Securing Democracy: The Role of Physical Security in Elections

While cybersecurity dominates discussions about election integrity—and rightly so, given the threats posed by hacking—it's only one piece of the puzzle. A robust election security program must also prioritize the physical security of election assets, like ballots, voting machines, and memory devices, to ensure a fair and transparent democratic process.

Physical Security: The Foundation of Election Integrity

Physical election assets, such as ballots and voting systems, are potential entry points for cyber threats. Securing these assets is critical to maintaining an open yet protected election process. The U.S. Election Assistance Commission (EAC) defines physical election security as:

“Standards, procedures, and actions taken to protect voting systems and related facilities and equipment from natural and environmental hazards, tampering, vandalism, and theft.”

To achieve this, counties must conduct a thorough review of their election procedures, focusing on chain-of-custody protocols and asset management. Every touchpoint—from ballot printing to storage—should be scrutinized to identify vulnerabilities. Solutions include:

• Physical safeguards: Secure access controls, surveillance cameras, and tamper-proof seals.
• Clear policies: Documented procedures to ensure consistency.
• Technology solutions: Election-specific systems for tracking and managing assets with real-time visibility.

Ensuring a Timely Election Conclusion

A smooth election conclusion hinges on efficient ballot validation, secure equipment handling, and accurate tabulation. Real-time tracking systems, such as dashboards, allow election administrators to monitor asset returns from precincts, quickly identifying delays or issues.

With the U.S. voting-age population projected to reach 250 million by 2025, the strain on election resources is growing. Leveraging technology to manage logistics is essential for timely and accurate results.

Effective supply chain management not only ensures efficiency but also builds public trust by facilitating uneventful post-election processes, including initial result reporting and audits.

Audits and Recounts: Precision Under Pressure

Close elections often require recounts, demanding precise ballot tracking and chain-of-custody records. A robust system ensures ballots are in the right place at the right time, with no doubts about their authenticity. For example, during Florida’s 2018 statewide recount, Miami-Dade County’s success was largely due to a system that meticulously tracked every ballot’s location and history.

Ballot and Asset Tracking: A Technological Imperative

The EAC recommends maintaining an accurate inventory of critical election assets, including:

• Voting devices and thumb drives
• Ballot activation devices
• Seal envelopes and voter registration lists
• Election result tapes, reconciliation reports, and audit data

With ballots potentially handled by over 20 people throughout their lifecycle, every movement must be logged and accessible. Technology streamlines this process, enabling quick resolution of issues and ensuring transparency.

Learn more about how we track assets and ballots here.

Enforcing Process Management

Even with best practices in place, physical security fails without consistent enforcement. Election departments face challenges like high staff turnover, an aging poll worker demographic, and the need for bipartisan oversight at every ballot touchpoint. An election-specific system simplifies compliance by:

• Guiding staff through procedures, even for new or less experienced workers.
• Ensuring the correct number of personnel complete each task.
• Sending alerts for policy deviations, preventing potential breaches.

Such systems also support contingency plans for disruptions, like equipment failures or natural disasters, by enabling rapid response and resource reallocation.

Visibility is key to election security. Comprehensive procedures, real-time tracking, and accessible data ensure trust and accountability.

Building Trust Through Technology

Public confidence in elections depends on transparency and accountability. By implementing election-specific systems for asset tracking, chain-of-custody documentation, and process enforcement, counties can standardize operations, reduce costs, and strengthen security. As threats evolve, so must our approach—combining cybersecurity with robust physical security to safeguard democracy.

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