If this is the first Verified Voting Field Report you are receiving, welcome! We hope these quarterly updates will prove a valuable resource to you and encourage feedback.

The global pandemic and renewed national anguish over racial discrimination in our communities have drastically changed the election landscape since our last update. But the urgency of our work has not abated. Disenfranchising Black voters is a historic tool for maintaining institutionalized racist patterns of governing. Failing to fix voting technology and failing to secure elections is a 21st century form of disenfranchisement that can be corrected. Bolstering public confidence in election outcomes has never been more critical to maintaining our democracy and we remain committed to our mission.

As always, our work is only possible because of allies like you, who share our dedication to strengthening democracy for all voters, and ensuring that every vote can be counted as cast. If you can, please consider a gift to help us keep the momentum going, and keep voters and elections safe and healthy this November. 

Verified Voting released recommendations in the wake of the COVID-19 pandemic and the predicted increase in vote by mail, and continues to share it with election officials, the press, our coalition partners, funders, and various task forces.
 
Verified Voting partnered with Common Cause to publish “Election Security and an Accessible Vote By Mail Option”, noting that options that keep voters' choices private and secure already exist and should be made available to voters with disabilities as states increase access to vote by mail.
 
President Marian K. Schneider joined the National Task Force on Election Crises, a bipartisan group of more than 40 experts whose goal is to ensure “a free and fair 2020 general election by recommending responses to a range of potential election crises.” The group’s releases include COVID-19 guidance and a white paper, “Can the President Cancel or Postpone the General Election?”
 
Verified Voting joined the American Association for the Advancement of Science & over 40 cyber and election security experts (including many from our Board of Directors and Board of Advisors) to urge state officials to refrain from the use of any internet or voting app system during this public health crisis. Read the letter here.
 
Marian was a guest speaker for Secure Our Vote’s well-attended nonpartisan interactive town hall alongside the National Vote at Home Institute and People for the American Way to discuss how to ensure that security best practices are front and center as states pivot to increase vote by mail during the COVID-19 pandemic.
 
In February, Mathematics Advisor Audrey Malagon represented Verified Voting as a panelist at the Election Assistance Commission’s “2020 Elections Accessibility, Disability and Security Forum.”

We continue to support increased federal funding and guidelines for jurisdictions to shore up their equipment and systems before November. We issued a statement supporting the election funding and security measures included in the HEROES Act and are monitoring legislation that will make our elections more secure. We also lifted up the important guidance issued by Cybersecurity and Infrastructure Security Agency, the Election Assistance Commission, the Federal Bureau of Investigation, and the National Institute of Standards and Technology, warning states about security concerns with any voting system that uses the internet.