A process map and risk assessment for mail-based voting

ABSTRACT

The sudden shift to mail-based voting because of the COVID-19 pandemic precipitated national concerns about the security of this process. This research addresses mail-based voting impacts to elections security. Specifically, we develop a process model for mail-based voting and identify and map cyber, physical, and insider threats to the process. We then apply a utility-based methodology for assessing threat to evaluate the process model scenarios and nodes. We illustrate the model using Maryland's mail-based voting process as a case study and identify nodes or activities of concern due to higher relative risk. The goal of this research is to better understand how the dramatic shift and scaling of mail-based voting during the 2020 General Election can impact threat. Results will provide election officials insight on how voting system vulnerabilities develop and when and where to employ mitigating security measures. © 2021 IISE Annual Conference and Expo 2021. All rights reserved.