Why Your Vote Is Safe in North Carolina

by jane | Feb 12, 2020 | News

The North Carolina Board of Elections has issued the following assurances about election security:

No Evidence of Successful Attack

North Carolina elections officials have no evidence than any election system or voting system in the state has ever been the target of a successful cyber attack.

Partnerships

Elections officials are in regular contact and have strong and growing relationships with partners in federal and state governments. who assist with cyber and physical security, share informaiton, plan for election eents and respond to incidents.

Paper Ballots

Under state law, all voting systems used in North Carolina must use paper ballots, producing a paper trail than can be audited.  In 2020, all 100 counties will use paper ballots.  By federal law, ballot marking devices must be available at every polling place for any voter who needs or wished to use one to make a ballot.

Certified Voting Systems

All voting machines used in North Carolina are certified by the U.S. Election Assistance Commission after testing by certified laboratories.  They are also certified by the State Board of Elections after additional testing, and all systems certified in North Carolina are certified, used and audited in other states.

No Internet

By state law, voting machines may not be connected to the internet, limiting the possibility of cyber interference.

Logic & Accuracy Testing

Before every election, county boards of elections conduct logic and accuracy tests on every machine that will be used to ensure proper coding of ballots and counting of votes for every contest on the ballot.

Bipartisan, Trained Officials

Every polling place is staffed with bipartisan, trained officials from the local community who take an oath to uphold state elections laws and work together to ensure election security.  Bipartisan State and County Boards of Elections oversee all aspects of elections.

Audits

After every election and before results are certified, the State and County Boards of Elections conduct audits designed to detect irregularities, such as equipment tampering, ballot stuffing and voting machine or tabulation errors.

Investigations Division

North Carolina is one of few state with a dedicated investigations Division, which investigates re[port of fraud and other irregularities and refers cases to prosecutors when warranted by evidence.

Informed Voters

Every voter can help promote election security by voting, checking their ballot before casting it, reporting problems with the voting process to poll workers and volunteering to work in elections.  Also, voters should get information on elections from trusted sources, particularly elections officials, and verify information about elections before sharing it on social media.