NEW YORK (Gray Media) – Election Day is in sight as what looks to be a very close presidential race nears the finish line. As a major candidate questions whether US elections are free and fair, election workers across the country are preparing to calm any concerns.

Millions of Americans have already voted. With those votes and the votes to come, questions are being raised about election security.

“It’s never been an easy job, but now it’s very public,” said Carolina Lopez, executive director of the Partnership for Large Electoral Jurisdictions (PLEJ).

PLEJ is an organization that shares best practices and standards for organizing elections in the most populated areas of the US. Lopez says the increased interest in the electoral process adds some difficulties.

“Even when presented with evidence, people don’t really understand,” Lopez said.

Despite the evolving challenges, Lopez says officials are prepared. When ballot boxes were destroyed in the Pacific Northwest earlier this week, years of planning allowed officials to act quickly — notifying voters and coming up with solutions.

“That particular script, I remember triaging it, you know, 15 years ago, ten years ago, five years ago. We’re seeing it now in real life,” Lopez said.

And with states like Virginia purging voter rolls they say to prevent non-citizens from voting, Lopez says that adds another layer of difficulty, but again, one they can handle.

“It’s not optimal, but also, this community is resilient and no matter what’s legally required, come hell or high water, they’re going to do whatever it takes,” Lopez said.

Carolina says she’s focused on transparency, explaining how different processes work in different states and making sure Americans have reliable and up-to-date information. She has a request for voters that she has repeated several times:

“Please don’t wait until the last second.”

As election officials work hard to ensure that the tabulation processes are carried out efficiently, but more importantly, correctly, the final results of the general election are not expected for days after election day.

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