Many states use insecure voting systems. Help us work with these states to beef up their election security.

 

Early voting is right around the corner.  More US voters than ever before will be voting on paper ballot systems that can be recounted and checked for accuracy. But there’s more work to be done, and it’s vital that we do all we can to ensure the security of our votes.

Five states will use electronic voting machines that don’t produce a paper record statewide and several others will use at least some paperless machines.  Although that won’t change in time for this election, there’s still time for these states take certain key steps to limit security risks; we’ve been hearing from some election officials that they are going the extra mile this year.  

Verified Voting has been busier than ever, promoting best election practices and responding to the elevated media interest in election security…And we need your help to keep this work going.  

Will you help safeguard our election with a gift today?

Your gift will enable us to work with election officials and promote important security steps in states like Pennsylvania, Virginia, South Carolina, and Georgia, where paperless electronic machines are still used:

• Test all machines, not just a sample, ahead of time, before Election Day.
• Provide enough backup paper ballots on hand in case of machine failures.
• Make sure poll workers know when to deploy paper ballots to prevent long lines.

Beyond voting machines, we are also recommending states review the security of voter registration databases, which were breached this summer in two states, Arizona and Illinois, whether with the help of DHS or in-state experts.  We’re on record with best practices for ensuring all votes are accounted for and each vote is counted exactly once, and for ensuring equipment is never connected to the internet.

We’re pivoting to our work as part of the Election Protection Coalition supporting voters and those who respond to voters at the national call centers for Election Day hotlines 1-866-OUR-VOTE, 1-888-VE-Y-VOTA, and 1-888-API-VOTE. We work to provide training on the kinds of technology issues that may arise on Election Day and to help ensure voters are not disenfranchised by equipment malfunctions or failures. Our comprehensive voting system map is part of that work.

Help us follow through on this important work, with a gift right now.

We’re also engaging at the federal level, promoting the possibility of designating election systems as Critical Infrastructure, highlighting the risks and compromise to ballot secrecy of Internet voting, and helping agencies like the Election Assistance Commission and the National Institute of Standards and Technology in shaping strong election security standards.

With your support, we’ll do all we can to keep our election secure.  

We can do this, together.

Thank you for all you do.

– Pam

Pamela Smith, President

Verified Voting

9/8/16

P.S. – You may be able to double your gift! When you make a gift, you can check to see if your employer has a matching gifts program. Look for “double the donation” box on the confirmation page.