VoteShield

More Info About VoteShield The Problem Adversaries seeking to corrupt or disrupt our elections may attempt to target voter registration records before an election, causing long lines, undermining public confidence, or even attempting to change the outcome. U.S. intelligence agencies have reported that foreign actors targeted voter registration databases in prior elections, and will continue to do so. This threat to U.S. elections cuts across partisan politics, and will require new tools and strategies to confront. The VoteShield Solution VoteShield is a platform designed to protect the integrity of U.S. elections by placing a virtual security camera on voter registration databases to detect anomalous activity in voter data. VoteShield uses publicly available data to consistently track changes to voter rolls, and identifies irregularities that may be indicative of malicious interference. Our Values We built VoteShield to protect voter databases from malicious external attacks. We operate from four core beliefs: All qualified voters are entitled to participate in free and fair elections. The ideal voter file should be both complete and accurate. Election administrators are working in good faith towards these goals. Public confidence in our electoral system is critical to our democracy. VoteShield is currently being used by both Republican and Democratic election officials around the country. Aggregate Data Analysis VoteShield focuses on aggregate data analysis as a way to verify data and identify anomalous activity. Voteshield does not provide the public with access to personally identifiable information. Security Procedures Our platform (and organization) adheres to best industry practices, and our policies are specifically informed by NIST’s Guide to Protecting the Confidentiality of Personally Identifiable Information and DHS’s Handbook for Safeguarding Sensitive Personally Identifiable Information. All voter data is encrypted in storage and in transit. Anomaly Detection We use multiple detection methods to track changes in the data. Each method looks for different types of irregularities. One method might look at how a group of name changes compares with the history of name changes for that locality, while another method might look at how a group of registrations compares with the registration rate across the state at that moment in time. Once we’ve analyzed each group of changes, we compile a ranked list for election officials to help them determine if the change is normal and expected, or unexpected and potentially malicious. Anomaly Response Protocol VoteShield encourages state and local election officials to use its anomaly-detection tool so that they can determine the best way to further investigate it and, if necessary, take action to remedy improper changes. If VoteShield detects an anomaly that it doesn’t understand or can’t explain as normal maintenance, it alerts relevant state or local officials so that they can further investigate and take any necessary action. It is important to note that an anomaly detected through VoteShield is not necessarily evidence of an improper change — but it can equip administrators to dig in deeper and determine whether something has gone wrong. VoteShield Cost VoteShield is made available free of charge exclusively to election administrators. The Work VoteShield is a project of Protect Democracy, a non-partisan, non-profit organization dedicated to fighting attacks, from at home and abroad, on our right to free, fair, and fully informed self-government.