Government & Compliance
Election technology security: what county IT should know
The systems involved in administering elections and the security practices that protect them.
County election offices run some of the most scrutinized technology in government: voter registration, ballot design, voting equipment, tabulation, results reporting, and public websites. Most of it is procured and certified under state and federal rules, but county IT plays a central supporting role.
The systems
Voter registration. Often a statewide system with county access, plus local tools.
Election management. Ballot design, equipment programming, and results consolidation, run on isolated systems.
Voting and tabulation equipment. Certified equipment that is never connected to the internet.
Results reporting. Public websites and feeds that publish unofficial results on election night.
Public-facing services. Polling place lookup, ballot tracking, and information sites.
Office IT. Email, files, and workstations used by election staff.
Security practices
Air gaps and isolation. Voting and tabulation systems are kept physically and logically isolated, with strict media handling.
Website resilience. Results and information sites face high traffic and denial-of-service attempts on election night; they need capacity, content delivery networks, and monitoring.
Office security. Election staff are targets for phishing. Multi-factor authentication, endpoint protection, and awareness training are essential.
Physical security. Chain of custody for equipment and ballots, with logs.
Incident response. Plans coordinated with state election officials and federal partners, including communication plans for misinformation.
Auditing. Post-election audits that verify results independently of the equipment.
Federal and state support
Federal agencies provide free assessments, monitoring services, and guidance to election offices. States certify equipment and set procedures.
The role of a technology firm
Supporting the surrounding IT: website resilience, office security, monitoring, incident response planning, and accessibility of public information. Voting equipment itself is handled under certification programs and by its vendors.