With in-person voting becoming less common, many organizations are relying on encryption methods for secret ballots to conduct secure elections. These methods include the 256-bit encryption used by financial institutions and security measures such as two-factor authentication and digital audit paper trails.
California HOA elections can now be held online, thanks to the Davis-Stirling Act amendment of 2024. ElectionBuddy can help facilitate these elections while keeping data secure and providing transparent, trusted results.
A variety of tools can be used to secure and encrypt ballots to ensure they remain confidential, such as:
This method of encryption seals the contents of a message when it’s sent and only allows the recipient with the digital key to unlock it. This method is the gold standard for encrypted communication around the world.
This system also has an advantage in securing voter anonymity by preventing anyone other than authorized election officials from accessing the data. Officials may only access votes once the election is completed and all the voters’ information has been removed to ensure anonymous ballot submission methods are followed.
Hashing is the process of digitally scrambling the message to be sent, which would be the vote in this case. Once the vote has been hashed, it creates a completely unique set of characters as a sort of digital signature.
This set of characters cannot be read except by the intended recipient. If alterations are detected, the unique hash signature is modified. This allows data auditors to see if votes have been tampered with in transit.
With this system, one vote is tied to one voter. The security system immediately flags any attempt by a voter to cast multiple votes. Such information can also be noted in the audit logs once voting is completed.
Two-factor authentication is widely used for secure data transmission and verification. Many people are familiar with banks sending one-time text messages and codes to verified emails and phone numbers.
Only users with access to these devices are permitted access to secure systems. This helps prevent unwanted access by someone posing as a legitimate user. Combined with strong encryption, two-factor authentication provides added protection for preventing vote tampering in community elections.
Finally, in order to comply with state laws surrounding California HOA elections, each HOA must assign an independent inspector of elections. This individual is separate from HOA governance and is the only person able to access the ballots.
Should any irregularities arise, it is the inspector's job to audit the results and provide transparent reporting to HOA members and the board. This final human layer assists secure voting by preventing unauthorized tampering from within an HOA organization.
ElectionBuddy provides all of the above services to HOAs and other organizations looking to hold elections. We also have independent election experts who can help ensure compliance with laws and regulations governing each state's voting legislation.
These experts are also certified to act as independent election inspectors for California HOA Davis-Stirling Act compliance. Browse our full selection of services today and see how ElectionBuddy can help streamline your elections and boost voter participation!
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