Early voting is now underway in throughout Indiana as we inch closer to primary day for the 2022 midterms.

As it is with every election these days, the concern is about making sure your vote is secure and that no one tries to tamper with the election process. Secretary of State Holli Sullivan assures you that your vote will be safe thanks to new measures enacted by her office and by state lawmakers.

One of those measures has to do with the Internet connection of electronic voting machines or lack thereof.

“Voting equipment cannot be attached to the Internet in any way,” Sullivan said on Indy Politics. “It also cannot have the ability to be connected to the Internet, and that’s why we do a certification process of each piece of equipment before it goes to your county administrator.”

The closest that these machines get to being connected to the Internet is when they are hooked up to a special database to ensure that people cannot vote twice at voting centers throughout the state. Sullivan said even that database is protected by state-of-the-art cyber security measures.

In this election, 58 counties will be using voting centers to help make it more convenient for Hoosiers to vote. Sullivan said she’s pleased to see more counties using voting centers, which allow Hoosiers to vote early without having to carve out time in their day on election day to vote at their specific precinct.

“It’s also a fundamental Hoosier, I think, mentality of trying to be common sense and saving tax dollars. When we use vote centers we save money,” Sullivan added. “Almost every county that switches to a voting center also sees a higher turnout.”

Sullivan herself is up for election to another term as Secretary of State. She was appointed to the position in March of 2021 following the retirement of Connie Lawson. Her primary challengers include Knox County clerk Dave Shelton and former Pence aide Diego Morales.