What Happened
The livestream computer application lost connection with the courtesy cameras at 11:24 p.m. the evening of November 9. All staff had left for the night about 60 minutes earlier and did not arrive back at the office until 7 a.m. Connection was restored at 7:53 a.m. the morning of November 10.
Why
The courtesy cameras are connected to a computer application designed for livestream events. They intermittently lose connection with the application. When this has happened before, such as on Election Night when one camera went dark, staff was able to see the disruption and restore it. These cameras are not security or surveillance grade cameras.
Security
The Washoe County security administrator has reviewed the building’s security cameras. According to the Washoe County security administrator, that footage shows the parking garage, the hallway between the garage, and the entry doors to the Registrar’s Office. He has affirmed that no one entered the ballot room or Registrar’s Office during the time that the courtesy livestream was down. Security and Technology Services is working to put that footage into a viewable file that can be provided to the public.
Staff badge reports have also been pulled to ensure that no one entered the area during that time, with none found.
Recommendations
In the future we will look for a solution that would prevent software disruptions or simply not offer a courtesy livestream feed.
Washoe County has been at the forefront of trying to innovate election transparency, but we have moved from an election night to a much longer election timeframe. The technology we are using to provide this livestream cannot keep up with these demands. We suggest enhancing transparency with security cameras rather than courtesy livestream cameras in future elections.
Security Video Footage
Below are all the secure surveillance video files, which can be viewed using our surveillance systems video player. These files are directly from the surveillance server and are encrypted into a proprietary file type, so the files can not be tampered with. You must download the video player before you can download the video files, and open the files in the player.
Surveillance Video Player: https://bit.ly/3hA8DTz
Building A – 1st Floor Garage Entry: https://www.washoecounty.gov/_files/11-09-2022-surveillance/Building%20A%20-%201st%20Floor%20Garage%20Entry-2022-11-09_23h24min00s000ms.g64x
Building A – 1st Floor Front Lobby: https://www.washoecounty.gov/_files/11-09-2022-surveillance/Building%20A%20-%201st%20Floor%20Front%20Lobby-2022-11-09_23h24min00s000ms.g64x
Building A – Parking Garage Rear: https://www.washoecounty.gov/_files/11-09-2022-surveillance/Building%20A%20-%20Parking%20Garage%20Rear-2022-11-09_23h24min00s000ms.g64x
Building A – 1st Floor Rear Lobby: https://www.washoecounty.gov/_files/11-09-2022-surveillance/Building%20A%20-%201st%20Floor%20Rear%20Lobby-2022-11-09_23h24min00s000ms.g64x
Building A Lobby 1: https://www.washoecounty.gov/_files/11-09-2022-surveillance/Building%20A%20-%20Lobby%201-2022-11-09_23h24min00s000ms.g64x
Building A Lobby 2: https://www.washoecounty.gov/_files/11-09-2022-surveillance/Building%20A%20-%20Lobby%202-2022-11-09_23h24min00s000ms.g64x
Building A Voter Entry: https://www.washoecounty.gov/_files/11-09-2022-surveillance/Building%20A%20-%20Voters%20Entry%20Area-2022-11-09_23h24min00s000ms.g64x
