Election Integrity Checklist — How to Assess Voting Security with a Self-Evaluation Tool

What the Election Integrity Checklist Solves

Election integrity is one of those topics where everyone has an opinion but few have a framework. The checklist turns vague concerns into concrete, actionable items across five categories: voter registration, ballot security, polling place procedures, counting and results, and transparency. Each category has four specific best practices. Check the ones that apply to your jurisdiction or organization, and the tool calculates a score from Poor to Excellent with category breakdowns.

The Problem with Abstract Integrity Debates

Public conversations about election security tend to be polarized and abstract. One side demands "election integrity," the other insists "our elections are secure." Neither side defines what security actually looks like in operational terms. Election administrators, journalists, and advocacy groups need a common reference point — a list of specific, observable practices that election experts agree matter. The checklist fills that gap by distilling recommendations from the Election Assistance Commission, the Brennan Center, and OSCE observation standards into a simple yes/no format anyone can use.

How to Use the Tool

Open the Election Integrity Checklist. For each of the 20 items, check the box if that practice is in place for the election you are evaluating. The tool updates instantly: the score circle shows your total points, the progress bar fills as you go, and each category bar shows how many of its four items are checked. A rating label (Poor / Fair / Good / Excellent) gives you a quick reference. Your progress is saved automatically to your browser — close the tab and come back later to continue where you left off.

Example Walkthrough

A county election office in Ohio used the checklist to self-assess before the 2026 midterms. They checked 16 of 20 items: they had online registration with ID verification, tamper-evident ballot paper, trained poll workers, and independent certification of tabulation software. But they missed on some transparency items — they did not publish precinct-level results and had no public notice period for procedure changes. Their score was 80 out of 100 (Excellent). The breakdown showed Good in Transparency, giving them a clear target for improvement before the next election cycle.

The County Clerk's Pre-Election Audit

A newly elected county clerk in Michigan inherited an election system she was not sure about. She used the checklist as a pre-election audit tool. The results showed she was missing chain-of-custody logs for absentee ballots and had no risk-limiting audit procedure. She worked with the state election board to implement both before the November election. Her score went from 55 (Fair) to 85 (Excellent) in four months. She told a local news outlet that the checklist gave her a "report card" she could use to justify budget requests to the county commission.

The Advocacy Group's Legislative Campaign

A good-government nonprofit in Pennsylvania used the checklist to benchmark election practices across all 67 counties. They sent the checklist to county election offices and collected self-reported scores. The results revealed that fewer than 40% of counties had independent election commissions, and only half published precinct-level results. The nonprofit used the data to lobby for a state-level election transparency law, citing specific checklist items as legislative targets. The bill passed in 2026 with bipartisan support.

Limitations of the Checklist

The checklist is a self-assessment tool, not a certified audit. It relies on honest answers and may not capture differences in implementation quality — checking "poll workers receive standardized training" does not distinguish between a two-hour online course and a full-day hands-on workshop. The 20 items are based on US-focused best practices and may not apply directly to other countries' electoral systems. The scoring is linear (each item is worth 5 points) but in reality, some items carry more weight than others. Use the score as a directional indicator, not a definitive measure.

Frequently Asked Questions

How are the checklist items determined?
Items are based on best practices from the Election Assistance Commission, the Brennan Center for Justice, and international election observation standards from the OSCE.

Does completing this guarantee election integrity?
No. The checklist covers a wide range of best practices but cannot guarantee integrity. It is a self-assessment tool, not a certification or audit.

Can I save my progress?
Yes. Your checked items are saved to your browser's localStorage. If you return later, your progress will be restored on the same device and browser.

Conclusion

The election integrity checklist gives you a structured way to evaluate election procedures without getting lost in abstract debates. Use it to audit your own county, compare practices across jurisdictions, or identify advocacy priorities. Twenty items, five categories, one score — a starting point for any conversation about election security that needs to be about specifics, not slogans.