The real election tech vulnerabilities in 2026
Summary
Researchers have identified election-system weaknesses that could threaten ballot secrecy, vote recording and independent checks, but the article reports no credible evidence that such flaws have been used to change election results. Experts say paper ballots marked by voters and rigorous audits help verify results, while warning that paperless machines, ballot-marking devices and vote-counting software can pose risks.Key Facts
- Louisiana is the only state that uses paperless voting machines statewide on Election Day, according to the article.
- Paperless machines record votes electronically without producing a paper ballot that can independently verify the count.
- Louisiana's secretary of state's office said the state is expected to award a new election equipment contract at the end of 2026.
- Ballot-marking devices let voters make selections on a touchscreen and print a paper ballot; researchers warn of possible errors and manipulation.
- About 23% of U.S. registered voters live in jurisdictions that use ballot-marking devices exclusively for in-person voting, according to Verified Voting.
- A 2025 Def Con demonstration showed how a Georgia ballot-marking machine could be manipulated, according to the article.
- A Princeton researcher said a flaw in Georgia's vote-counting software could help reveal how individual voters cast ballots.
- Dominion Voting Systems, now Liberty Vote, released a software patch in 2023, but the article says there is no centralized database tracking where updates were installed.
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