Residents of the Florida Keys should anticipate a delay in election results for the Aug. 18 election, according to an announcement from Monroe County Supervisor of Elections Sherri Hodies. The delay is attributed to the recent removal of landlines from all 33 polling locations across the island chain.

Historically, Monroe County has utilized landlines to securely transmit election results via fax machines from each precinct to the central election office. This method bypassed internet connections, which are considered vulnerable to cyberattacks. With the landlines now gone and being replaced by fiber optics, a new procedure is in place for result transmission.

"As a result, for this election, every precinct will be required to securely lock and seal its voting results and maintain a documented chain of custody," Hodies stated in an Aug. 12 release. "The results will then be transported by secure couriers to the nearest supervisor of elections office for processing."

Hodies explained that AT&T had initially indicated landlines would remain until 2027 but abruptly announced their removal in June. Her staff quickly implemented contingency plans that were already established. Trained, paid poll workers will power down voting machines after polls close at 7 p.m. The results stored on encrypted memory cards will be removed and sealed in tamper-proof bags, signed by the poll worker and a witness, and then placed in a second sealed bag.

Designated couriers, including sheriff's deputies, police officers, and deputized elections staff, will transport these sealed memory cards to one of three election offices: Key West, Marathon, or Key Largo. The bags will be signed for and unsealed at the office. Hodies did not identify the couriers for security reasons.

The memory cards will be inserted into tabulator machines at the elections offices, which are inspected annually by state officials and are not connected to the internet. These machines maintain an internal record of results separate from the memory cards. Paper ballots will also be transported separately, following the same chain of custody protocols, and stored for 22 months.

Hodies noted that this manual transport process has been used in the past for individual precincts experiencing phone line issues, but this election requires it for all 33 locations. She anticipates Key West city election results will be available around 8:30 p.m., with full countywide results ready by approximately 10 p.m.

Early voting and vote-by-mail results are expected to be posted online shortly after polls close at 7 p.m. The delay in precinct results stems partly from the need to power down and restart tabulator machines between each memory card upload at the Marathon and Key Largo offices, a process taking 10 to 15 minutes per card. The Key West office can upload directly to the state system without this delay.

For the November general election, new digital modems will be installed at each precinct. These modems will run on a closed-loop system without internet access and are certified by the Florida Division of Elections, ensuring faster results transmission. More information on polling locations and election details can be found at votemonroeflkeys.gov.

The Keys Weekly has been providing comprehensive local news coverage, which can be found at keysweekly.com.