Dear John,

As we close out the year at Verified Voting, I wanted to take a moment to thank you for your continued support. Because of you, Verified Voting can celebrate the progress we’ve made in election security across the country. We are: 

• Conducting risk-limiting audit pilots and picking up recommendations and best practices as we go, as illustrated in the report from Rhode Island 
• Developing practical guides for election officials, like this handy RLA comparison chart and a guide to the characteristics of currently-available ballot marking devices
• Advocating for more election security funding, at both the federal and local level
• Driving our message home to the public, in person and to nationwide audiences
• And so much more. 

But we are also soberly reminded of how much is at stake in the 2020 elections. Election security will be front and center in voters’ minds as they head to the polls next year. Verified Voting is committed to one goal - ensuring our country’s voting systems are resilient and have a way of recovering from attacks: both real-world tampering, and those designed to sow distrust.

We advocate for a practical, non-partisan solution: paper ballots (mostly marked by hand), a strong chain of custody of ballots, proper ballot accounting, and risk-limiting audits. If we can move just enough states likely to impact the Electoral College towards these pieces, we can provide evidence-based assurance that the paper ballots were counted correctly or spur further investigation, including a full hand recount. 
 
This goal is within reach. Verified Voting is committed to harnessing our technical knowledge to provide practical assistance for election officials and fight for voters who want to make sure their votes are accurately counted. With your support, we can continue working to #Validate2020, and all the elections to come. 
 
With thanks,
Marian

Marian K. Schneider, President