Online voting is more widespread than ever. The key to ensuring secure and fair elections is robust voter authentication methods online. These methods include individual PIN numbers, one-time access codes, and two-factor authentication.
The State of California has strict rules regarding online voting. To ensure voter anonymity and reduce interference, it requires a California HOA election inspector to act as an independent overseer. Luckily, ElectionBuddy has professional voting experts on staff to assist with conducting votes. These experts can also act as independent election inspectors under California law.
Before voting can happen, voters need to be identified and verified. This happens multiple times throughout the election process to ensure continuity of access and balloting.
It’s up to the HOA or organization to maintain an accurate list of eligible and registered voters along with their contact information. Annual audits should be conducted to verify contact information such as email address, home address, and telephone numbers.
This annual audit also serves as an opportunity to purge the voter rolls of those no longer eligible because they have left the organization or moved. Furthermore, new voters can be registered and onboarded during this time. Compliance checklists for board elections should also be examined annually to comply with the law.
Once the records are deemed accurate, emails and envelopes can be sent to voters with instructions for accessing online systems.
Each voter will be issued a ballot access code, which is a one-time code that can be used to submit only one ballot. This helps to ensure that no one can cast multiple votes using the same access code.
Upon logging in and entering the access code for the ballot, the user may be prompted to verify their identity a second time via two-factor authentication. This usually happens via a text message or email with a one-time code that expires after a short time.
Once the ballot is submitted, it is stripped of any identifying information that can tie the ballot back to the voter. Voter anonymity is critical to allowing a member to vote their conscience.
Throughout the entire process, 256-bit encryption is used to keep the ballots secure while in transit. Only authorized members, such as the independent election inspector, may access ballots on the day they are to be tabulated.
Once a vote is submitted, a final authentication email is sent in the form of a digital receipt for the voter. It shows their ballot confirmation number. This digital paper trail can be used as proof should any issues arise.
Voting security is the first priority for ElectionBuddy. Every vote cast is verified as authentic, and secure access logs are maintained to quickly identify problems. These digital paper trails allow audits to be undertaken quickly and results to be announced fast.
Combining multi-factor authentication with modern cybersecurity for electronic voting, ElectionBuddy provides organizations and voters the confidence they need for online elections. With every vote cast, more and more individuals and businesses are putting their faith in online elections. Find out how ElectionBuddy can help make your election process a breeze today!
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