• OAVS
  • Declaration
  • Bill of Right
  • Voting Security Rights
    • Election Transparency
    • Balanced Election Governance
    • Election Accountability and Enforcement
    • Ballot Chain of Custody
    • Ballot Request Authentication
    • Voter Registration Integrity
    • Secure Ballot Casting
    • Vote Count Integrity
    • Confidential Ballot Security
  • Voting Security Rights

Ballot Chain of Custody:


Safeguarding every ballot through continuous, transparent custody from issuance to final count

The security of ballots is the security of elections. Without strict, continuous chain-of-custody protections, the integrity of every ballot—and thus every election—is at risk.
Ballots must be protected from the moment they are created until the final certified count. Every stage must be secured through documented controls, bipartisan oversight, and full transparency for citizen verification.

Core Ballot Handling Requirements

Every ballot must be tracked continuously through a strict, documented chain of custody. Every movement of ballots must be observed, recorded, and made publicly available for citizens to audit. Ballots must be sealed, transported, and stored under secure conditions monitored by bipartisan citizen teams.

Authorized Access Only

Only designated, sworn election officials may handle ballots. Unauthorized individuals must be strictly prohibited from accessing or handling ballots at any stage.

Physical Security Controls

Ballots must be protected through the use of: - Tamper-evident seals - Locked and monitored storage facilities - Secure transport methods with full logging of handoffs and custody changes These measures must apply equally to: - Blank ballots - Completed ballots - Spoiled ballots - Provisional ballots

Public Chain-of-Custody Records

If a ballot’s chain of custody is broken — if a seal is compromised, documentation is missing, or an unauthorized access occurs — affected ballots must be: - Immediately quarantined, and - Separately adjudicated before any inclusion in the official count. Ballots with broken custody must never be commingled with lawful ballots.

Closing

Chain-of-custody security is not a technical detail — it is the lifeline of free and fair elections. By guaranteeing continuous public accountability for every ballot from creation to counting, we defend the foundation of legitimate self-governance.
Organization for the Advancement of Voting Security
Copyright 2024 © All rights reserved.
Contacts
Info@votingsecurity.org

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