Preventing Vote Tampering in Community Elections

Preventing vote tampering in community elections is paramount to maintaining voter trust in the process. Secure online voting systems with auditable results can provide these services while preventing tampering before it starts. 

HOA elections in California can now be held online, thanks to amendments made to the Davis-Stirling Act of 2024. ElectionBuddy provides online voting tools as well as independent specialists to ensure votes are secure while adhering to California’s strict regulations. 

How Votes Are Tampered With in Community Elections

Vote tampering is more than ballot stuffing or manipulating vote counts. Votes can be tampered with through other tactics such as:

• Limiting access by making voting difficult or burdensome, such as in-person votes at inconvenient times or overly stringent voter qualifications
• Voter intimidation or retaliation against those who vote their conscience
• Violating voter anonymity, which may cause voter hesitation or lead to pressure to vote a certain way

Furthermore, many people are often concerned with the security of voting systems and must be reassured that votes cast electronically are as secure, if not more secure, than traditional voting methods. 

Preventing Tampering Through Secure Electronic Voting

Holding elections online removes many of the traditional opportunities for vote manipulation. It accomplishes this in several ways, including by:

• Providing greater access by allowing voters to vote when it is convenient 
• Verifying voter identity through multi-factor identification
• Providing unalterable voting receipts to the voter so they can check that their vote was registered correctly
• Preventing outside access to ballots and voting logs until votes are finished 
• Stripping individual ballots of identifying information that can be tied to an individual voter

How Are Votes Secured?

Encryption methods for secret ballots are the same as those used by major financial institutions and include 256-bit encryption and multi-factor authentication. Each voter is assigned a unique and anonymous identifier or token via an online portal. 

Before logging in, some voters may be asked for a second authentication method, such as a one-time code sent to the user's phone or email. These secondary security layers make sure that only the authorized user votes, rather than someone who gained access to the voter’s password to the online voting portal. 

Once a vote is cast, the information is encrypted and cannot be accessed until the vote has concluded. Because voter ID’s are one-time tokens, they may not be used a second time. Any attempts to use the same voter ID to cast two ballots will be rejected and flagged by the system. 

Democratic Elections Through Anonymous Votes

Confidentiality laws for homeowner voting in California are strict, as they are for voting in any jurisdiction. California requires an independent inspector of elections that acts as a neutral third party to keep votes secure and anonymous. 

Even in states without this requirement, ElectionBuddy’s online system keeps voters' information secure and anonymous by removing any identifiable information from the ballot. Digital audits can also be conducted to root out irregularities that may have occurred during the voting process. Any attempts by outsiders to access voter ballots or identifying information are immediately flagged. 

By partnering with ElectionBuddy, organizations can put their faith in a secure online system that is used by organizations across America. By improving access to the democratic process, secure online elections can increase voters’ trust in their ability to make private decisions that affect real change.