18) List some weaknesses of our Electoral System.
Answers
Answer:
Secure databases. First, a state board of elections should lock down databases where voter information is kept so voters feel secure in the state’s ability to protect their identities. This can be difficult, however, as election processes, which range from counting the votes to making sure the voting machines are secure, may not be well controlled. Voting management and voting machine technology vary greatly from state to state or even county to county within the same state, creating a broad range of potential vulnerabilities. Securing voter databases will require a statewide effort with strong guidance on best practices.
2. Implement secure voting procedures. States must ensure that votes are counted accurately and completely. Security analysts have warned for years about the security risks of touch-screen voting machines, and in the last election the Russians made progress toward hacking voting machines and systems. If a state has not taken clear, public measures to ensure the public that the selection they make in the voting booth is being recorded and reported properly, then confidence in our elections will suffer.
States should start with an inventory of the people, processes and technologies they have in place in all their counties. Examine current privacy and security procedures and identify any vulnerabilities. From that baseline, states can establish a roadmap for effective policies and procedures to protect against security breaches.
3. Shore up election audit processes. States must be able to ensure that their vote totals can be reviewed and audited. In the 2016 elections, there were recounts in five different states and allegations of voter fraud in two others where the recount process and the accuracy of voting machines were called into question. The inaccuracy and unreliability of the auditing process allowed for enough doubt that both parties started to question not only the credibility of the original vote count, but the electoral process itself.