Guides
Long-form explainers, how-tos, and background on election administration. Every guide cites named public sources and is reviewed before publication.
Latest guides
Every guide is sourced from named public references and reviewed by the editorial team before publication.
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Election Security Guides
Election Fraud, Voter Fraud and Election Crimes: What Do the Terms Mean?
Learn how election fraud, voter fraud and election crimes differ, where they overlap, and why allegations are not the same as proven offenses.
Martins Ogundare · ESG Editor
7 min read
Election Security Guides
Election Misinformation, Disinformation and Malinformation: What's the Difference?
Learn the difference between election misinformation, disinformation and malinformation, how intent and context matter, and how misleading claims spread.
Martins Ogundare · ESG Editor
7 min read
Election Security Guides
How Mail Ballot Verification Works in the U.S.
Learn how U.S. election officials verify returned mail ballots using signatures, identification checks, cure procedures and other state rules.
Martins Ogundare · ESG Editor
7 min read
Election Security Guides
What Is a Risk-Limiting Audit and How Does It Work?
Learn how risk-limiting audits use random ballot samples, risk limits and hand review to test whether a reported election outcome is correct.
Martins Ogundare · ESG Editor
7 min read
Election Security Guides
Election Canvass vs Certification: What Happens After Election Day?
Learn the difference between election canvass and certification, why election-night results are unofficial, and how results become final in the U.S.
Martins Ogundare · ESG Editor
7 min read
Election Security Guides
What Is Chain of Custody in Elections and How Does It Protect Ballots?
Learn how election chain of custody tracks ballots, voting equipment and transfers through documented controls from voting to audits and storage.
Martins Ogundare · ESG Editor
7 min read
Election Security Guides
How Voting Systems Are Tested, Certified and Secured in the U.S.
Learn how U.S. voting systems are tested, federally certified, checked by states and secured before elections through layered safeguards and controls.
Martins Ogundare · ESG Editor
7 min read
Election Security Guides
What Is Election Security? A Guide to How Elections Are Protected
Learn how U.S. elections are protected through voting-system testing, access controls, chain of custody, audits and other layered safeguards.
Martins Ogundare · ESG Editor
6 min read
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