Securing the Nation’s Voting Machines: A Toolkit for Advocates and Election Officials
Summary: This toolkit is meant as a roadmap for advocates and election officials nationwide as local jurisdictions consider purchasing new voting machines. It also suggests best practices for conducting post-election audits.
On March 23, 2018, Congress approved $380 million “to improve the administration of elections for Federal office, including to enhance election technology and make election security improvements.” These funds are available to states immediately.
While states will have flexibility in how they use this money, Congress has emphasized the importance of having a voter-verified paper record of every vote. In a memo accompanying the appropriations, Congress also recommended those paper records be used to conduct post-election audits, ensuring voting machines have produced an accurate result.
This toolkit, created jointly by the Brennan Center for Justice, Common Cause, the National Election Defense Coalition, and Verified Voting, is meant as a roadmap for advocates and election officials nationwide as local jurisdictions consider purchasing new voting machines. It also suggests best practices for conducting post-election audits.