COVID-19: Remote Voting Trends and the Election Infrastructure Subsector

COVID-19: Remote Voting Trends and the Election Infrastructure Subsector

COVID-19: Remote Voting Trends and the
June 10, 2020
Election Infrastructure Subsector
Brian E. Humphreys
The Department of Homeland Security (DHS) designated the systems and assets used to
Analyst in Science and
administer elections as a critical infrastructure subsector in 2017. The federal elections policy
Technology Policy
framework—including infrastructure protection—has generally assumed in-person voting at

official polling places as the primary means of elections administration. Therefore, infrastructure
security efforts have focused on reducing risk to existing systems and assets such as voter

registration databases, voting machines, polling places, and elections storage facilities. However,
recent elections cycles have witnessed increased use of alternatives to in-person voting.
Public health concerns about the Coronavirus Disease 2019 (COVID-19) pandemic have accelerated consideration of remote
voting options as many voters have sought to avoid the possible health risks of crowded polling places. Elections authorities
have invested in new physical and cyber infrastructures to reduce in-person interactions throughout all phases of the election
cycle, including but not limited to the casting of ballots on Election Day. These efforts have focused on universal mail
voting—the only form of remote voting in wide use. (Some states provide for electronic marking and return of ballots in
certain limited cases.)
The rapid pursuit of expanded mail voting and development of accompanying infrastructures during the pandemic has
presented near-term technical, logistical, administrative, and security challenges to the election infrastructure subsector (EIS).
State and local preparedness to transition to mail voting varies widely. Several states already use universal mail voting for
elections. However, most states still rely primarily upon in-person voting, with varying eligibility standards for absentee
ballot access. Elections experts have cautioned that introduction of universal mail voting is typically a multi-year process
even in the most favorable circumstances, as it involves elements with long lead times, such as legislative changes,
contracting, manufacturing, property acquisitions, interagency coordination, and systems testing.
Emergency mail voting initiatives contend with a changed security environment. EIS coordination bodies have reported an
increase in cyberattacks against state and local government agencies’ computer systems, exploiting vulnerabilities created by
the sudden increase in telework. In March, DHS issued an alert encouraging EIS stakeholders “to adopt a heightened state of
cybersecurity” due to targeting of virtual private networks often used for telework. These conditions may impose additional
challenges. Closures and restrictions, shortages of key goods, or illness of essential workers may disrupt efforts to implement
mail voting. In addition, elections authorities may need to expand the physical footprint of ballot processing and other
facilities to allow for social distancing, making it more difficult to secure these facilities. Federal agencies and official EIS
coordination bodies have responded by providing a number of new informational products that describe emerging
vulnerabilities of the EIS and best practices for mail voting, in addition to existing services.
Since the onset of the COVID-19 crisis, Congress has provided additional funds to states for election administration. The
Coronavirus Aid, Relief, and Economic Security (CARES) Act (P.L. 116-136) provided an emergency supplemental
appropriation of $400 million to help state elections authorities “prevent, prepare for, and respond to coronavirus ... ,” but
guidance from the Election Assistance Commission (EAC), an independent agency, imposes limitations on the use of these
funds for emergency expansion of mail voting. States may use certain funds previously awarded under the Help America
Vote Act (HAVA) of 2002 (P.L. 107-252, 52 U.S.C. §§20901-21145) for this purpose. DHS required states applying for
certain homeland security grants to include election security activities in their proposals for FY2021 funding. The period of
performance for these grants begins on September 1, 2020.
It is difficult to predict how emergency measures to aid balloting during a pandemic will affect longer-term structural
changes within the EIS. Elections authorities may choose to retain or expand remote voting options in subsequent elections
cycles for a variety of reasons, including changing public expectations, a desire to lower costs or increase resilience, and
availability of emerging technologies. Although legislative proposals to expand remote voting introduced during the
pandemic have focused on mail voting, Congress has demonstrated longstanding interest in electronic voting methods and
technologies using the internet. In the early 2000s, Congress mandated pilot programs and government studies to develop the
policy and technological frameworks for adoption of internet voting. Federal agencies oversaw a number of small-scale
pilots—primarily targeting military and overseas voters—but these did not lead to wide scale adoption of emerging
technologies for remote voting. Internet-based online voting systems have yet to win wide acceptance in the United States.
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COVID-19: Remote Voting Trends and the Election Infrastructure Subsector

However, some elections authorities continue to show interest in internet voting technology that private sector firms are
developing. Expansion of internet voting, should it occur, may raise new policy issues for Congress.
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Contents
Introduction ..................................................................................................................................... 1
Scope of Report and Key Terms ...................................................................................................... 1
Policy Background and Issues ......................................................................................................... 2
Federal Remote Voting Initiatives ................................................................................................... 3
Legislation in the 116th Congress to Expand Mail Voting Systems ........................................... 4
Internet Voting ........................................................................................................................... 4
Remote Voting Infrastructure .......................................................................................................... 5
Development of Mail Voting Infrastructure During the COVID-19 Emergency ............................ 9
COVID-19 Informational Resources ...................................................................................... 10
Grants and Emergency Expansion of Mail Voting .................................................................. 12
Cybersecurity and Infrastructure Security Services for State and Local Authorities .............. 13
Prospective Development of Internet Voting ................................................................................. 14
Options for Congress ..................................................................................................................... 17

Figures
Figure 1. Expanding Use of Alternative Voting Methods ................................................................ 8

Tables
Table 1. Key Terms .......................................................................................................................... 2
Table 2. EIS GCC and EIS SCC COVID-19 Issue Papers ............................................................. 11
Table 3. Select CISA Services for EIS .......................................................................................... 13

Contacts
Author Information ........................................................................................................................ 18

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Introduction
The Department of Homeland Security (DHS) designated the systems and assets used to
administer elections as a critical infrastructure subsector in 2017. DHS defines critical
infrastructure as “the physical and cyber systems and assets that are so vital to the United States
that their incapacity or destruction would have a debilitating impact on our physical or economic
security or public health or safety.”1 The federal elections policy framework—including
infrastructure protection—has generally assumed in-person voting at official polling places as the
primary means of elections administration, excepting limited numbers of expatriates and service
members deployed overseas.2 However, recent elections cycles have witnessed increased use of
remote voting options, and several states have already adopted mail voting as their default option.
Public health concerns about the Coronavirus Disease (COVID-19) pandemic have accelerated
consideration of remote voting options during the 2020 election cycle, as many voters have
sought to avoid the possible health risks of crowded polling places.3 These efforts have focused
on universal mail voting—the only form of remote voting in wide use—although some states
provide for electronic marking and return of ballots in certain limited cases. The rapid pursuit of
expanded mail voting and the development of accompanying infrastructures—both paper-based
and digital—presents technical, logistical, administrative, and security challenges to election
infrastructure subsector (EIS) stakeholders.
This report describes the development of remote voting infrastructure in the United States, and
the planning and policy challenges that rapid expansion of mail voting may raise within the EIS.
Additionally, it contains a section on internet voting. Although internet voting remains a minor
element of election infrastructure and administration during the 2020 cycle, Congress has
historically demonstrated interest in this technology. Likewise, some state and local elections
authorities have conducted small-scale demonstration projects and may expand internet voting to
certain voters, including those affected by the pandemic.4 Future technological breakthroughs or
high profile failures of other modes of election administration might serve to increase public
interest in internet voting. Furthermore, a number of private firms continue to invest in and
promote the technology to election authorities. Expansion of internet voting beyond small-scale
applications, should it occur, may raise new policy issues for Congress.
Scope of Report and Key Terms
Federal, state, and local investments in election infrastructure in response to the COVID-19
pandemic and longer-term trends may change the structure of the EIS itself. This report focuses
on structural change within the EIS as stakeholders adapt to a rapidly changing environment. As
used in this report, structural change refers broadly to incorporation of new systems and assets
into election infrastructure, changes in roles and relationships between stakeholders, legislative

1 Cybersecurity and Infrastructure Security Agency (CISA), “Critical Infrastructure Sectors,” https://www.cisa.gov/
critical-infrastructure-sectors.
2 For example, an update to voluntary federal certification requirements for voting systems (in the comment period as
of the date of this report) specifically excludes remote ballot marking systems. See Election Assistance Commission,
Technical Guidelines Development Committee, Voluntary Voting System Guidelines Version 2.0 Requirements,
February 29, 2020, p. 13.
3 See, for example, Jeff Barker and Emily Opilo, “An Election During a Pandemic? There’s Never Been One Like
Tuesday’s Baltimore-Area Congressional Contest,” The Baltimore Sun, April 26, 2020.
4 David E. Sanger, Nicole Perlroth, and Matthew Rosenburg, “Amid Pandemic and Upheaval, New Cyberthreats to the
Presidential Election,” New York Times, June 9, 2020.
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changes, and widespread adoption of new modes of election administration and operational
procedures within the EIS.
For example, state and local governments may invest in new physical or cyber systems and assets
to handle certain election administration functions, such as bulk processing of mail-in ballots and
computerized tracking systems. Congress and state legislatures may pass legislation and use
appropriations to either limit or expand use of these technologies and methods. Greater reliance
on mail would likely increase reliance upon the U.S. Postal Service (USPS), which is designated
as critical infrastructure but is not part of the EIS. However, it might decrease reliance upon in-
person voting infrastructure, such as polling places and voting machines, leading to changes in
election administration. Such changes may present new challenges to the infrastructure protection
and resilience enterprise within the EIS.
Federal election policy is the focus of this report only inasmuch as it relates to structural changes
within the EIS. Readers with general interest in the current legislative debates over election
policy issues should consult CRS reports that examine these topics in detail.5 Likewise, this report
does not assess comparative risks of different voting systems. For a general overview of vote-by-
mail policy considerations and a summary of security issues, see CRS In Focus IF11477, Early
Voting and Mail Voting: Overview & Issues for Congress, by Sarah J. Eckman and Karen L.
Shanton.
Table 1 defines three key terms used in this report, as their meaning and usage may vary by
context: remote voting; mail voting; and internet voting.
Table 1. Key Terms
Term
Definition
Remote Voting
Casting a ballot “outside of a pol ing place or election official’s
office.” Sometimes referred to as absentee voting.
Mail Voting
Remote voting using a printed-paper ballot deposited in the mail
or at a designated drop-box location for elections authorities.
Voters may receive their ballots in paper form via mail or
electronic form via email or web browser. In the latter case,
voters print and mark ballots themselves.
Internet Voting
Remote voting using an electronic ballot delivered to the voter,
marked, and returned to an official vote counting location via the
internet using a web browser or smartphone app on a personal
computing device.
Sources: CRS, National Council of State Legislatures (NCSL), and Smartmatic.
Policy Background and Issues
The EIS is part of a federal critical infrastructure protection and resilience framework first
outlined during the Clinton Administration and subsequently expanded and elaborated over
multiple presidential administrations. The framework, currently established under DHS auspices,

5 Some recent reports include CRS Legal Sidebar LSB10470, Election 2020 and the COVID-19 Pandemic: Legal
Issues in Absentee and All-Mail Voting, by L. Paige Whitaker; CRS In Focus IF11456, Disrupted Federal Elections:
Policy Issues for Congress, by R. Sam Garrett; CRS Report R46146, Campaign and Election Security Policy:
Overview and Recent Developments for Congress, coordinated by R. Sam Garrett; and CRS In Focus IF11286, Election
Security: Federal Funding for Securing Election Systems, by Karen L. Shanton.
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is largely voluntary. Its defining features are coordination bodies that link government agencies,
private sector stakeholders, and member-supported information sharing organizations across 16
officially recognized sectors that encompass diverse areas of the economy, government, and
public safety and security.6
The Cybersecurity and Infrastructure Security Agency (CISA), an operational component of
DHS, has primary responsibility for leading sector coordination bodies. (In several cases, the
framework designates other federal agencies as sector-specific leads based on their customary
missions and relevant expertise in a given critical infrastructure sector.) In addition to supporting
coordination and information sharing organizations and activities, CISA provides infrastructure
protection services, such as site assessments and computer network penetration testing. However,
CISA does not assume direct responsibility for securing infrastructure owned and operated by
private sector stakeholders or state and local government agencies.
The 2017 DHS critical infrastructure designation for election systems was intended to help reduce
obstacles that election stakeholders faced in responding to foreign interference in the 2016
elections, such as a lack of timely information sharing about threats to election systems from
hostile foreign governments or other malicious actors.7 However, the designation did not
anticipate a rapid transition of the subsector to remote voting systems in the context of a global
pandemic occurring in an election year. Therefore, much of the effort to secure the subsector
focused on reducing risk to existing infrastructure, such as voter registration databases, voting
machines, polling places, and elections storage facilities.8
Many EIS stakeholders have since sought increased support for planning and policy efforts
needed to expand remote voting at acceptable levels of risk. CISA, the Election Assistance
Commission (EAC, an independent agency), and other relevant federal agencies have responded
by providing informational products that describe best practices and emerging threats to the EIS.9
Federal Remote Voting Initiatives
Historically, federal remote voting initiatives have focused on expanding ballot access for
uniformed service members, their families, and other Americans living overseas—a substantial
number of voters, but a small percentage of the overall U.S. electorate.10 The Uniformed and
Overseas Citizens Absentee Voting Act (UOCAVA), as amended, has been the primary legislative
vehicle for federal remote voting initiatives since its passage in 1986.11 The Department of

6 See CRS Report R45809, Critical Infrastructure: Emerging Trends and Policy Considerations for Congress, by Brian
E. Humphreys; and CRS Report R46146, Campaign and Election Security Policy: Overview and Recent Developments
for Congress, coordinated by R. Sam Garrett.
7 See CRS In Focus IF10677, The Designation of Election Systems as Critical Infrastructure, by Brian E. Humphreys.
8 See DHS, “Statement by Secretary Jeh Johnson on the Designation of Election Infrastructure as a Critical
Infrastructure Subsector,” press release, January 6, 2017, https://www.dhs.gov/news/2017/01/06/statement-secretary-
johnson-designation-election-infrastructure-critical.
9 For an overview of EAC organization and functions, see CRS Report R45770, The U.S. Election Assistance
Commission: Overview and Selected Issues for Congress, by Karen L. Shanton.
10 In its 2018 post-election report to Congress, the Federal Voter Assistance Program (FVAP) reported that 344,392
UOCAVA voters—about half of those who requested a ballot—voted that year. By contrast, the U.S. Census Bureau
estimates that more than 122 million citizens voted in the 2018 midterm elections. See FVAP, “FVAP Releases 2018
Post-Election Report to Congress,” https://www.fvap.gov/info/news/2019/7/31/fvap-releases-2018-post-election-
report-to-congress, and U.S. Census Bureau, “Voting and Registration in the Election of November 2018,”
https://www.census.gov/data/tables/time-series/demo/voting-and-registration/p20-583.html.
11 52 U.S.C. §§20301 et seq. For a full overview of UOCAVA including internet voting initiatives, see CRS Report
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Defense (DOD), through its Federal Voting Assistance Program (FVAP), has played a leading role
in federal remote voting initiatives and associated technology development in coordination with
the EAC, other federal agencies, and state and local elections authorities.12
Legislation in the 116th Congress to Expand Mail Voting Systems
Several bills introduced in the 116th Congress would expand mail-voting options. A proposed
amendment (S. 1397) to the Help America Vote Act of 2002 (P.L. 107-252) introduced in 2019
would require the EAC to create a national federal write-in absentee ballot and make it available
on the internet in a printable format to individuals affected by certain disasters or health
emergencies. The Vote by Mail Act of 2019 (S. 26 and H.R. 92) would require states to allow
voting in federal elections to be by mail without additional conditions or requirements, except a
deadline for returning the ballot. Additionally, it would require the U.S. Postal Service to carry
ballots mailed by a state expeditiously and free of charge.
After the onset of the COVID-19 emergency, Members introduced several more bills. The
Resilient Elections During Quarantines and Natural Disasters Act of 2020 (S. 3440 and H.R.
6202) would require each state and jurisdiction to create and publish a plan to operate its federal
elections if a significant number of voters or poll workers were quarantined due to COVID-19.
Plans must (1) permit registered voters to submit online requests for absentee ballots and vote in
federal elections by mail, and (2) extend vote-by-mail deadlines if COVID-19 disrupts postal
service. The Natural Disaster and Emergency Ballot Act of 2020 (S. 3529) would require states to
permit registered voters to submit online requests for absentee ballots and vote by mail or by
drop-off location, among other provisions. It also contains provisions for a “cure process” that
would require states to allow voters the opportunity to resolve discrepancies between a signature
affixed to the return ballot mailer and a signature in official databases used for verification of
voter identity and eligibility.13 The American Coronavirus/COVID-19 Election Safety and
Security (ACCESS) Act, passed in the House on May 15, 2020, as part of The Health and
Economic Recovery Omnibus Emergency Solutions (HEROES) Act (H.R. 6800), contains
provisions similar to those described above, among others.
Internet Voting
Congressional and DOD interest in using digital communications technology to serve UOCAVA
voters more efficiently grew as internet adoption accelerated in the 1990s and the logistical
difficulties in providing paper ballots to far-flung service members via conventional mail became
apparent.14 In December 2001, Congress mandated that DOD conduct an internet voting
demonstration at a “statistically relevant” scale in time for the November 2002 elections.15 In
October 2002, Congress enacted HAVA, which established the EAC as an independent federal
agency. HAVA mandated that the EAC provide a detailed report to Congress on internet voting

RS20764, The Uniformed and Overseas Citizens Absentee Voting Act: Overview and Issues, by R. Sam Garrett.
12 Department of Defense, Review of FVAP’s Work Related to Remote Electronic Voting for the UOCAVA Program,
Washington, DC, December 15, 2015, p. 2.
13 For more information, see CRS In Focus IF11456, Disrupted Federal Elections: Policy Issues for Congress, by R.
Sam Garrett.
14 See FVAP, 2010 Electronic Voting Support Wizard: Technology Pilot Program Report to Congress, Washington,
DC, July 2013, p. 2.
15 The National Defense Authorization Act (NDAA) for Fiscal Year 2002 (P.L. 107-107). DOD exercised authorities
granted under the legislation to cancel the project due to security concerns.
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technologies and processes within 20 months of enactment. In 2004, Congress reiterated the
original mandate for an internet demonstration project, but postponed implementation until EAC
established electronic absentee voting guidelines to assist DOD.16
EAC had not established those guidelines before 2015, when Congress repealed its original
requirement for a demonstration project.17 Also in 2015, FVAP released its final report detailing
findings of research and pilot programs—presenting them as a resource for state elections
authorities seeking to pursue internet-voting solutions.18 Broadly speaking, the body of research
and testing undertaken to meet the congressional mandate between 2002 and 2015 found that
electronic remote voting could be reasonably secure in the context of small-scale pilot studies in
controlled environments. However, regulatory and technological hurdles, complicated by the U.S.
state-based system of elections administration, imposed significant barriers to wider-scale
adoption. Overcoming these would require a concerted policy and technology development effort
by a broad array of elections stakeholders at every level of government and the private sector.19
The Military and Overseas Voter Empowerment (MOVE) Act of 2009 (a subtitle of P.L. 111-84)
required states to allow eligible voters to receive ballots electronically. States have since made
limited use of email, fax, and web portals to transmit blank ballots to UOCAVA voters under this
act’s provisions. Many states allow these voters to return completed ballots by email and fax, and
several offer or have experimented with the use of web portals for this purpose.20
Remote Voting Infrastructure
Remote voting systems in use during the 2020 election cycle rely largely on paper ballots, since
in most cases, electronic ballot return systems remain in the pilot phase or are available only to
UOCAVA voters. Oregon, Washington, Colorado, Utah, and Hawaii currently use vote-by-mail as
their primary means of election administration, and many other states have expanded eligibility
for absentee mail-in ballots.21 Vote-by-mail states may also have drop-box locations for voters
who wish to hand deliver their ballots or otherwise avoid using the postal system for ballot return.
Even though state remote voting systems use paper mail-in ballots for most voters, they may also
rely on automated electronic components and networked information systems to facilitate voter
registration, ballot delivery to voters, ballot tracking, processing of ballots returned electronically
or by mail, and updating of voter records. Some state elections systems combine elements of
internet voting and paper-based ballots, delivering ballots electronically via email or web portal
and then requiring voters to print out marked ballots and return them by mail. Therefore, elections
authorities in many cases must integrate physical and digital media, communications networks,

16 Ronald W. Reagan National Defense Authorization Act for Fiscal Year 2005 (P.L. 108-375).
17 CRS Report RS20764, The Uniformed and Overseas Citizens Absentee Voting Act: Overview and Issues, by R. Sam
Garrett, p. 11.
18 Department of Defense, Review of FVAP’s Work Related to Remote Electronic Voting for the UOCAVA Program, p.
16.
19 Ibid., pp. 25-39.
20 See FVAP, “How Voters Can Submit Their Ballot or FWAB Federal Write-in Absentee Ballot,”
https://www.fvap.gov/covid-19. Also, National Conference of State Legislatures (NCSL), “Electronic Transmission of
Ballots,” https://www.ncsl.org/research/elections-and-campaigns/Internet-voting.aspx.
21 National Vote at Home Institute, Vote at Home, Policy and Research Guide, April 5, 2020.
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and internet-based technologies into an elections system that can process ballots securely in a
variety of different physical and digital formats.22
Although vote-by-mail is relatively simple in concept, implementing it on a large scale presents
many complexities, and many states might have to process more ballots by mail than they have
during previous election cycles.23 State and local preparedness to transition to remote voting
varies widely, and broader challenges across the government information technology (IT)
sector—exacerbated by the COVID-19 pandemic—may complicate major initiatives to expand
the cyber and physical infrastructure needed for remote voting. Supply chain disruptions, aging or
outdated IT infrastructure, limited IT support resources, and competing priorities such as
expansion of unemployment benefit processing may hinder many functions of governance—
including elections administration.
Elections experts have cautioned that expansion of mail-in ballot access to the entire electorate is
typically a multiyear process.24 Even when implemented on an emergency basis, building vote-
by-mail infrastructure requires elements with long lead times, such as legislative changes,
contracting, manufacturing, property acquisitions, interagency coordination, and systems
testing.25 Elections experts note that seemingly simple tasks such as printing ballots, designing
elections materials to comply with U.S. Postal Service guidelines, setting up secure drop-box
locations and ballot storage facilities, opening returned envelopes, and verifying signatures may
present significant procedural and logistical hurdles.26 In addition, self-printed ballots may require
manual processing because they are typically not machine-readable.
According to elections officials, states that have already implemented no-excuse and permanent
absentee voting over multiple elections cycles are usually better positioned to transition to remote
voting systems than states where absentee ballots have not been used widely.27 Media reports
indicate that the record number of requests for absentee ballots during the COVID-19 pandemic
has led to lost, misprinted, misplaced, or misdirected ballots in some contests, which may lead to
court challenges.28 The nonprofit Brennan Center for Justice estimated in March 2020 that
implementing universal vote-by-mail by November 2020 would cost the states between $982

22 Technical Guidelines Development Committee, Voluntary Voting System Guidelines Version 2.0 Requirements, p.
12.
23 See CRS Insight IN11356, Mail Voting and COVID-19: Developments and Potential Challenges, by Karen L.
Shanton and Sarah J. Eckman.
24 See interviews with elections officials online at EAC, “Voting by Mail/Absentee Voting,” https://www.eac.gov/
election-officials/voting-by-mail-absentee-voting; and CISA, EIS Government Coordinating Council (GCC) and Sector
Coordinating Council (SCC) Joint COVID Working Group, Electronic Ballot Delivery and Marking, 2020,
https://www.cisa.gov/sites/default/files/publications/e-ballot-delivery_and_marking_final_508_0.pdf, p. 1.
25 See EAC, “GCC and SCC Resources,” https://www.eac.gov/election-officials/voting-by-mail-absentee-voting.
26 See EAC, “Voting by Mail/Absentee Voting” and “GCC and SCC Resources,” https://www.eac.gov/election-
officials/voting-by-mail-absentee-voting; and U.S. Postal Service, “Election Mail,” https://about.usps.com/gov-
services/election-mail/.
27 EAC, ibid.
28 See, for example, Chris Rickert, “Group Files Lawsuit to Count Votes of Those ‘Disenfranchised’ by Decision to
Hold April 7 Election,” Wisconsin State Journal, April 14, 2020, https://madison.com/wsj/news/local/crime-and-courts/
group-files-lawsuit-to-count-votes-of-those-disenfranchised-by-decision-to-hold-april-7/article_add7bf20-4362-50a6-
be88-f56506098f3b.html; and Tim Prudente, “Baltimore’s Mail-in Primary Got Off to a Rocky Start. What Problems
May Lie Ahead?” The Baltimore Sun, June 4, 2020, https://www.baltimoresun.com/politics/bs-md-pol-election-legal-
20200604-c7seszdotzeklj6jqi5po5lpy4-story.html.
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million and $1.4 billion and would require significant investment in new physical and cyber
infrastructure to handle the anticipated increase in volume of mailed ballots.29

29 Brennan Center for Justice, “Estimated Costs of COVID-19 Election Resiliency Measures,”
https://www.brennancenter.org/our-work/research-reports/estimated-costs-covid-19-election-resiliency-measures.
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Figure 1. Expanding Use of Alternative Voting Methods
2014 and 2018 Midterm Elections

Source: Jordan Misra, U.S. Census Bureau, “Behind the U.S. Midterm Election Turnout,”
https://www.census.gov/library/stories/2019/04/behind-2018-united-states-midterm-election-turnout.html.

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Development of Mail Voting Infrastructure During
the COVID-19 Emergency
In January 2020, CISA released a tabletop exercise package for elections officials. One of the
three scenarios focused on malicious exploitation of vote-by-mail systems. In the scenario,
attackers target local elections offices with phishing emails and malware embedded in an emailed
ballot from an overseas voter. Additionally, attackers target the local vendor responsible for
printing ballots with a phishing email. The attacks in the tabletop create severe disruptions,
including a spike in false registrations, misprinted and misaddressed ballots, altered public-facing
election information websites, and computer malfunctions in the local election office. In the
exercise, a coordinated social media campaign spurs street protests that block access to ballot
drop-box locations and harassment of elections officials.30
Although the scenario is fictional, CISA developed it based on analysis of existing cyber and
physical threats. The threat environment for elections systems has become more complex since
the publication of the exercise package due to the onset of the COVID-19 pandemic. The Election
Infrastructure Information Sharing and Analysis Center (EI-ISAC), founded under DHS auspices
in 2018 as a private non-profit EIS coordination body for threat reporting and analysis, has
reported an increase in cyberattacks against state and local government agencies. The attacks
have attempted to exploit vulnerabilities created by the sudden increase in remote telework by
agency employees as well as workers’ concerns about the pandemic.31
On March 13, 2020, CISA issued an alert regarding enterprise virtual private network (VPN)
security that encouraged EIS stakeholders to “adopt a heightened state of cybersecurity.”32
According to EI-ISAC, rapid expansion of telework has meant that some jurisdictions did not
implement security features like multi-factor authentication or VPN access before employees
began working from home. Bandwidth limitations are also commonplace. These conditions may
increase the vulnerability of state and local networks to malware and denial of service (DDOS)
attacks.33 Likewise, social engineering attacks have exploited the pandemic by using COVID-19-
themed phishing lures for ransomware and other malware.
In addition to its effects on cybersecurity, the pandemic prompted many state and local authorities
to issue stay-at-home orders that have resulted in business closures and other disruptions.
Although CISA has issued non-binding guidance for identifying critical infrastructure during the
pandemic, state and local authorities have wide discretion in applying emergency mandates to
businesses, non-profits, and government offices.34 Experts believe that closures and restrictions,
shortages of key goods, or illness of essential workers may disrupt certain planning, production,
and logistics functions necessary to implement remote voting.

30 CISA, Elections Cyber Tabletop Exercise Package, Situation Manual, Washington, DC, January 2020, pp. 10-11,
https://www.cisa.gov/publication/elections-cyber-tabletop-box.
31 Center for Internet Security (CIS), “Resource Guide for Cybersecurity During the COVID-19 Pandemic: COVID-19
Related Cyber-Attacks,” https://www.cisecurity.org/blog/resource-guide-for-cybersecurity-during-the-covid-19-
pandemic/.
32 CISA, “Alert (AA20-073A) Enterprise VPN Security,” March 13, 2020, https://www.us-cert.gov/ncas/alerts/aa20-
073a.
33 CIS, “Resource Guide for Cybersecurity During the COVID-19 Pandemic: COVID-19 Related Cyber-Attacks.”
34 See CRS Insight IN11284, COVID-19: State and Local Shut-Down Orders and Exemptions for Critical
Infrastructure, by Brian E. Humphreys.
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The U.S. Postal Service reports undertaking extensive prophylactic measures to preserve its
operational and business continuity, which is critical to the implementation of vote-by-mail
initiatives.35 In 2020, as part of the Coronavirus Aid, Relief, and Economic Security (CARES)
Act (P.L. 116-136), Congress approved a $10 billion line of credit to ensure the financial solvency
of the U.S. Postal Service and guarantee continued operations. According to media reports, the
Trump Administration threatened to withhold the funds unless the USPS increases parcel delivery
prices fourfold—a move it has opposed. The USPS said it might not be able to continue
operations beyond September 2020 without the funds.36
The primary purpose of the U.S. critical infrastructure protection framework is to enhance
information sharing on best practices and common threats, and provide certain security
assessments and other services to sector stakeholders as a public good. Designation of election
systems as critical infrastructure gave DHS authority to create official coordination bodies and
raised the priority for the agency to provide security assistance to election jurisdictions that
request it. However, DHS cannot require election authorities or vendors to join coordination
bodies, implement security or other guidelines, or accept assistance. Its assistance to the EIS
includes informational products, voluntary security guidelines, site-specific risk assessments, and
threat reporting and monitoring.
Stakeholder participation in the EIS has increased rapidly since its inception in 2017. According
to DHS, the EI-ISAC is the fastest growing of the existing ISACs, with nearly 2,500 members as
of February 2020, including many state, local, tribal, and territorial (SLTT) election authorities.
Nevertheless, CISA and state officials have reported difficulty getting some local officials to
engage with the subsector. Some states, localities, and vendors have also been reluctant to share
information about threats and vulnerabilities in their systems—a common challenge across
critical infrastructure sectors. Some SLTT election officials have reported that the volume of
information they receive as part of the EIS can be overwhelming and that security notifications
are not always actionable.37
Several other considerations may apply in the context of the COVID-19 pandemic. State and
local authorities may introduce new or updated remote voting systems late in the 2020 election
cycle, given significant lead times required for prior completion of complex infrastructure
buildouts. CISA and other service providers may receive a large number of requests for security-
related assessments of system architectures and functions. It is not clear that resources will be
sufficient to meet demand within the time available. Widespread social distancing and telework
have expanded the attack surfaces that threat actors may seek to access, according to experts.
Rapid introduction of new election infrastructure and novel work practices of elections officials
may make it more difficult for experts to assess risk accurately.
COVID-19 Informational Resources
The CISA EIS Government Coordinating Council (GCC) and EIS Sector Coordinating Council
(SCC) Joint COVID Working Group, in consultation with EIS stakeholders, has developed a
series of issue papers that detail planning considerations for remote voting during the pandemic

35 See U.S. Postal Service, “Media Statement,” press release, April 2, 2020, https://about.usps.com/newsroom/
statements/usps-statement-on-coronavirus.htm.
36 CRS Insight IN11384, U.S. Postal Service Financial Condition and Title VI of the CARES Act, by Meghan M.
Stuessy and Raj Gnanarajah; also Lisa Rein and Jacob Bogage, “Trump Says He Will Block Coronavirus Aid for U.S.
Postal Service If It Doesn’t Hike Prices Immediately,” Washington Post, April 24, 2020.
37 See CRS In Focus IF11445, The Election Infrastructure Subsector: Development and Challenges, by Brian E.
Humphreys and Karen L. Shanton.
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(see Table 2). Themes that appear in several of these papers include the anticipated increase in
demand for mail-in ballots; the shortened timeframe to contract for and implement infrastructure
upgrades; locating qualified vendors for printing and bulk mail processing; hiring and training
staff in pandemic conditions; and cybersecurity and security of physical infrastructure. Some
papers also conclude that social distancing requirements may require the expansion of facility
footprints and changes to the layout and organization of workstations.
Table 2. EIS GCC and EIS SCC COVID-19 Issue Papers
Planning Considerations for Remote Voting During the Pandemic
Issue
Pandemic-Specific Planning Considerations
Ballot Drop Box
Closure of public places typically used as drop-box sites;
alternative drop box sites with social distancing; policies for care
provider or other third party ballot drop-off; personal protective
equipment (PPE) and other protective measures for col ection and
processing teams.
Election Education and Outreach for
Public communication about increased ballot processing time and
Increased Absentee or Mail Voting
delayed results; increased demand for voter education about
absentee or mail voting; policy for third-party col ection, mailing,
or drop-off; COVID-19 public service announcements by text;
virtual press tours and briefings.
Electronic Ballot Delivery and Marking
Shortened timeframe for design, testing, and introduction of new
electronic systems; acceptable risk tolerance policy; e-ballot
eligibility policy; increased load on current or prospective
electronic systems.
Helping Voters to Request a Mail-in Ballot
Consolidation of mailings (registration, address verification, ballot
request) to conserve funds and account for shortened timelines.
Importance of Accurate Voter Data When
Updated addresses and other information for voters displaced by
Expanding Absentee or Mail Ballot Voting
COVID-19; increased number of undeliverable addresses and
temporary address changes.
Inbound Ballot Process
Increased processing times and facility footprints due to social
distancing measures; emergency deadline changes affecting vendors
and postal system; supply-chain disruptions affecting procurement
of automated processing equipment; safe handoff of ballot boxes to
processing facility workers; PPE.
Managing an Increase in Outbound Ballots
Increased processing times and facility footprints due to social
distancing measures; emergency deadline changes affecting vendors
and postal system; potential staffing shortages due to health
concerns; PPE.
Signature Verification and Cure Process
Potential bottleneck in process when scaled up rapidly. General
COVID-19 considerations for acquisitions, hiring, contracting, and
facilities management apply.
Source: Adapted from CISA, “COVID-19 & Elections,” https://www.cisa.gov/covid-19-and-elections.
A joint EIS GCC and SCC vote-by-mail timeline, published separately, lists over 100 discrete
tasks—many requiring months to complete—that elections authorities would need to include in
their plans.38 Examples include legislative changes, remote workforce planning, software

38 CISA EIS GCC and EIS SCC Joint COVID Working Group, “Vote by Mail Project Timeline,” https://www.eac.gov/
sites/default/files/electionofficials/vbm/VBMProjectTimeline.xlsx.
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development and integration, graphic design of mailing materials, implementation of ballot
tracking and signature verification systems, and various forms of systems testing, among others.
Grants and Emergency Expansion of Mail Voting
Decreases in state revenues due to economic disruptions caused by COVID-19 may place fiscal
constraints on state and local efforts to expand remote voting. Congress has periodically provided
funds for state elections administration through HAVA and subsequent appropriations legislation.
The Consolidated Appropriations Act, 2018 (P.L. 115-141) and the Consolidated Appropriations
Act, 2020 (P.L. 116-93) included $380 million and $425 million, respectively, for payments to
states, territories, and the District of Columbia under HAVA.39 Although not specifically intended
to fund expansion of mail voting, EAC guidance gives states discretion in use of these funds for
unanticipated expenses associated with the pandemic, including postage and certain other
expenses incurred by increased demand for mail voting.40
The CARES Act provides an additional $400 million in election security grants as a supplement
to the existing Election Security Grant program originally authorized under HAVA. According to
media reports, there has been disagreement in Congress over whether states may use the
supplemental funding to expand mail voting.41 The EAC, which administers the grant program,
has released guidance allowing for limited use of funds for states to reimburse counties for vote-
by-mail postage expenses if used for one-time emergency response to the pandemic and the
recipient election authority does not continue the practice in future elections. According to EAC
guidance, general improvement to mail voting systems must use previously approved HAVA
funding for elections administration.42
Congress also regularly appropriates funding for homeland security grants to the states.43 The
Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) administers these grants. FEMA announced in
February 2020 that elections security would be included as a priority area for FY2020 State
Homeland Security Program (SHSP) grants. State administrative agencies are required to include
at least one election security project under each of two priority areas: Enhancing Security, and
Enhancing the Protection of Soft Targets/Crowded Places.44 According to the FEMA Notice of
Funding Opportunity, relevant project types might include cybersecurity risk assessments,
remediation of identified cybersecurity vulnerabilities, and physical security enhancements for
election infrastructure facilities.45
SHSP grants do not directly support remote voting initiatives, but can support cybersecurity and
physical security of elections infrastructure, and thus may indirectly enable remote voting
expansion. Total grant funding for all SHSP categories is $415 million. It is not clear whether

39 See CRS In Focus IF11286, Election Security: Federal Funding for Securing Election Systems, by Karen L. Shanton.
40 See EAC, “Guidance on Use of HAVA Funds for Expenses Related to COVID-19,” https://www.eac.gov/election-
officials/guidance-use-hava-funds-expenses-related-covid-19.
41 See, for example, Benjamin Siegel, “How Experts Worry the Coronavirus Outbreak Could Cloud the 2020 General
Election,” ABC News, April 2, 2020, https://abcnews.go.com/Politics/experts-worry-coronavirus-outbreak-cloud-2020-
general-election/story?id=69908301.
42 EAC, “2020 Cares Act Grant FAQs,” https://www.eac.gov/payments-and-grants/2020-cares-act-grant-faqs.
43 For an overview of preparedness grants, see CRS Report R44669, Department of Homeland Security Preparedness
Grants: A Summary and Issues, by Shawn Reese.
44 DHS, Notice of Funding Opportunity, Fiscal Year (FY) 2020 Homeland Security Grant Program, Washington, DC,
2020, p. 6, https://www.fema.gov/media-library/assets/documents/185911.
45 Ibid., p. 4.
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states would have sufficient time to use FY2020 SHSP grants to fund election security activities
before the 2020 general election. The period of performance for the grants begins on September
1, 2020. Election Day is November 3, 2020.
Some observers have suggested that states might reprioritize and reallocate unspent SHSP
balances from previous years to fund election security initiatives during the 2020 elections
cycle.46 FEMA has periodically allowed waivers for reprioritization of grants or other flexibilities,
such as expansion of allowable costs, if granted discretion to do so by Congress or the Office of
Management and Budget.
Cybersecurity and Infrastructure Security Services for State and
Local Authorities
CISA provides a number of election security related services to elections authorities at no cost.
Cybersecurity Advisors and Protective Security Advisors may visit election infrastructure sites to
provide assessments, if requested. Other CISA services relevant to expansion of remote voting
infrastructure are summarized in Table 3. Elections authorities may also use third-party services
in addition to, or in place of, services provided by CISA.
Table 3. Select CISA Services for EIS
Resources
Services
Cybersecurity Assessments
Cyber Resilience Review
External Dependencies Management Assessment
Cyber Infrastructure Survey
Phishing Campaign Assessment
Risk and Vulnerability Assessment
Remote Penetration Testing
Vulnerability Scanning
Validated Architecture Design Review
Detection and Prevention
Continuous Diagnostics and Mitigation
Incident Response, Recovery, and Cyber Threat Hunting
Malware Analysis
Information Sharing and Awareness
Automated Indicator Sharing

National Cyber Awareness System
Training and Career Development
Cybersecurity Exercises

National Initiative for Cybersecurity Careers and Studies
Federal Virtual Training Environment
Source: CISA, Election Infrastructure Security Resource Guide, May 2019, https://www.dhs.gov/publication/election-
security-resource-library.

46 Dan Lips, “States and Cities Could Use Billions of Unspent DHS Grants to #Protect 2020,” Lawfare, February 28,
2020.
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Prospective Development of Internet Voting
Experts have described vote-by-mail and internet voting as conceptually analogous to each
other.47 In each case, the voter receives a ballot at a remote location outside the direct oversight of
elections officials and then marks and transmits the ballot, either as a sealed paper-and-envelope
package or as digitally encrypted data, to a central repository for processing. Each stage of the
process from registration to certification of results presents identity management and security
challenges, whether using paper or electronic ballots. Elections authorities must be able to verify
voter identity and eligibility, while still preserving the secret ballot—a unique aspect of elections
that adds complexity to elections administration and the systems used for remote voting.48
In the case of mail voting, a widely accepted solution is the use of two envelopes for return of
marked ballots. The outer envelope bears the voter’s name, registration information, and
signature, while the inner envelope (with no personally identifiable information) contains the
marked ballot. Once elections workers verify voter eligibility via manual or automated means,
they remove the inner envelope and deposit it in a ballot box to ensure voter confidentiality.
Although this system is widely accepted, some elections authorities have provided voters with a
single envelope for voter information and marked ballots for elections held during the
pandemic.49 Some internet voting solutions use a combination of encryption/decryption
technologies and protocols that seek to mirror the paper “double envelope” process virtually.50
Advocates for internet voting claim that it has advantages in security, cost, reliability, and
convenience over conventional mail-in ballots if properly executed.51 Private organizations such
as artistic guilds, labor unions, and corporations have used commercially available internet voting
systems for many years.52 However, experts note that elections for public office present unique
security challenges not applicable to private organizations with relatively small and well-defined
voting memberships.53 Some companies have adapted existing products to elections for public
office and marketed them to EIS stakeholders, while others have designed systems from the
ground up for public elections. Many assessments of available product offerings by academic
researchers, private labs, and government agencies have found potentially significant security

47 For example, see Ülle Madise and Priit Vinkel, “Internet Voting in Estonia: From Constitutional Debate to
Evaluation of Experience Overs Six Elections,” in Regulating eTechnologies in the European Union: Normative
Realities and Trends, ed. Tanel Kerikmäe (Heidelberg: Springer, 2014), p. 62; and U.S. Election Assistance
Commission, Voting Testing and Certification Division, A Survey of Internet Voting, Washington, DC, September 14,
2011, p. 44.
48 Zach Montellaro, “Why You (Still) Can’t Vote Online,” The Atlantic, January 28, 2016,
https://www.theatlantic.com/politics/archive/2016/01/why-you-still-cant-vote-online/459183/.
49 Personal experience of the author.
50 Michael A. Specter, James Koppel, and Daniel Weitzner, “The Ballot Is Busted Before the Blockchain: A Security
Analysis of Voatz, the First Internet Voting Application Used in U.S. Federal Elections” (preprint), 2020, p. 3,
https://internetpolicy.mit.edu/wp-content/uploads/2020/02/SecurityAnalysisOfVoatz_Public.pdf; and Tadas Limbda,
Konstantin Agafonov, and Linas Paukste, et al., “Peculiarities of Cyber Security Management in the Process of Internet
Voting Implementation,” The International Journal of Entrepreneurship and Sustainability Issues, vol. 5, no. 2
(December 2017), p. 379.
51 See, for example, Hillarie Orman, “Online Voting: We Can Do It! (We Have To),” Communications of the
Association for Computing Machinery, vol. 62, no. 9 (September 2019), pp. 25-27.
52 Rebecca Heilweil, “Nine Companies That Want to Revolutionize Voting Technology,” Forbes, December 2, 2017.
53 Jeremy Epstein, “Internet Voting, Security, and Privacy,” William and Mary Bill of Rights Journal, vol. 19, no. 4
(2011), p. 905.
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vulnerabilities, although some have also offered limited praise with caveats.54 Security concerns
apply both to the ballot and to sensitive personal information voters might provide to private
vendors when voting.55
Many experts have stated that limitations of current technology and internet infrastructure present
unacceptable risks to elections integrity during the 2020 election cycle. Some say that risk
inherent to internet technology and personal computing devices—specifically, the prevalence of
malware—is an insurmountable barrier to its use in future elections, while others allow for the
possibility that emerging technology and social acceptance of certain inherent risks may
ultimately allow for its use in U.S. elections.56 Prominent academic researchers have published
open letters to Congress and state officials to voice security concerns about online voting.57 Some
states have cancelled or altered plans to expand internet voting pilot programs in response to
critical third-party security assessments.58 In May 2020, CISA and other federal agencies released
guidance to the states advising them to limit use of electronic ballot return systems due to
“significant security risks to the confidentiality, integrity, and availability of voted ballots.”59
Several foreign countries have used internet voting in regional or national elections for public
office over multiple election cycles. In some countries where internet voting is already widely
used, elections authorities have leveraged existing online national identity management systems
that use cryptographic ID cards for voter authentication. Experts have identified voter
authentication as a critical obstacle to internet voting in the United States.60 Such systems
typically rely on public key infrastructure (PKI), which uses cryptographic security mechanisms,

54 See Internet Policy Research Initiative, “How to Protect Your Vote,” by Michael A. Specter and J. Alex Halderman,
https://internetpolicy.mit.edu/omniballot-advice/. For links to available analyses of the Voatz internet voting system,
see Trail of Bits Blog, “Our Full Report on the Voatz Mobile Voting Platform,” press release, March 13, 2020,
https://blog.trailofbits.com/2020/03/13/our-full-report-on-the-voatz-mobile-voting-platform/. Also, Springall, Drew;
Travis Finkenauer; Zakir Durumeric; Jason Kitcat; Harri Hursti; Margaret MacAlpine; and J. Alex Halderman,
“Security Analysis of the Estonian Internet Voting System,” in Proceedings of the 2014 ACM SIGSAC Conference on
Computer and Communications Security, pp. 703-715.
55 For example, see “Michael A. Specter and J. Alex Halderman, Security Analysis of the Democracy Live Online
Voting System, Internet Policy Research Initiative: Massachusetts Institute of Technology, Cambridge, MA, June 7,
2020, p. 3, https://internetpolicy.mit.edu/omniballot.
56 For example, see National Academies of Sciences, Securing the Vote: Protecting American Democracy, Washington,
DC, 2018, pp. 9 and 12, https://www.nap.edu/catalog/25120/securing-the-vote-protecting-american-democracy. The
report recommends that internet voting not be adopted until security improvements are developed, but also
recommends that Congress fund further research into benefits and risks of internet voting. Also see “Expert
Statements,” in Joseph R. Kiniry, Daniel M. Zimmerman, and Daniel Wagner, et al., The Future of Voting: End-to-End
Verifiable Internet Voting—Specification and Feasibility Study (Washington, DC: U.S. Vote Foundation, 2015), pp. 2-
9, https://usvotefoundation-drupal.s3.amazonaws.com/prod/E2EVIV_expert_statements.pdf.
57 For example, see American Association for the Advancement of Science, Letter to Governors and Secretaries of
State on the Insecurity of Online Voting, April 9, 2020, https://www.aaas.org/programs/epi-center/internet-voting-letter.
The authors note the COVID-19 emergency, but urge officials not to use internet voting as a solution. Also see
National Election Defense Coalition, letter to Members of Congress, June 21, 2017, https://www.electiondefense.org/
election-integrity-expert-letter.
58 For example, see Kate Polit, “West Virginia Ditches Controversial Voatz App for May Election,” MeriTalk, March
5, 2020.
59 CISA, EAC, NIST, and Federal Bureau of Investigation, Risk Management for Electronic Ballot Delivery, Marking,
and Return, May 2020, p. 1. The document was marked For Official Use Only, but was widely reported on by media
sources, which linked to the document. For example, Joseph Marks, “The Cybersecurity 202: Internet-Based Voting is
the New Front in the Election Security Wars,” Washington Post, May 11, 2020, https://www.washingtonpost.com/
news/powerpost/paloma/the-cybersecurity-202/2020/05/11/the-cybersecurity-202-internet-based-voting-is-the-new-
front-in-the-election-security-wars/5eb85e4e602ff11bb1179347/.
60 See, “Expert Statements,” ibid., p. 5.
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digital signatures, and special administrative protocols to enable secure and confidential internet
transactions among authorized network users.61
DOD PKI and Internet Voting
Given the cost and complexity of large-scale
DOD was among the first federal agencies to develop
PKI, national governments have historically
public key infrastructure on a large scale to enable
developed PKI for taxation, contracting, and
integrated identity management and secure internet
licensing, and then subsequently adapted the
transactions among service members and the various
system for remote voting.62 Although many
component commands. DOD therefore presented a
U.S. federal agencies have developed PKI for
potentially attractive opportunity for application of PKI
to internet voting. FVAP studied—but did not
government use, the U.S. government has not
implement—a complete internet voting solution for
developed a national-level PKI for citizen-
UOCAVA voters that would have used DOD PKI as its
government transactions that could be readily
foundation. The 2015 FVAP study found that DOD
adapted for remote voting.
would encounter both technical and legal difficulties
integrating its PKI—implemented at the federal level—
In the context of U.S. elections administration,
with state authorities’ diverse elections systems and
it is not clear how the federal government
laws.
would integrate PKI into multiple elections
The FVAP study did not examine the general feasibility
systems administered by the states (See text
or security of PKI-based internet voting for the much
larger population of non-UOCAVA voters, as this
box “DOD PKI and Internet Voting”).
question was beyond the scope of its congressional
However, several states have developed PKI
mandate.
identity management systems to enable
issuance of digital driver’s licenses and
conduct of secure digital transactions for taxation, contracting, and licensing. A 2019 white paper
published by the American Association of Motor Vehicle Administrators suggested that elections
authorities could use this infrastructure for voter registration or identification with electronic
driver’s licenses.63 Thus far, however, states have not proposed leveraging such PKI systems to
enable a full internet voting solution.64
Commercial vendors marketing internet-voting products in the United States have sought to
leverage emerging technologies such as blockchain-based secure transactions that do not require
integration with PKI administered by a central government authority.65 However, vendors have
not yet demonstrated these technologies at scale. To date, the only attempt at general use of
remote electronic voting in a U.S. public election occurred in 2012 on an emergency basis.
Hurricane Sandy damaged many New Jersey polling places beyond repair before the general
election. In response, state officials extended UOCAVA eligibility to all state residents, making
them eligible to request and return ballots online by fax or email. Although voters cast 50,000
ballots via these methods, observers reported backlogs and other irregularities in ballot tracking
and processing. Observers generally attributed these problems to the ad hoc use of
communications infrastructure not intended to support wide-scale remote electronic voting.66

61 National Academies of Sciences, Securing the Vote: Protecting American Democracy, p. 102.
62 This was the case in Estonia, which observers generally recognize as the most extensive user of internet voting for
public office. See National Academies of Sciences, Securing the Vote: Protecting American Democracy.
63 American Association of Motor Vehicle Administrators, Mobile Driver’s License, Functional Needs White Paper,
Arlington, VA, March 7, 2019, p. 15, https://www.aamva.org/FunctionalNeedsWhitepaper-9/.
64 NCSL, “Electronic Transmission of Ballots.”
65 For example, see Votem, “Secure Online Blockchain Voting,” https://www.votem.com/blockchain-voting/.
66 See Montellaro, Zach, “Why You (Still) Can’t Vote Online,” The Atlantic, January 28, 2016.
https://www.theatlantic.com/politics/archive/2016/01/why-you-still-cant-vote-online/459183/, and Brian Heaton, “Has
New Jersey Paved the Way for Voting via Email?,” Government Technology, February 19, 2013,
https://www.govtech.com/e-government/Has-New-Jersey-Paved-the-Way-for-Voting-via-Email.html.
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Options for Congress
To address the issues discussed in this report, Congress may consider a variety of options,
including the following:
 To clarify how states may use the $400 million in supplemental HAVA funding
provided by the CARES Act, Congress might engage in agency oversight or
enact additional legislation to either expand or further restrict the use of these
funds for vote-by-mail expenses related to the COVID-19 pandemic.
 The continued solvency of USPS may become an issue that affects election
administration if states choose to rely on expanded mail voting in response to
COVID-19 contingencies. If Congress wishes to support expanded mail voting,
Members might consider whether additional emergency funding for USPS is
necessary.
 The period of performance for SHSP grants awarded during the FY2020 funding
cycle begins on September 1, 2020—two months before Election Day. Congress
might provide FEMA with additional waiver authorities to allow states to
reprioritize or redirect prior-year SHSP funding, originally awarded for other
activities, to support election security programs on an emergency basis. These
authorities could be provided retroactively. Alternatively, Congress might allow
states to use grant funds awarded in FY2021 to reimburse eligible election
security expenses incurred during FY2020.
 The current funding issues related to the COVID-19 emergency are part of a
broader debate among some Members about the proper role of Congress in
supporting state election administration. Congress might provide regular funding
to implement and sustain reliability improvements and security measures.
Alternatively, it might provide funding on a contingency basis or choose to
delegate responsibility for funding elections administration and security entirely
to the states.
 In 2020, EAC continued a multiyear drafting and review process for updated
voluntary voting system guidelines for states. The guidelines focus on elections
systems used for in-person voting. In the past, Congress has directed EAC and
the National Institute of Standards and Technology (NIST) to develop standards
and guidelines for various forms of electronic remote voting—something many
in the elections administration community see as an essential precursor to any
wide scale rollout of these systems.67 If Congress wishes to support long-term
expansion of remote voting, beyond the current election cycle, it might direct
relevant federal agencies to develop additional technical standards and
guidelines.
 Congress might direct federal agencies to develop or conduct pilot studies of
electronic remote voting systems to support UOCAVA voters, as it has in the past
through annual defense authorizations and other legislation. If Congress seeks
broader expansion of electronic remote voting access, beyond UOCAVA voters, it
might also direct relevant federal agencies to provide technical assistance to

67 Department of Defense, Review of FVAP’s Work Related to Remote Electronic Voting for the UOCAVA Program,
Washington, DC, December 15, 2015, p. 14.
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 states seeking to adapt elections related applications to state electronic ID
infrastructure.
 Some Members have voiced objections to a wide-scale and long-term expansion
of remote voting on a variety of grounds. To address these objections, Congress
might choose to regulate or restrict the use of vote-by-mail systems or online
voting. For example, it might require that states adopting remote voting systems
achieve certain reliability and security benchmarks or implement certain
administrative protocols, or it might prohibit the use of certain technologies and
practices in state election systems.
 Congress might seek testimony or other information from CISA and other
relevant federal agencies on the potential risks and costs of rapidly expanding
vote-by-mail and supporting infrastructure during the COVID-19 pandemic. For
example, it might seek estimates from agency leaders on the expected scope of
election authorities’ infrastructure buildouts in response to COVID-19
contingencies, and whether agencies will be able to meet demand for
vulnerability assessments, penetration testing, and other services—especially in
the case of election infrastructure systems coming online shortly before the
general election.
 In light of information received from agencies about demand for services,
Congress might also consider whether existing appropriations will be sufficient
to fund federal cybersecurity and infrastructure security services, currently
provided to state election authorities on a no-cost basis.

Author Information

Brian E. Humphreys

Analyst in Science and Technology Policy

Disclaimer
This document was prepared by the Congressional Research Service (CRS). CRS serves as nonpartisan
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Congressional Research Service
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