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Secure election systems with a coordinated program that protects accounts, networks, facilities, equipment, election materials, staff, and public information—not with a single machine or product. Start with basic access controls and a current inventory, document physical custody, prepare incident and continuity plans, and rehearse how staff will communicate with voters. The right controls depend on each jurisdiction’s systems, capacity, election calendar, and legal requirements.
What counts as an election system?
Election security covers the physical security and cybersecurity of the systems and assets that support elections. That includes voter-registration data, voting equipment, election-office networks, public election websites, email, facilities, staff, physical election materials, and the procedures connecting them. An internet-facing service used for polling-place lookup or election-night reporting can be operationally important even if it is separate from voting equipment.
Security is therefore a set of mutually supporting controls: access restrictions reduce opportunities for unauthorized use; maintenance and monitoring help manage technology risks; custody procedures make handling traceable; and response plans help sustain essential work when something goes wrong. Federal guidance offers a starting point, but jurisdiction-specific law and procedures govern how controls are implemented.
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There is no single federal ranking that fits every office. CISA describes its Cross-Sector Cybersecurity Performance Goals as voluntary baseline practices and a prioritization aid for small and medium organizations, including information-technology and operational-technology practices aligned with NIST Cybersecurity Framework functions. Use the goals alongside local risk, staffing, systems, and legal requirements, rather than treating them as a substitute for jurisdictional policy.
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- Risk: Identify what each control is meant to address, such as unauthorized account access, malicious software, service disruption, theft, or public confusion.
- Operational fit: Account for jurisdiction size, staff capacity, existing systems, and the election calendar.
- Accountability: Favor measures that can be documented, tested, rehearsed, audited, or independently reviewed.
- Cost and availability: Separate procedural controls from purchased products, and confirm current eligibility and terms before relying on a service.
CISA’s September 6, 2024 Readiness and Resilience Checklist for Election Offices, June 18, 2024 Protect Your Election Infrastructure guidance, and the Election Assistance Commission’s (EAC) security resources provide specific starting points for the areas below.
How can offices secure accounts and email?
Account controls are a practical place to begin because they apply across many election-office services. CISA’s election-office checklist recommends multifactor authentication (MFA), unique credentials, strong passwords, removal of default passwords, and separate administrative and ordinary user accounts.
- Enable MFA for accounts, including administrative accounts.
- Give each account unique credentials; prohibit credential sharing and remove access that is no longer needed.
- Use separate accounts for administrative work and routine tasks, applying the least privilege needed for each role.
- Replace default passwords and require strong passwords under office policy.
- Use official email accounts for official business.
- Use email filtering and DMARC, and help staff recognize messages originating outside the organization.
These measures are complementary: MFA adds a check at sign-in, while unique credentials and role separation limit the reach of a compromised or misused account.
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How should networks, endpoints, and software be managed?
Keep an inventory of election-related systems and software, then maintain an organization-wide process for software updates and vulnerability remediation. Include the internet-facing applications and services that support registration, reporting, polling-place lookup, email, and other business functions. Recurring vulnerability scanning can help identify weaknesses; endpoint detection and response, network monitoring, and protection against distributed denial-of-service (DDoS) attacks are additional options identified in CISA election guidance.
- Inventory: Record the systems, software, owners, and operational dependencies relevant to election work.
- Maintain: Establish a recurring patch-management process and prioritize vulnerabilities according to risk and operational needs.
- Monitor: Consider recurring vulnerability scanning, endpoint detection and response, and network monitoring where appropriate to the environment and staff capacity.
- Plan for service disruption: Identify which public-facing and internal services are essential, and how staff will operate if one is unavailable.
CISA’s June 2024 election handout describes certain protective services as available at no cost to eligible Election Infrastructure Information Sharing and Analysis Center members or participants. Eligibility and service terms can change, so confirm them with CISA before building a plan around availability.
How should facilities, equipment, and election materials be protected?
Use a written facility-security plan to control access to sensitive rooms and equipment, keep track of keys, and define how staff respond to a security issue. The EAC’s security resources identify access controls, locks, security cameras, pre- and post-election system testing, audits, and tamper-evident seals as common measures. These controls support a documented process; a lock, camera, seal, test, or audit alone does not establish that every risk has been addressed.
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Document custody from start to finish
The EAC’s chain-of-custody guidance says written procedures should be available for public inspection before each election. Document every step in the process and review it after completion. Clear records make it possible to see who handled materials, when custody changed, and whether the prescribed process was followed.
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Use seals as evidence of access, not proof of no tampering
A tamper-evident security seal can help document and detect access to a container or piece of equipment. It cannot, by itself, prove that no tampering occurred or that the contents were otherwise secure. Select seals and define their use according to local procedures, the equipment involved, and procurement rules; record seal application and inspection as part of the custody process.
What should incident response and continuity plans cover?
Prepare plans before an incident, with named responsibilities, emergency contacts, response procedures, and a communications playbook. A continuity-of-operations plan should identify how essential election functions will continue if a facility is unavailable or another disruption affects normal operations. Depending on local needs, that may include backup power or an alternate site.
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- Assign response and decision-making responsibilities, including who contacts whom.
- Define procedures for responding to incidents and maintaining essential operations.
- Prepare communications roles and steps alongside technical and operational response.
- Identify relevant continuity arrangements, such as backup power or an alternate location when needed.
- Practice the plans before an event and update them as systems, contacts, and operating conditions change.
CISA’s September 6, 2024 Physical Security Checklist for Election Offices addresses planning for response and continuity as part of physical security readiness. Written plans are most useful when staff understand their roles and have rehearsed them.
How should staff operational security evolve?
CISA’s June 2024 Guide to Operational Security for Election Officials describes operational security (OPSEC) as a continuous cycle of planning, documentation, and training that should adapt as threats and tactics evolve. Treat it as ongoing operational work, not a one-time checklist or an annual review that can be left untouched until the next cycle. Keep procedures current, train relevant staff, and revisit plans when responsibilities, systems, or risks change.
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Election officials are a primary source of official information about election administration. CISA and the EAC’s 2024 public-communications guidance recommends planning what to communicate, who is responsible, which audiences and formats to use, when to communicate, and which trusted partners can amplify accurate information.
- Assign responsibility for routine voter information and incident updates.
- Plan messages and formats for the audiences the office needs to reach.
- Coordinate with trusted partners who can help distribute accurate information.
- Prepare staff to communicate during an incident as well as during normal operations.
Having roles and a playbook ready helps an office provide timely, consistent information while response work is under way.
How do the control areas fit together?
| Control area | Examples | Risks addressed | Ways to verify or review |
|---|---|---|---|
| Accounts and email | MFA, unique credentials, separate administrative accounts, email filtering, DMARC | Unauthorized access and malicious email | Review account settings, access assignments, and email controls |
| Networks and endpoints | System inventory, patch management, vulnerability scanning, endpoint detection and response, network monitoring | Vulnerabilities, malicious software, or service disruption | Maintain inventory and remediation records; review monitoring and scanning processes |
| Facilities and equipment | Access controls, locks, cameras, testing, audits, tamper-evident seals | Unauthorized entry, theft, or physical tampering | Document access and custody; conduct testing and audits |
| Custody and procedures | Written chain-of-custody steps and records for each handoff | Unclear or undocumented handling of election materials | Make procedures available for public inspection before each election and review them after completion |
| Incident response and continuity | Assigned roles, contacts, response steps, backup power or alternate sites when needed | Operational interruption | Rehearse plans and update them as conditions change |
| Staff OPSEC and public communication | Ongoing planning, documentation, training, and voter communications planning | Changing operational risks and public confusion | Revisit procedures and prepare staff for routine and incident communications |
The examples are not a universal ranking. An office can use the table to identify gaps, match controls to local risks, and decide which procedures need records, testing, or practice.
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