Dear John,

Let me get straight to the point: I’m worried about what’s going to happen in November.
 
Of course, I’m always worried when it comes to election security. That’s why I joined with my colleagues in founding Verified Voting: so that election officials would have the support they need to conduct secure elections and to help the public understand what’s at stake for our democracy. But none of us has ever seen an election cycle like this.
 
We only have six months left until November 3. Good security practices take time to implement, and that means our preparations need to be happening now.
 
Now is the time to help states dealing with unprecedented increases in mail-in ballots to implement our security recommendations because they are necessary to create a trustworthy voting record that will help convince candidates and voters that the declared results are correct. Now is the time for us to adapt audit procedures that keep election officials and observers safe, while still ensuring we can check if ballots have been counted correctly. And now is the time to put in place all the resiliency and recovery measures that are still needed to protect against other potential threats to our elections beyond the pandemic.
 
This Giving Tuesday, if you’re able, I hope you’ll consider a gift to Verified Voting to ensure that we can assist states in taking these critical steps while we still have time. Election security is the foundation on which our democracy rests. More than ever we cannot afford to let hindsight be 20/20.
 
With thanks,
 
Barbara Simons
Board Chair, Verified Voting