There are some election integrity advocates who strongly believe election security begins and ends with voting machines. Others try to steer clear of “conspiracy” labels, so they shy away from complicated machine issues altogether.
Although caution is warranted when approaching allegations of interference or persistent errors, the reliability of voting equipment can’t be ignored in an attempt to walk the middle road — not if the goal is increasing voter confidence. Luckily, there are a variety of practical ways machine skepticism can and should be addressed.
Fears of machines gone amuck have existed for some time, with both sides having vocalized apprehension about machines at different points prior to 2020, including in 2019, when Democrats loudly advocated for the passage of the Securing America’s Federal Elections Act.
This distrust continues today and directly influences voting behavior — nothing could be clearer from plaintiff testimonies in a recent Georgia case, Curling v. Raffensperger. Clearly, distrust in America’s voting machines hasn’t gone away; it only bounces back and forth across party lines and must be dealt with. But that is easier said than done.
Fortunately, workable solutions do exist. However, the people best suited to bring these changes about might not be the ones you expect. Rather than D.C. politicians, local grassroots groups may be best suited to promote tangible changes on a county level — and many already have. Locals concerned with the reliability of machines may be surprised by their level of influence and should consider organizing and lobbying
