Hate crime laws, in their current form, rely on law enforcement for responding to hate crime incidents, identifying incidents as hate-motivated, collecting data, connecting victims to needed resources, and more. Some states require law enforcement to receive training about hate crimes, and these trainings commonly include how to correctly identify, appropriately respond to, and accurately…
Risk Limiting audits are a form of post-election audits that use statistical methods to analyze random samples of ballots and verify the accuracy of election results. In a risk limiting audit, the size of the random ballot sample is increased until there is statistical and objective confidence in the election results. Note: In 2020 and…
In addition to offering the option for voters to apply for absentee ballots online, many states also allow voters to track those ballots online as well. Voters can see where their ballot is in the process, and be confident their ballot was received, is secure and will be counted.
States use a variety of methods to verify that absentee and mail ballots were returned by the correct voter. Many states conduct rigorous signature verification processes or match identifying information such as driver’s license numbers, while some states only confirm the ballot is signed or the voter has affirmed their own identity.
States vary widely in the types of voting machines used for in-person voting. The most secure systems use paper ballots that allow the voter to verify their choices. MAP relied on research and data from Verified Voting for this map and the information below related to voting machines. States with secure voting machines are defined…
Similar in concept to an independent audit of financial statements, post-election audits are a nonpartisan process that allows states to verify the accuracy and performance of voting equipment and vote counting machines. In effect, a post-election audit is a partial recount of results, checking random samples of paper ballots or records against the results produced…
A small number of states conduct all-mail elections, where every eligible voter is mailed a ballot without having to request one. Ballots are returned through the mail or to secure ballot drop boxes or election offices. Voters who wish to do so may still cast their ballot in-person at a polling place. All-mail elections allow…
Similar to online voter registration, a number of states have recently enacted policies that allow voters to request absentee ballots through an online system. This policy gives voters additional options outside of mailing or submitting paper application forms by hand. These state websites also often allow voters to track their ballots once submitted.
Oftentimes voters who utilize absentee or mail ballots return those ballots through the postal system. States vary in their policies regarding return postage for those ballots, with some states providing prepaid return postage envelopes so voters don’t need to pay for postage themselves.
In most states, when a voter casts their absentee ballot, they can simply return the ballot through the mail or in person at a drop box or election office. However, some steps impose additional required steps that can create barriers to voters casting their ballot. These additional steps usually consist of requiring a notary or…
