VIRGINIA BEACH, Va. - The 2022 Midterm Elections are seen as pivotal to determining the direction the country is heading in, and once again, there is a lot of scrutiny to make sure the results are correct.
"If people have concerns about the safety and security of elections..." News 3 said to Virginia Beach Electoral Board Chair Jeffrey Marks. "I would tell them those concerns are misguided," Marks responded.
"I am not aware of any fraud or suppression in the city of Virginia Beach with respect to voting. I've said that numerous times and I stand by that," said Marks.
In Virginia Beach and other jurisdictions, people vote on paper ballots and then feed them into a voting machine, which tabulates the results. In Virginia, voting machines are forbidden from being connected to the internet.
"They're self-sufficient. They're not connected to anything. I'm speaking for the voting machines that are used in the city of Virginia Beach," said Marks.
Still, election results in recent years have led to audits and lawsuits nationwide.
In an effort to "help restore confidence in our Democratic process in the Commonwealth," Virginia Attorney General Jason Miyares announced the formation of an election integrity unit. The more than 20-attorney unit provides legal advice and investigates possible violations of election law, but some don't think the unit is necessary.
"There are more pressing things with regards to elections that the Attorney General can really do," said Robert Barnette, the president of the Virginia NAACP.
The Virginia NAACP is calling on Miyares to disband the unit. "Our system is really reliable," said Barnette. "It's fair. We shouldn't be creating an integrity unit with the system we have in Virginia."
In a recent editorial in the Washington Post, Miyares defended the unit as a restructuring of the office writing, "My Election Integrity Unit is designed to make my office work better for Virginians. It shouldn't be controversial. It should be expected."
In Virginia's second congressional district, the race for Congress between Democrat Elaine Luria and Republican Jen Kiggans is very close and could come down to the wire on election night or in the days following as votes are totaled.
"Would you trust the results regardless of which way it goes?" News 3 asked Kiggans recently.
"In my second congressional district, which is where I feel like I have a hold on things, yes, I feel like they've done a good job," said Kiggans.
"I am prepared to accept the results. Obviously, when elections are close, there's a system in place," said Luria. "Once those legal avenues are explored, of course, I will accept the results of the election."
Early in-person voting continues in Virginia through November 5 before Election Day on November 8.
