Former President Donald Trump and tech billionaire Elon Musk have raised concerns about voter fraud without evidence, particularly targeting Dominion voting systems. However, there is no indication that US voting systems are insecure.
Dominion, along with ES&S and Hart InterCivic, are the primary election equipment vendors in the US, covering a significant portion of the country. Multiple vendors are often used within a single election office to ensure redundancy.
The voting process involves voter registration databases, paper records for about 97% of votes, and various voting machine types. These machines are just one part of a larger system that includes casting, storing, and counting votes.
Since 2020, there has been a focus on disinformation regarding voting machines, particularly Dominion systems. Despite claims of vulnerabilities, there is no evidence of votes being manipulated through these systems.
Security measures include chain of custody over data, paper trails, and penetration testing by cybersecurity experts. Vulnerabilities found are typically low-risk and require physical proximity to exploit.
Efforts to undermine faith in the voting system are seen as a strategy to challenge election outcomes through litigation. Musk's amplification of conspiracy theories adds to the challenge of dispelling misinformation.
Post-2020, the public dialogue has been clouded by false claims linking flaws to fraud. The Maricopa audit, funded by right-wing groups, debunked theories of election fraud.
Musk's influence through social media platforms has exacerbated the spread of misinformation, hindering efforts to uphold the integrity of elections.