Now is a great time to vote in the U.S. despite the flaws in the election system. Former President Donald Trump’s claims of fraud in the 2020 election have tarnished the act of voting. However, voting procedures are improving, and voters can be more confident than ever that their votes will be counted accurately.
One reason for this confidence is the adoption of voting technology that combines machine efficiency with a paper trail. This shift began after the 2000 election fiasco in Florida, which led to the Help America Vote Act in 2002. Most Americans now vote with optical scanners that process marked selections on paper sheets. For example, in the 2020 election in Georgia, hand-fed optical scanners were used, and an audit confirmed President Joe Biden’s win with minimal error rates.
Although U.S. voting machines are not entirely tamperproof, most do not connect to the Internet to prevent hacking. The Office of the Director of National Intelligence stated that there is no evidence of adversaries compromising the U.S.’s physical election infrastructure. Foreign actors often use propaganda and disinformation to influence voters rather than hacking voting machines directly.
Verified Voting estimates that nearly 98.6 percent of registered voters live in jurisdictions where votes have a paper trail, providing fail-safes and assurance in the voting process. Internet voting is opposed by Verified Voting, as it is seen as less secure than paper ballots. Post-election audits are conducted in most states to verify the accuracy of the vote counts.
Accessibility in voting is essential, and improvements can still be made to cater to a wider range of voters. Many states provide touch screen interfaces with features like rocker pedals and sip-and-puff interfaces for voters with disabilities. These interfaces allow voters to interact with the voting machine independently, but there is still room for improvement in making them more effective in practice.
Overall, the U.S. is in a golden age of voting, with enhanced security measures and improved accessibility. Despite the anxieties surrounding elections, the system has never been more secure and professionalized than it is today. Reflecting on the reality of the voting process and appreciating the efforts of local election officials can help restore confidence in American voting.
