March 21, 2025
House Ways and Means Committee
Maryland House of Delegates
Room 130
House Office Building
Annapolis, MD 21401
via electronic submission
Verified Voting Testimony on Senate Bill 313
Postelection Tabulation Audits – Risk-Limiting Audits
Position: Favorable
Dear Chair Atterbeary and Members of the Committee:
On behalf of Verified Voting, I write in support of SB 313 regarding Postelection Tabulation Audits – Risk-Limiting Audits. Verified Voting’s mission is to strengthen democracy for all voters by promoting the responsible use of technology in elections. Since our founding in 2004 by computer scientists, we have acted on the belief that the integrity and strength of our democracy rely on citizens’ trust that each vote is counted as cast.
As such, we support SB 313, which would implement highly effective routine manual checks on machine counts, called risk-limiting audits, in Maryland’s statewide elections. Risk-limiting audits (RLAs) can help Maryland election officials confirm that reported winners received the most votes.
We are confident that SB 313 would provide an effective path for RLA implementation in Maryland. The bill clarifies how RLAs would unfold in the state, notably specifying that the deadline for RLA completion is prior to state certification. It also institutes a clear process for addressing any outcome-changing errors found in an RLA.
We have carefully reviewed the amendments and warmly support the bill in its current form.
We strongly encourage you to support SB 313, which represents an important step forward for election security and voter confidence in Maryland.
Respectfully,
Chrissa LaPorte
Deputy Policy & Strategy Director