biden in 2020.

"There are different misconceptions. There are different conspiracy theories out there," Bever said. "But once you see how this actually works, you realize how many laws have to be followed that protect your vote at the ballot box."

According to a CBS poll, 32% of Republicans were not confident in their state's voting system—as opposed to only 8% of Democrats.

When asked what he would say to a voter in Chicago wondering why he, she, or they should trust the election, Bever said, "Trusting your elections is trusting in democracy—you have to be able to trust the system that puts our government into place."

Along with the checks and balances put in place before voters hit the polls, many voting locations have security cameras and poll watchers. There is even security to address any issues at the Supersite.