What once originated as a way for members of the military to participate in elections, mail-in voting has evolved considerably from its early beginnings. As the criteria for qualifying to vote by mail has expanded significantly in recent years, a greater emphasis on security has come to the fore.
Voting by Mail in the 2020’s
In conjunction with a fully encrypted voter records management system, mail-in voting can be one of the most secure forms of voting in any election. As some electronic voting booths do not generate a paper backup, this can prove difficult in the event of post-election audits. With mail-in-ballots in paper form, there are receipts present to create a paper trail that is far easier to audit when integrated with today’s voter records management systems. Additionally, with mail-in-ballots sent and received in tamper-evident envelopes, there is a far lesser risk of tampering. Many states run a comparison between information submitted by voters with their actual registration record. For example, sixteen states have measures in place for signature verification. Convenient QR-code scanning can allow for tracking the status of mail-in-ballots at all points, from initial mailing to voters to receipt at the election office for processing.
Innovations in Voter Records Management
Modern voter records management systems are designed to automate these processes to save time, money, and resources. Processes that once took days or weeks now take hours. These systems can automatically tally the number of ballots received in any county, in real-time. Functionality for generating bar codes containing encrypted voter data unique to each voter can make it exceedingly difficult to duplicate or fabricate vote-by-mail ballots and envelopes. Such systems are instrumental in conducting post-election audits to ensure the full integrity of every election, creating extensive audit trails for every voter record. With a priority on protecting sensitive voter data, today’s voter records management systems come equipped with industry-leading encryption to ensure the full safety of voter data and the full security of each election. As mail-in voting is more prevalent than any time in history, an all-encompassing and solid voter records management system is essential for any election department.
Contact us to see how our voter management records software, CertaVote™ can help with your next election.