Miami-Dade County election workers are testing voting machines ahead of the Florida midterm elections, checking that the equipment accurately counts ballots before early voting begins Oct. 19. The county’s logic and accuracy test uses ballots with predetermined outcomes and runs them through a portion of the machines slated for election use. Supervisor of Elections Alina Garcia said the test is required under Florida law. Garcia said the county also uses security steps for vote-by-mail ballots. Voters must request a ballot, provide information to confirm their identity and have their signature checked when the ballot is returned. She said the county’s voting system is not connected to the internet. That separation, she said, is one of the safeguards intended to protect the system from hacking. Miami-Dade voters can cast ballots by mail, during early voting or on Election Day. The deadline to request a vote-by-mail ballot is Oct. 22. Early voting runs through Nov. 1, with sites open from 7 a.m. to 7 p.m. daily. Election Day is the final opportunity to vote. The pre-election testing is intended to catch counting problems before ballots are cast and tallied, while giving voters information about the safeguards election officials say are in place.