Click here to watch a recording of our latest briefing co-hosted by Verified Voting and the Brennan Center. Want to make sure you’re invited to our next briefing? Sign up for Verified Voting’s email list here!
Amid a landscape of shifting election rules and emerging challenges, Pamela Smith (Verified Voting’s President & CEO) and Derek Tisler (Brennan Center’s Counsel and Manager for Elections and Government) underscored significant, sustainable progress—and more work to be done—during a recent joint supporter briefing. They discussed what the primary elections signal for the fall midterms, where the most serious system vulnerabilities lie, and how support for our work makes a concrete difference in protecting our election infrastructure and the election workers who continue to deliver for voters.
The Foundation of Progress
One of the most notable successes over the past decade is the significant shift toward paper ballots and the invaluable evidence they provide. As Pamela said, “Most jurisdictions now have paper-based systems, and that shift didn’t happen by accident. It happened because of a lot of people on this call—advocates, researchers, election officials—who have made the case repeatedly until it landed. It’s a real, genuine structural improvement to the integrity of American elections.”
This progress is bolstered by election audits, which Pamela calls “an essential check on the kinds of outcomes and necessary procedures and processes, including but not limited to counting the ballots.” She added that “post-election audits are now more of a standard practice than before, and we’re continuing to push for better.” Click here to find out which states have a post-election audit.
Navigating Emerging Threats
Despite this progress, many challenges persist that make Verified Voting and the Brennan Center’s work more important than ever. Verified Voting continues to oppose risky systems, including returning completed ballots over the internet, pushing instead for verifiable, paper ballot election systems. The team is currently fighting bills in multiple states that allow or expand insecure internet/mobile voting. Read more about the dangers of mobile voting here.
Pamela and Derek also sounded the alarm over recent federal actions and executive orders attempting to illegally override the constitutional mandate designating that elections are run at the state and local level. Pamela called the president’s latest executive order on mail voting “both unlawful and unworkable,” suggesting “its purpose is to sow doubt about an election process that has actually served American voters reliably for decades, and so it imagines a problem that doesn’t exist.” She noted that this meddling has tangible costs, as “every hour an election director spends responding to a question driven by these executive orders is an hour they’re not spending on election readiness. That’s not trivial.”
What’s Next
Protecting our elections requires collective action. Pamela said: “Every time a voter has had a bad experience—long lines, a provisional ballot, a registration problem—there’s a choice about how to interpret it. And our organizations’ work is to channel those experiences into constructive improvement, not delegitimization of elections.” The call to action is clear: “Right now, the fight needs all of us. If you’re able to invest in this work, there’s no better moment than today. Together, we can make sure that when voters go to the polls in November, that the systems that protect their votes are as strong as they can possibly be.”
Here are some actions that you can take now:
- Make a plan to vote: Click here to find the voting options in your state and vote early if it’s available. If you’re voting by mail, click here to check your state’s ballot tracking options. Remember: just because it’s mailable doesn’t mean mailing it back is the only option. Many states offer in person return options like dropboxes.
- Check your registration: Click here to check your voter registration file to ensure it’s up-to-date.
- Check your ballot: Check your paper ballot before casting it, whether you’re marking it with a pen or with a machine. Visit the Verifier to learn more about the voting equipment used in your jurisdiction!
- Volunteer: Visit Election Protection’s website to learn how to volunteer for the 866-Our-Vote hotline.
- Become a poll worker: Visit the Election Assistance Commission’s website to find out more!