Paper ballots are the bedrock of trustworthy elections. They provide a physical, human-readable record that no software vulnerability or cyber attack can silently alter.
Paper ballots have been the cornerstone of democratic elections for centuries. Despite the rise of electronic voting technology, paper remains the most reliable, transparent, and auditable method of recording votes. Leading election security experts, including those at the Brennan Center for Justice and the Verified Voting Foundation, consistently recommend paper ballots as the foundation of secure elections.
The principle is simple: when a voter marks a paper ballot, they create a durable, physical record that can be verified by the voter themselves, recounted by hand if necessary, and audited by independent observers. This chain of verifiability is something no purely electronic system can replicate.
Paper ballots exist in the physical world. They cannot be hacked remotely, altered by malware, or corrupted by software bugs. In an age of nation-state cyber operations and increasingly sophisticated digital threats, this physical resilience is not a relic of the past -- it is a critical security advantage.
With a paper ballot, voters can directly verify their choices before casting their vote. This voter-verified paper audit trail (VVPAT) ensures that each citizen has confidence their intent was accurately captured. No touchscreen confirmation or digital receipt can match the certainty of seeing your own marks on paper.
Risk-limiting audits (RLAs) are considered the gold standard for post-election verification. They use statistical methods to confirm election outcomes with high confidence, but they require paper records to work. Without paper ballots, audits can only compare one electronic record to another -- a circular exercise that cannot detect systematic errors or tampering.
Public confidence in elections is foundational to democracy. Paper ballots provide a tangible, understandable record that citizens can trust. When voters know that physical ballots exist and can be recounted, they are more likely to accept election outcomes -- even when their preferred candidate does not win.
Direct Recording Electronic (DRE) machines that produce no paper trail were widely adopted after the Help America Vote Act of 2002, often with good intentions. However, decades of security research have revealed fundamental vulnerabilities that make paperless electronic voting a serious risk to election integrity.
Security researchers at universities including Princeton, Michigan, and Rice have repeatedly demonstrated that common DRE machines can be compromised in minutes, with vote-altering malware that could spread from machine to machine and produce no detectable evidence of tampering.
An audit trail is the documented chain of evidence that connects a voter's intent to the final certified election result. In the context of voting, this means having physical paper records that can be independently reviewed to confirm that electronic tallies are accurate.
Risk-limiting audits (RLAs) represent the state of the art in post-election verification. Rather than a full hand recount, RLAs use statistical sampling of paper ballots to provide high confidence that the reported winner actually won. They are efficient, scientifically rigorous, and cost-effective, but they are impossible without paper records.
The strongest audit trail begins with hand-marked paper ballots that are optically scanned. The paper is the official record of voter intent.
Paper ballots must be securely stored with documented chain of custody procedures to ensure their integrity throughout the audit process.
Statistically rigorous audits that sample paper ballots to confirm electronic results, providing high confidence with minimal cost.
Audit processes should be open to observation by candidates, political parties, and nonpartisan monitors to ensure public trust.
You can make a difference in the fight for election integrity. Here are concrete steps every citizen can take.
Find out what voting equipment your county uses. Does it produce a paper trail? Check our state guide to learn more.
Write to your county election officials, state legislators, and secretary of state. Ask them about paper ballot requirements and audit procedures.
Support federal and state legislation that requires paper ballots and risk-limiting audits for all elections.
Share information about election security with your community. Informed citizens are the best defense for democracy.